 Values
Magazine
6 Keys to
Becoming a Person of Action
By Andy Andrews
Published: January / February 2009
My future is immediate. I
will grasp it in both hands and carry it with running
feet. When I am faced with the choice of doing nothing
or doing something, I will always choose to act!
— Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
When faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing
something, always choose to act! Seize this moment.
There are six keys to becoming a person of action:
overcoming your fears, being prepared to make quick
decisions, having a life plan, embracing the power of
action, becoming an early riser, and capitalizing on
your strengths.
1. Overcoming Your Fears
Fear debilitates action. Where has fear hindered your
progress? Has fear kept you from pursuing a job
promotion, diving into a new career, going after a big
account, innovating, or reinventing your business? Fear
of failure, humiliation or making mistakes hinders our
creative impulses and our ability to create
extraordinary changes in the world. Step 1: Identify
your fear. Step 2: Take action.
2. Being Prepared to Make Quick Decisions
Calvin Coolidge stated, “We can’t do everything at once,
but, by God, we can do something at once!” Changing the
world begins with a single act. Sometimes the single act
requires a quick reaction. One way to be a person of
action is to think through some situations and decide
beforehand how you will react when the time comes.
So are you ready for your moment? Have you decided what
you will do when your moment arrives? We’ve heard over
and over again that success happens when preparation
meets opportunity.
3. Having a Life Plan
Having a life plan is important in being a person of
action. If you know where you want to go, making
decisions will be easier. There are many ways to
consider your life’s plan or what things you want to
accomplish before you die. One way is to think about
your eulogy. Write a glowing, incredible eulogy you
would like to have read aloud at your funeral. Ask three
important people in your life for their feedback and
suggestions on what needs to happen for you to become
the person in the eulogy.
4. Embracing the Power of Action
Take a look at your life plan and recognize the person
you need to become in order to realize your ultimate
vision. Identify the steps to take today, tomorrow, and
in the weeks, months and years to come to help move you
toward that self-actualized person. Then capture ten
things you can do in the next twenty-four hours to move
you in that direction. A simple action like picking up
the phone and reconnecting with an old friend can help
you build tremendous momentum toward your desired
destination.
5. Becoming an Early Riser
Thomas Jefferson woke up early every day. He said,
“Whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the
sun.” There was a fifty-year period in Jefferson’s life
during which the sun never caught him in bed. Jefferson
had an appetite for action. He said, “Do you want to
know who you are? Don’t ask. Act. Action will delineate
and define you.” He also said, “Determine never to be
idle. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are
always doing.” Another one of Jefferson’s great quotes:
“I’m a great believer in luck; and I find the harder I
work, the more I have of it.”
Try getting up extra early for the next thirty days.
When you wake up come up with several new ideas that
inspire and motivate you. Jot down the first twenty
ideas that come to mind. Circle the idea that is most
important to you. To set that idea in motion, quickly
brainstorm five specific actions you can take within
twenty four hours and do them.
6. Capitalizing on Your Strengths
Everyone excels in certain areas. Some people are fast
runners. Some people are sharp thinkers. Others might be
better at managing finances. The trick is to not only
identify areas you need to improve, but to capitalize on
your God-given strengths! If you capitalize on your
current strengths, you can create momentum and take on
the challenges that await you.
Andy Andrews has quietly become one of the most
influential people in America. A professional noticer, a
powerful communicator, a teacher, and a serious
fisherman, Andrews is the best-selling author, of The
Traveler’s Gift, with millions of books in print.
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