Action

Thought Leadership is thinking in action.

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At Thought Leaders Business School last week, we completed the Action Elective. The action elective was designed to help students to get stuff done. A space for students to gather and share support and encourage each other in their chosen actions.

If I am honest, I was disappointed with the number of students who took advantage of this experience. Disappointed but not surprised. In my experience,  action is an incredibly undervalued and underutilized strategy in making progress. People are always looking for the ‘thing’, the silver bullet that will change the course of their worlds. Regardless of the question, I always feel that action is the answer.

Action is about getting stuff done, making shit happen. There’s always something that you could be doing to make your life better. I think about that every day. What is one thing I can do today that’s going to improve my life, relationships, practice, or bank balance? Talking, wishing, and wanting will not get you the life you want. The world responds to action.

Alexia Hilbertidou is an incredibly inspiring New Zealand thought leader who has achieved amazing things at a very young age. She talks about having the courage to go where others won’t – one of my favourite quotes of hers is that “To have the things that other people don’t have, you have to be prepared to do things that other people don’t do.”

Joining Business School, signing up for a community where everyone is committed to a life by design, focused on reaching Black Belt income, and making an impact in the world is not for everyone. The curriculum makes it possible but only if you take action! The methodology won’t work unless you do!

Whatever it is that is holding you back from taking action – I am certain that what you want is on the other side of what you are not doing.

If you want to be well-positioned, why haven’t you written that book?

If you want to feel professional and have the ability to ‘think once and deliver often’, why haven’t you organised your IP into a system that works for you?

If you want people to respond to your work, why aren’t you writing regularly?

If you want more sales, why aren’t you picking up the phone?

Action keeps the darkness away.

Taking action is a brilliant way to keep life moving. Everyone has days where we feel a bit flat. When we cannot be bothered. For me, action is always the answer.

It helps with what I call ‘Eeyore moments’. Those moments when you feel hopeless, you’ve lost interest and stopped moving. If you’re having an Eeyore moment, take some action; it will distract you from the dark fog that comes in when you’re feeling low.

I often get asked if I have times when I feel flat. I have such high energy that people are intrigued and wonder if I am like this all the time! I have always been a very positive and high-energy person, but of course, there are days when I cannot be bothered. Days when things feel hopeless. As soon as I feel this coming on, I take action. I jump up and do something. Anything. I send an email. I go for a walk. I phone someone. It doesn’t matter what you do. If you’re feeling flat, get up from your desk, go, and get coffee. If you’re at home and you’re feeling blah, then put your walking shoes on and go for a walk. Get outside. Go and do something. Do anything that’s going to make you feel a little bit better.

“My actions are my only true belongings – I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.” – Thich Nhat Hanh.

Lisa O’Neill

CEO