The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker

Humans are certainly the most advanced species on this planet but our advanced logic frequently tends to be placed on the sidelines in what is likely the ultimate display of procrastination. We envision things we want in life yet we tend to do nothing to bring them into reality. We wish but we don’t do. Why do we do this?

What are we waiting for?

We have the capability to look forward. We daydream, we plan, we think “it would be great if…” yet rarely do our deepest ideas come into fruition. Which is understandable when we rarely take any action toward accomplishing them. This is correctable. We have to learn to be creatures of action instead of just creatures of wishing. There are as many reasons as we can think up as to why any person does this to themselves. It could be anxiety, it could be low self esteem, overthinking, or other mental hangup that seems to make us feel stuck, or unworthy of pursuing our desires. No matter what the reason it really goes against our basic instincts so it is absolutely a correctable habit.

Instinct.

By nature we go after what we want. In our civilized society we should of course do this within the set of laws and societal standards we have in place. You shouldn’t be harming others to get what you want. That would be an unhealthy chain reaction. Actions lead to reactions, and more reactions, etc. It’s all connected so every negative action leads to many more negative actions, which in turn cause their own negative reactions. Even one small negative action can lead to a lot of misery in the world. I’m definitely not advocating being a terrible human being. I am encouraging you to be more assertive.

Bad Habits.

We put off working toward many goals in our life. I’m sure you are familiar, if not intimately so, with some of these:

You want to be healthy, fit, and love the way you feel and look yet you never start exercising, and never start eating healthier.

You want to have a better career, a job you love, yet you never work on your skillset, never apply to positions, and stay in a job you hate.

You want to find someone to spend your life with yet you don’t socialize, and you shy away from meaningful relationships.

You want to reduce your stress level, and live more at peace yet you never take time to practice meditation, or relax your mind and you fill your day with unending noise and distraction.

You have a great idea for your own business that never makes it out of your mind because you doubt yourself, and run every negative scenario over and over again in your head about how it is doomed to fail.

It’s all nonsense.

You are assuring your own failure by choosing not to try. It is certain disappointment. There is no chance any of those things you aspire to be, or do, will ever become your reality if you do nothing to pursue them.

The sooner you begin working on it – the more likely you are to succeed. This is a basic fact.

Working on it includes the planning stages but you shouldn’t remain stuck there. You have to move forward at some point. You have to go forward the best you know how. You will most certainly encounter failure but failure isn’t the end unless you let it be.

Shift Your Mindset.

You need to change the way you look at the possible outcomes. There is a more productive way to look at any scenario:

Two Things That Can Happen:

1- You get what you want.

2- You don’t get what you want, and your failure builds wisdom.

It’s a WIN, WIN.

You either succeed, or you learn more and become stronger.

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Henry Ford

“Fail, fail again, fail better.” Samuel Beckett

“Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.” Jack Canfield

Trying to avoid experiencing failure by never trying is trying to avoid learning. Failure is the perfect scenario for improvement. It’s an opportunity. Many people only reinvent themselves and achieve their vision in life after hitting rock bottom.

Life Is Fleeting.

The painful truth is that we have a limited amount of time to achieve any goal we have in mind. We will all die. Life is short, even for those of us who live the longest. You really don’t have time to waste. Life is precious. Quit wasting time.

The Ultimatum.

There is no reason to delay taking some sort of action beneficial to your goals. If you are waiting for the perfect opportunity you will never start. There will never be a perfect opportunity. It doesn’t exist. Anyone procrastinating this way is just looking for an excuse to not begin. It’s the lazy way out. If that makes you feel uneasy – good. If that statement hurts it is because it hit something that is present in you. I want this article to shake you up. I want you to act. Choose something today that you want to get done and start taking measurable action toward achieving it.

“An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.” ―Arnold Glasow

“God provides the wind, but man must raise the sails.” ―St. Augustine

“Well done is better than well said.” ―Benjamin Franklin

Learn more about Developing Vision here.