Do It Now!

Do It Now!

“Now” is generally the best time to take action. Waiting for all the circumstances to be right before you take action rarely happens. So just do it now – whatever it may be. Do it now!

Think about it. If you do it now and it doesn’t work out well (for whatever reason), you always have the future to do it again – just like you were planning by waiting for everything to align itself. But, if you wait for everything to perfect before taking action, you may find you waited too long and opportunity slips your grasps.

You always have the future for a do over. That’s what the future represents – a chance for a do over. But you only have the present for a short time. Poof, the present is gone. That’s how short the present is. Remember – tomorrow is not promised.

Here a couple quotes to ponder on this topic.

It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.  – Hugh Laurie.

If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you’re not sure you can do it, say ‘yes’ – then learn how to do it later.  Sir Richard Branson.

Be diligent but do not become victim of paralysis by analysis. At some point you have to pull the trigger and take action.

What is a To Do List?

What is a to do list, really? A to do list is all the stuff you have not yet done. Why have you not done them? Probably because you are waiting for a “better time” to do them. Much of the stuff on the list you probably could have been done already. One nice thing about doing things NOW is you don’t have to remember to do them later, and in some cases, fret over doing them. Because, they are now done. They are finished and you can NOW relax.

Doing things now is a way to minimize stress in your life. I bet you have not though of it that way before. Not doing things creates worry and worry creates stress. Having a long to do list creates stress, because you now have to work your way down the list. Plus, taking care of business NOW provides a sense of accomplishment. Keep your to do list short by doing things NOW.

Thinking and Planning

Somethings require thought and planning. Do the thinking and planning NOW. You may not be in a position to act on those plans but thinking and planning are forms of action.

You don’t want to retire at age 65 and the day after start thinking about what you are going to do in retirement. Nor do you want to meet someone and wonder if they are what you are looking for in a partner. You should already now what qualities you want in a person. Then it is just a matter of verifying if a particular person measures up to your standards.

In the book Nuts! Southwest Airlines Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success, it was pointed out that Southwest Airlines engages in contingency planning. If they hear that a competitor may pull out of a market, they decided quickly if they want to enter that market or expand into that market.

They decide how many of the competitor’s gates they may want to take over. And, boom! When the competitor pulls out, Southwest Airlines has their legal team and boots on the ground in 24 hours ready to take over the gates left behind by its competitor. They are nimble because they anticipate future events and make pre-determined decisions. They plan and then they act. They do it NOW!

Things That Cannot Wait

Don’t wait to say, “I love you.” Don’t wait to say, “I’m sorry.” Don’t wait to say, “I miss you.” Don’t wait to say, “thank you.” Don’t wait to say, “I messed up.” Say it now because you may not get a chance to say it tomorrow.

The Best Way to Learn is to Do

You can read about something all you want, but real learning happens in the doing. Medicine is learned at 3 AM when you are a resident in training and it’s just you and the patient and you have to figure out what to do when a patient is crashing on you. The reading is important but the experience that comes from doing is far more valuable. Learning does not become relevant until applied. Relevance comes from doing.

Do you want to learn to fix a car engine? Then fix an engine. Do you want to learn to sell? Then start selling something. Do you want to learn to teach or coach? Start teaching and coaching. Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Then pick up a guitar and start plucking the strings.

Doing Makes it Hard to Quit

I had no idea how to start a website or write a blog. You start and you figure things out as you go. Somethings take a lot of effort to make happen. If you knew in advance how hard somethings are to accomplish you may never venture down the path of doing them.  This type of ignorance can be a good thing. You may not already know all that you will need to know to accomplish something but don’t let that stop you from starting.

You may think, “I don’t know how to do step 5.” But, guess what? There’s a really good chance you will know how to do step 5 once you have accomplished steps 1 thru 4. Doing NOW provides answers that you will need in the FUTURE. Once you start down the path of doing, it becomes increasingly hard to give up.  “Man, I’ve come this far. I can’t give up on this goal now. I am so close. ”

Doing becomes a great motivator to keep on keeping on.

Just do the thing you want to do. And, do it NOW!