I’m a big believer in the importance of acting sooner rather than later. In fact, taking immediate action and completing every task with a sense of urgency. Why? Because in short, I personally don’t recall ever succeeding at something because I got there last. This is true in many areas of life;
- If you want to sit in your favourite spot - the middle, eye level row - in the cinema for the latest movie, get to the cinema first. The perfect seat loves speed.
- If you want a job you just found in the paper, get there first. Jobs love speed (and so do employers if you are the perfect candidate!)
- If you had your eye on a certain guy or girl to take to the dance, ask him/her first. Your beating heart loves speed.
- If you want to purchase that property that just came on the market, start sealing the deal first. Property ownership loves speed.
So, why does success love speed? Success comes from taking some form of action. A word described in the dictionary as “the causation of change.” Whatever result you want, it’s a change from what you now have. By definition, then, a change has to take place for you to get from your present status to that result.
Following are 4 important reasons why I believe speed of action creates exceptional results;
1. Have a plan and stick to it.
If you knew what it was you were trying to achieve, with steps one, two, three onwards outlined, it would be far easier to reach your destination in lightening speed.
2. When you procrastinate, you tend to lose your enthusiasm.
The ‘best idea in the world’ will literally stay the ‘best idea in the world’ unless you make it happen! Too many of us get comfortable with the way things are and allow that great idea to fade into the comfort zone of oblivion. But when you take action, your creative juices flow faster, your excitement of the ‘unknown’ kicks into high gear, and your resourcefulness, the things, people, and circumstances you need to accomplish your objective are drawn to you almost like magic. As a result, your motivation to succeed becomes elevated.
3. Obstacles appear the longer you wait to take action.
Changing circumstances are a constant battle, hence waiting too long before taking action will only result in the opportunity becoming less and less appealing to you as those obstacles start to make their appearance.
As a general rule, I assume that if I take immediate action, perceived problems will tend to disappear and that the more I hesitate, the more time there is for issues to arise.
4.Time is finite.
No matter how capable you are, you can only accomplish so much in a lifetime. Every second that’s wasted reduces the totality of what you can accomplish by one second. Some people maintain that a constant feeling of urgency to accomplish more is stressful, but I find the opposite to be true. I feel more stress when I procrastinate -- when I’m not doing what I know I should be doing. Not actioning NOW the work related tasks I set myself for the day will simply eat into my time with the kids – so get cracking!
Of course, nothing in life is perfect. There will be times when moving too fast can end up hurting you. But from my own experience the gains I’ve had from moving fast far outweighs the losses I incur as a result of procrastination.
If you want to succeed in life then you’ve got to learn to accept change, to follow a plan of action and do it with a ‘sense of urgency’ because success loves speed.
Andy.
