“Action is the foundational key to
all success.”
These words by the great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso whose works of art
are considered to be the most important works of the 20th century,
standout out as a statement that is blatantly appropriate and unchallenged. He believed firmly and correctly, that the
only way to achieve your dreams, however difficult it may be, was on a plan
built solidly on a foundation of action, and supported with courage and
commitment to carry through to completion.
Behavioral experts are fond of categorizing people as being
made up essentially of 3 different types. There are those who make things
happen, there are others who are content to watch things as they happen, and
then there are those are not concerned about what is happening. This would
explain why, except for the first group, there are so many people with beautiful
ideas, dreams and passions which never ever see the light of day. Quite often
this happens not because of any genuine problems which prevent their completion,
but rather from such basic emotional obstacles as fear of failure, fear of
venturing into unknown territory, and at times, even the fundamental fear of
getting started. These fears serve to induce resistance and force the
individual to be locked in a cycle of inaction, not so much because of being
unable to complete the task, but much more, because of a lingering fear of
inadequacy or embarrassment that their work will not be acceptable to others.
For
as long as man has survived on this planet, developing new thoughts and ideas have
always been the seeds of all great human accomplishments. But equally, a great
many of these seeds remained just thoughts and ideas and never grew to fruition
because there was no one capable of exercising the will to initiate, and the
action to complete them. Nothing ever happens without a start taking place, but
once the start has begun, magical results can accrue but only when intent is
present. It is this combination of the will to start and the determination to
continue that becomes the force for
action that will invariably yield great success. But all of this activity
will only flow when it is nurtured by an individual who has belief in himself,
trust in his ability and confidence to keep moving forward, irrespective of
resistance. These are the foundational keys which when acting together, will
serve to successfully bring dreams to life. Steve
Jobs one of the greatest visionaries in modern times, whose work over a
very short span of active life has changed the course and direction of human living
forever, was forthright in his advice to graduating students when he said:
“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown your
inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and
intuition.”
Far
too often, beautiful dreams appear, some even accompanied with faith and
desire, only to falter because they lacked the necessary conviction and action
to carry through to completion. Tragically this applies to a significant number
of people who, even with the best of intentions, are never able to reach their
full potential and have to be content to live out their lives in mediocrity,
while envying the joyful successes of their neighbors. Most of the time the
main reasons that separate success from failure are not due to lack of ability,
but rather to either the lack of a realistic dream worthy of following, or
alternatively, having the dream but never able to take the action necessary to
bring it to completion. This has resulted in the development of ever increasing
numbers people who spend their lives just dreaming and hoping, but never finding
the courage or the power to move beyond this stage.
Other
people on the other hand, choose to spend their whole lives in “safe waters”
doing things they hate, but are comfortable doing, or living in simple, nonthreatening lifestyles, but always yearning for more, and looking at better
things, but being afraid to grasp them. These people are driven to lead this
type of life, not so much because of lack of ability or even lack of hoping,
but rather because of their deeply embedded inability to find the way to turn
these hopes into dreams and goals, and their lack of conviction to take the
necessary action needed to reach their fulfillment. Indeed this is precisely
what Eleanor Roosevelt the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and in
her own right, a respected intellectual, diplomat and activist, was alluding
to, when she observed:
“The
future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of
their
dreams”
Action
is always positive and when this is not happening, the only reason for this can
be traced directly to the individual in control. This should not come as any
surprise since people by nature generally prefer to choose the easiest actions,
or the paths of least resistance to satisfy their needs. The less effort
needed, and the less utilization of resources, both emotional and physical, to
achieve the desired goal, the better and more preferable it will be. This
“efficiency” of activity has its origins in the early centuries of man’s
survival in the life-threatening and inhospitable environments that existed at
the time. This forced him to choose action to stay safe, and his sole aim was
finding food and staying alive. The dream might well have been present but there
was no time to consider or attempt anything else, especially if the action needed
varied from the established safe patterns. Clearly no action can ever hope to
succeed without it beginning with the heart and mind of the dreamer. As Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s greatest statesmen, Founding Father
and 3rd President of the Union, so
very wisely advised:
“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act!
Action will delineate and define you.”
It required many more centuries and
many attempts at smaller actions with increasing successes and encouragements,
before man began to expand his hopes and his dreams and then find the courage
to convert them to long term goals. This approach has continued to evolve over
time with more and more results occurring. But the principle has not changed. It
takes time for a person to acquire the skills needed. He is never able to
harness the power needed at first try, but he must first begin by understanding
the power of taking small actions successfully, and be able to repeat the
experience more frequently, before he is able to consider long term dreams, set
major goals and find the power to arrive at completion. Leonardo da Vinci, the great Italian sculptor and artist, explained
this evolution in these terms:
“I have been impressed with the
urgency of doing.
Just knowing is not enough, we must
apply.
Being willing is not enough, we must
do.”
Action
when successfully carried out is not only rewarding to the individual, but it
serves to induce physiological and psychological changes which will embolden
him and encourage further attempts. There is no doubt that each successful episode
will provide the strength, the courage and the energy to try more and to
succeed more. Rewards are the backbone of all successful individuals and the impetus
for continuing on. But individual successes do not in anyway imply that these
people are differently endowed with special abilities than the others. But
rather, they are better motivated, more willing to accept failure and try again,
over and over, and will continue to do so until the results are achieved. They
are not content to sit back and let things happen, but recognize that the dream
will happen only after the right action is undertaken. But all of this does not
come easy; there is a price to pay. It requires time, consistent focus, firm
dedication, undeniable commitment and deep confidence in self and in ability,
to find the courage and the willpower to continue on, sometimes against
daunting odds.
People
who do not choose to take the necessary action to fulfill their dreams do so,
not out of ignorance or inability, but rather from reluctance, born from a
multitude of various fears and insecurities. These take the form of a vast
range of underlying etiologies that include personality characteristics,
parental influences and past experiences. But over-riding all these causes is
the missing taste of success. Without this experience acting as an impetus there can be
little hope to find the energy to act. Paradoxically the only true antidote to
overcome inaction is action itself. Fear of inaction for whatever reason,
induces lower self-esteem, increases doubt in ability, and increases fear of
failure. But with action comes success and experience which will increase the
self-esteem and reduce the fear and ignorance and ultimately lead to growth,
maturity and self-confidence. These are all the critical foundational keys that
will open the doors to action. Without them being opened, action will not take
place and life remains dormant. Joseph
DiMaggio, one of America’s
greatest baseball players and a person who himself has successfully overcome a countless
number of challenges in his lifetime, spoke from personal experience when he
noted:
“If you keep thinking about what you want to do, or
what you hope will happen, you don’t do it and it won’t happen.”
-Picasso's message indeed is the true message of
every successful individual who has tasted the fruit of success. Not only must
there be a dream and a hope, but there must be a need and a desire to achieve,
and the willingness to act in whatever necessary way to find the power to completion.
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