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Written by Michael Weaver | Follow me on Twitter | Free updates via Email.

“Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness” -Jean de La Bruyère

When you get into the world of blogging, you go through a period of indulgence in numerous other blogs that cover similar subjects as yours. Maybe that period never ends or maybe I’m just a personal development, inspirational, and motivational junkie, which could very well be the case. A common topic I consistently read is in regards to taking action – and how critical it is to any type of success in life.

What is the number one word you always hear be associated with taking action?

Now. Not tomorrow or next week. Not next month or next year. NOW!

It’s a common topic because it’s an issue and a road block for many people – and one that is holding many back from attaining the life they truly want. Ideas get lost, motivation subsides, problems persist, and normalities of life get in the way of the actual taking action part. There are a few people very close to me that I can quickly think of that seem to have this very problem year after year. Life doesn’t seem to change because they have the same problems, same behavior and same results – and true happiness isn’t near or on the horizon. And you and I know – if there is one thing in life that we have a limited amount of – it’s time.

Using F.I.T. as an Example

I want to use myself and this blog as an example of what taking action can lead to – which is something greater, something you don’t imagine when you first begin.

First, let me say that this blog is still in its infancy stage, so in no way am I boasting about the accomplishments of this site (check back with me in a year or so!). I was laid off from my job in May of 2009 and the job search began immediately. I quickly learned that it’s nearly impossible to search for a job for eight-plus hours every day – you could do it but you’d go insane! I stumbled upon this article on Steve Pavlina’s website. Just a side note – I don’t agree with everything on his site – and actually don’t really visit his site anymore, but the point is what I took away from this article.

I was motivated to take action. Motivated to do something. I began to harness the power of simple action. Here are some of the questions I asked myself:

1. What do I like to do? What are my true passions?
2. What am I good at – what are my God-given talents?
3. How can take those answers from the first two questions – and use them in a medium that involves other people?
4. Would someone that doesn’t know me find value in what I have to offer?

With limited financial resources, my answers to those questions led to starting a couple of blogs. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always enjoyed sitting down and writing. Whether it was a school paper, or just writing in a journal, I’ve always found enjoyment and a peaceful feeling while writing. On top of that, I’ve always believed in positive thinking and using your attitude as a vehicle to greater things. So I came up with the idea of a site on inspiring others.

I began reading and diving head first into how you even begin to develop such a thing. I knew nothing about websites or blogs at the time, but I did know that if I got started – time would take care of my lack of knowledge. I borrowed a “How to for Dummies” book from the local library on various web developing coding languages. There, I learned the basics of HTML and CSS – the two programming languages I use today to get F.I.T. to appear as I want it.

Today I have a few more than 50 posts on this site and as I mentioned, it’s still in its infancy stage. The point is that I was at ground zero, nothing, and I just took the simple action to go get a book from the library.

You Won’t Know if You Don’t Take Action

Taking action will do more than just get something started for you. I do believe that simply getting started is often the biggest hurdle for many to overcome. But what you’ll find if you begin, today, not tomorrow, to take action is that you acquire learning experiences. One experience leads into another. If you begin to rack up the experiences via taking action, you’ll begin to notice that the actions you take have more direction and are much more deliberate. They begin to have more of a purpose, more of a meaning.

Have you ever told yourself you were going to do something – and then a few days or weeks go by and that thing you were going to do is all but forgotten? I sure have – this happens to me all the time. It’s something I’m working on improving, but no doubt does it happen. So I’ve reflected back upon these moments and dissected why there is a disconnect between my desires and actions. I’ve realized that there are certain times, or situations that create a sense of clarity and we get inspired and motivated to do something. We get the ideas in our head.

If you are a sports fan – it’s similar to the curse of the Sports Illustrated cover. As the curse goes – if you land on the cover, you’re destined for injury or failure. In reality, extraordinary play on the field has garnished enough attention to warrant a cover appearance. However, extraordinary play on the field is sure to subside, hence there isn’t actually a curse – it’s only natural for one’s play on the field to not be amazing all the time. Well, feelings of clarity while inspired and motivated are sure to go away. So they are only good if you take action – by doing so you have something, a foundation, maybe it’s something tangible you can look at, etc. If you don’t take action in some way, that moment of clarity, that sense of “I’m going to get my act together and take some serious action on losing weight” is lost and then nothing but a waste of your energy.

You’ll never get today back. There is never a better day to take action than this one. Time goes fast, doesn’t it? So quit thinking about it and talking about it, and just do it!

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Image by yduarte.

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