Stairway to Success: The Complete Blueprint for Personal and Professional Achievement

16

ACTION!

Dreams can be factIf you act—It’s up to you.

—OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II

The time to act is now. You can’t start tomorrow and you can’t start “someday.” “Someday” is usually a euphemism for “never.” So take out your action plan, look at your first goal, analyze your strategy for reaching it, and begin the execution. We learned earlier that all actions are the results of thoughts and feelings. So your first thought should be “What must I do today to make this happen?”

GET THE BALL ROLLING

Milestones are achieved one step at a time. So decide what the first step will be, and take it. Here are some pointers for getting the ball rolling:

Get Sound Advice

Blind action gets you nowhere. You have to know where to direct your efforts and what will be required to see them to completion. So before you act, consult someone who has expertise in the area in which you plan to act.

Let’s say your goal is to become a professional photographer. Your first action might be to set up an appointment with someone who is already a professional photographer and determine what steps you need to take. It may be going to a career day and obtaining all the information you can on the profession.

Lay the Groundwork

You don’t start a house by installing the spiral staircase. You begin by clearing the lot and laying the foundation. If you’re a novice with a camera and your goal is to become a professional photographer, you don’t begin by applying for a photographer’s job with National Geographic. You ...