What prevents us from taking action? Perfectionism, distractions and waiting for the right conditions are common reasons, but the foremost reason is fear of failure. It is essential that you learn to confront and tackle your fears if you wish to gain success. It is not that successful people are not afraid, they just don’t let fear come in the way of their actions.
Avoid perfectionism: insisted on waiting until everything was 100 percent favorable before they took action. We must be willing to make an intelligent compromise with perfection lest we wait forever before taking action. It’s still good advice to cross bridges as we come to them.
Preparatory distractions: People try to build strength and get ready with office chats, coffee breaks, sharpening pencils, reading, personal business, getting the desk cleared off, TV and dozens of other little escape devices.
David J Schwartz – The Magic of Thinking Big
Define the worst case: What doubts, fears and ‘what ifs’ pop up as you consider the big changes you are planning to make? What’s the permanent impact on a scale of 1-10? What is the actual likelihood of this actually happening?
Tim Ferris – Author – 4-hour workweek / Tools of Titans / Tribe of Mentors
Confront your fears: People give their fears much more time than they deserve. They wait to make the personal visit or phone call, write the e-mail, or present their proposal because they’re afraid of the outcome.
All the excuses in the world won’t change one simple fact: that fear is a sign to do whatever it is you fear—and do it quickly.
I am scared most of the time. However, I refuse to feed my fear with time and allow it to get stronger. I opt instead to get things done quickly.
Grant Cardone – Author – The 10x rule / Sell or Be Sold
It’s imperative to realize that it is not necessary to try to get rid of fear in order to succeed. Rich and successful people have fear,rich and successful people have doubts, rich and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them. Unsuccessful people have fears, doubts, and worries, then let those feelings stop them.
Harv Eker – Money Coach, Author – Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
Whatever you are the most afraid of is exactly what you should conquer first. This proves to yourself (don’t do it to prove to anyone else) that you can achieve things you previously thought were unthinkable. It starts you down a path of success.
Sunil Saxena – Author – Massive Action equals Massive Results
Courage is not an absence of fear; courage is fear walking.
Susan David – Author – Emotional Agility
Top Books to help Overcome our Barriers to Action
There are all forms of barriers (large, small and imaginary) that prevent us from taking action. The simple truth is that the more energy we give these barriers, the more difficult it becomes to take action. These books are some of the top books written, that will help you overcome your fears and move forward towards your goals today.
Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
Authors: Brian Tracy,
In his witty and genial style, Brian Tracy crucifies procrastination. His techniques make you work faster, show you how to work smarter and in half the usual time. According to Tracy, if you eat that frog early enough, you are left with more time to do the things you love with the people who matter the most.
The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play
Authors: Neil A. Fiore,
Procrastination plagues our lives. Dr. Fiore illustrates how technology has led to increased procrastination and guides you toward better time-management. The Now Habit will prove to you that you can enjoy guilt-free play, a less stressful life and curb the anxieties of poor time-management.
Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality
Authors: Scott Belsky,
Generating creative ideas is the easy part. But putting those ideas into action is hard. Based on countless interviews with some creative geniuses, Scott Belsky has put together strategies that pave the way for creativity. He proves why developing creative capacity is more important than developing a creative idea.
The Science of Self-Discipline: The Willpower, Mental Toughness, and Self-Control to Resist Temptation and Achieve Your Goals
Authors: Peter Hollins,
The first step to achieving anything in life is self-discipline. The Science of Self-discipline will take you out of the false notion that goals and motivation alone can make your dreams come true. It will train you to focus on your priority, discover discipline tactics, identify your emotions and their triggers and many more life-changing practices.
Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters
Authors: Jon Acuff,
When you’re 20, you learn. When you’re 30, you discover who you are. When you’re 40, you hone your skills. When you’re 50, you enjoy the rewards of your efforts. When you’re 60, you help others achieve their dreams. This is the conventional, slow journey to success. Acuff shows you how you can tread the same path in a shorter period of time and punch fear in the face.
Top Videos on The Barriers to Action
How to Finally Defeat Procrastination and Stop Wasting Time
Task aversion (or procrastination) changes based on what stage of a project we are in, caused by a lack of personal meaning in initial stages and a lack of structure during the action stage. Having clarity on our purpose and a defined plan of action can greatly help reduce the impact of procrastination.
Other concepts on Action
Massive Action
To achieve extraordinary levels of success in your life, it is essential that you are prepared to take Massive Action and operate at levels of action that are far beyond average. Massive Action creates a momentum of it’s own, that makes virtually anything achievable.
The Benefits of Action
Without action we will never be able to achieve anything. There are numerous benefits to action, including it helping us confront our fears, adding value to our ideas and increasing the chances of our success.