To Do Or Not To Do-The Real Question?
Taking action seems to intimidate a lot of people in business. Sure, we all know someone who seems to never procrastinate or doubt a
decision. But for the rest of us…
There are loads of reasons why we avoid making choices. In some cases, it is simply the phenomenon known as “choice overload.” Research is pointing to people faced with many choices and becoming unable to make a decision. Remind you of the menu at The Cheesecake Factory? If you haven’t been to that particular restaurant, they have a book for a menu. A book?!
However, this could be very bad for your small business.It’s hard to take action when you have so much information to process but taking action is really about productivity. We tend to think productivity is great. We can enhance it with efficiency. We can measure it. And yet, if you change the word from productivity to action, some of us do the deer-in-the-headlights freeze.
Are there dangers in taking action? Of course there are! You could end up changing the world as you know it. It doesn’t even have to be on the end-world-hunger scale. Our individual worlds have value as well. There are people in our lives who depend on us. We may be in an enviromnent where rocking the boat is strongly discouraged.
It works something like this. You start off with a predictable circle of comfort. No risk. Vanilla. And then, you come across a very good reason to expand this circle of comfort. Its not nice and tidy. Change can be awkward and uncertain. Do you want to to rethink who you are and what you can do? This is dangerous!
Then again, maybe there are very distinct advantages to taking action. Your small busines grows into what you meant it to be. You discover you are powerful and talented. People acclaim your actions. Your ability to cope with change is strengthened. The possibilities are endless since our actions bear all kinds of fruit. Our perception that something would be too painful to manage turns out to be a complete nonevent.
This is where you sing the chorus to REM’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It”
“It’s the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine.”
The thing with taking action is it triggers our fears, our hopes, and our beliefs about our efficacy and our self-worth. There may be inertia because we’ve tolerated some kind of discomfort for a long time. There may be very good reasons to choose inaction. If you avoid decisions, do you avoid life as proposed by Jeff Stibel?
In this week’s #kaizenblog chat, we’ll be exploring “The Dangers and Advantages of Taking Action” so join us on Friday, August 20, 2010 at 12 pm ET/9am PT/5pm BST. Come join in on this conversation!
What does taking action mean to you?
What dangers or advantage do you see in taking action?
What keeps you from acting on what you desire most?
iStockphoto BookMama
7 Comments
Ellen, I will unfortunately have to miss this Friday’s #kaizenblog chat, but this subject is very near and dear to my heart right now. In this world of a constant information stream, we can often get caught up in the stream and not in doing. . . . and yet, participating in the stream is also part of the doing. And the stream is never ending. Thanks for a thoughtful post and I will look forward to the transcript. All the best, Mary Ann
Nothing worth doing was ever easy.
I see what you did there (ISWYDT) with the REM reference, but I find I more enjoy the tunnel scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
“YES! The danger must be growing for the rowers keep on rowing and they’re certainly not showing any signs that they are slowing!”
For some strange, sadistic, reason, that bit gets me all fired up to get things done.
Cheers.
Mary Ann,
We will definitely miss you this week on #kaizenblog!
You have put your finger on one of the chief current reasons we get stymied in our movement forward. While the information stream is merely a tool, there are many things to distract us. Sometimes I’m reminded of the talking dog in the movie “Up” when he’s talking about something in a focused way and suddenly he spots something and yells, “Squirrel.” It’s hard not be like the dog some days.
~Elli
Brian,
That scene is one of my favorites scenes in that movie! You can say you want to do something but then when your knee-deep in it, overwhelm and doubt can creep in.
When we pick big things to do with our work and lives, easy is not part of the arrangement. Inspiration, wherever we may find it, becomes important as a touchstone. Whether it is a movie, song, or some other thing that inspires us, revisiting it when we’re in the midst of working on our big goals keeps us focused and on track.
Row on, Brian!
~Elli
@Elli -
Agreed. I believe it’s a function of vision. I started with a broad, general vision of the future. It’s serving as a compass, keeping me headed in the right direction. As time has passed, the details start getting filled in and, the more details I can see, the more real my vision becomes, resulting in even more inspiration to press on regardless. It’s always easier to dream than it is to row, but the more we keep rowing, the faster get going. Are the fires of hell a-glowing? Is the grisly reaper mowing? Who cares?
Why do the rowers keep rowing? Because they know where they’re going. The closer they get, the more inspired they are. The more they row, the more momentum they have. It’s exciting when you get to that point where you feel unstoppable.
[...] #kaizenblog chat. Elli St. George Godfrey has written a really good framing post for it — to do or not to do: the real question. The pendulum has swung way on the other side when it comes to talk — everyone is talking [...]
Brian,
Couldn’t have said it better myself! Yes, vision is the compass. Momentum has a way of providing us with motivation and desire to continue on our path!
Row on!
~Elli