Decisive Action

Many things about my childhood greatly affected my life forever—some good, others a great learning opportunity. One of the most impacting wasn’t a talk, a lecture, or a congratulations from my parents or coaches . . . it was an old wooden sign my dad handmade and hung right above our kitchen door.

Every day as I ran out to catch the school bus or hang out with friends, I would read these words: 'Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.' I would later learn these words didn’t originate with my dad, but were penned by the great President Theodore Roosevelt. No matter who wrote them, one thing was for sure: they’d have a greater impact on my life than I could’ve ever imagined. With that phrase, all excuses were erased. There was always something I could do. Now it was up to me—I simply had to do it.

I had to activate WINology Step 3: take decisive action.

MAN UP

Before you move into this step, let me first give you a disclaimer: This is where the rubber meets the road! As my dad used to say, “Joel, it’s time to either put up or shut up.” Such is the case with Decisive Action. It will require some intestinal fortitude (a.k.a. guts!).

TIME TO ACT

As I said previously, walking out WINology Step 3—living a life of virtue reflected by decisive action—will not come easy. It requires bold steps to accomplish. This is the place where it’s time to put your money where your mouth is—time to move beyond being just a dreamer and do whatever it takes to start living your dreams right now.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, as long as you wake up from your dreams and put action to them! Without practical application and decisive action regarding your positive belief system, your dreams will only remain fantasies and fairy tales. Beliefs and positive convictions are desperately needed, but belief—no matter how positive it may be—without action is dead and worthless.

Self-help guru and multi-New York Times bestselling author, Tony Robbins, said it best: 'Remember, a real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.'

What time is it? It’s time to act!

THE TIME IS NOW

Now, here are your WINology Step 3 assignments:
  • Take a moment and write in your WINology journal every area in which you desire to win big. Be specific. Your marriage, relationship with your kids, vocation or relationship with coworkers, hobbies, personal fitness, start-up or home based business, etc. Be specific about what you want to see accomplished in these areas.
  • Create positive declarations for every area you have listed. This is your initial decisive action, to “create your world with your words.” It absolutely works and will change your life from the inside out.
  • Take some of the declarations—the ones that are top priorities—and post them in strategic places where you will see them throughout the day. Your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, dashboard of your car, and computer wallpaper are some great options. (I have a sign on my bathroom mirror with the five most important things I do everyday.)
  •  What other Decisive Actions need to be made in each of these areas? Write them down. Be practical and start out with the ones you can achieve quickly. More important than writing them down, is doing them!