Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness

Chapter 12

Stop Talking; Start Doing

We all do it. We talk more than we do.

No matter what the task is, talking about how you are going to do it is always easier than actually getting it done. You have to do the work.

The creative team members at Nike who came up with the slogan of “Just Do It” were geniuses. Those three words strung together are at once powerful, simple, and motivating. Of course, the talkers will hear that and say something like, “I would just do it, but . . .,” and then throw in one of a multitude of excuses of why they can’t do it right now.

Author, speaker, and marketing expert Seth Godin believes you should “always be shipping.” Successful people are doers. They don’t just talk about a big project they want to do or the book they want to write. They get it done, and they ship it out the door.

In your notebook, write down five things you’d love to do. Not big crazy bucket list items, but five things that you really want to accomplish in the near future.

Really look at them and think about what is standing in the way of getting them done. We’re not talking about life-changing goals like we were earlier, but rather smaller items or tasks that you’d find satisfaction in completing soon.

Not enough time and not enough money are not valid reasons. Yes, depending on what you’d like to accomplish, they are valid concerns. But if they truly are the only items preventing ...