This is a special treat as Jen from Reach Our Dreams shows us How To Stop Thinking and Start Doing.

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” Mark Victor Hansen

Do you walk your talk or just talk your talk?

One of the main reasons people don’t achieve what they want to achieve in life is inaction. There is no shortage of good ideas or skills in the world but for a variety of reasons many of us hold ourselves back. Here are some lessons I have learnt that have helped me to stop thinking and start doing:

1. Stop Talking

This is one of the biggest pitfalls in my opinion. Talking about success and your ideas doesn’t mean you are actually doing anything about them. Obviously there is a stage in any project or idea where taking about ideas and brainstorming are vital but there is also a stage when we need to stop talking and start doing. I love having inspiring conversations but I know if I am not careful I can get carried away with the talking and forget about the doing! Listen to your feelings and be honest with yourself. Are you progressing or just making the noises that sound good?

2. Stop Input and Increase Output

I love inspirational books, CD’s, blogs etc. They can be really helpful but at some point we have to put them aside and take action ourselves. A book or a CD isn’t going to change our lives; we are the only ones that can change our life. Some people talk about self help books not working but if we buy a book and expect that reading it alone will change our lives we are mistaken. Reading some information isn’t magically going to change things. We need to be putting effort in to create the result we want to create.

For example, when I first started blogging I spent a lot of time reading other peoples blogs and commenting, which I think was a good way to find my feet. However a few months ago I realised if I want to create a successful blog I needed to start changing the balance of what I was doing on a day to day basis around my blog. I realised that I was hoodwinking myself, thinking I was spending a lot of time working on my blog by interacting with other bloggers and spending time on Twitter. However that was the ‘easy’ work. I was absorbing other peoples input. It was time to shift to increasing my output and being a creator; to inspire as well as be inspired. Since taking a step back on my own blog and focussing on ‘doing’ I feel much more satisfied.

3. Stop Waiting

Many of us are waiting for a knight in shining armour. We might not admit this and we might not put it in these terms, but it’s true. The knight in shining armour we are waiting for is the right job, the right partner and/or the right opportunity. We are waiting to win the lottery so we can do what we really want to do. We might be waiting to get the right website design so our site looks right … and then it will be successful.

Stop waiting and do something today.

Just taking the first step gets momentum going. There is a time for thinking and talking however as I suggest above, learn to be honest with yourself and know when the time for action is.

For many years I searched for my ‘passion’; what I really wanted to do with my life. I dabbled with the idea of continuing my Psychology training to become a Psychologist; I tried lots of job and studied to be a Nutritionist. A few years ago I started looking at training to be a Life Coach. The idea appealed and would meant I could use a lot of the skills I had developed in myself. I thought about this for a long time. Of course it’s practical to research your different options especially when investing time and money. However once I had done all of this I realised I needed to move forward and take action. I subsequently trained and became a Life Coach. I realised that sometimes we have to realise that there is risks with any decision, but sometimes it is more risky to do nothing.

4. Be Honest

I keep coming back to the importance of being honest with yourself and this is because it’s such an important factor in achieving success in any area. It can be so easy to lie to yourself. Learn to question yourself regularly and get in the habit of being honest with yourself. I can get distracted easily and as I shared, I know one of my weaknesses can be talking more than doing. Being aware of these patterns and being honest with myself helps keep me on track with what I want to achieve and producing results.

5. Be Accountable

One of the best ways to stop thinking and start doing is to be accountable to someone else. A supportive partner, friend or coach can help to keep you on track and give you honest feedback. If I fall into my old habit of talking about my goals more than taking action, my husband will let me know! We all have blind spots. Sharing your goals and being accountable makes a huge difference.

6. Be Realistic

I am all for shooting for the stars and I really believe anything is possible if we set our minds to it but it is wise to temper that with some realism over what it will take to achieve our goal. If we are aware of the likely challenges we will face and the length of time it might take to achieve something, these factors are less likely to throw us off kilter down the track.

7. Do Something

When all is said and done, the best way to stop thinking and start doing is to just to start doing. Do something today to take a step towards a goal or goals. One step in the right direction will change how you feel about yourself and your goal. You will have started.

Jen Smith is a Personal Development blogger from the UK who who can be found at Reach Our Dreams. Why not connect with Jen on Twitter @reachourdreams or if you liked this article then why not subscribe to her RSS Feed?

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Related Posts:

1. Using Visualization To Get To Point Z From Point A
2. The Only Words You’ll Need To Overcome Your Fears
3. From Homeless To The Infopreneur – Guest Post
4. Do You Need To Let Go and Forgive?
5. Are You Being Your True Authentic Self?

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Tagged as: Guest Post, Motivation, Personal Development, Taking Action