Sometimes it is better to just get on with doing something rather than thinking and planning for too long.
Philip Humbert makes an interesting evaluation of the race for the South Pole by the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott (Scott of the Antartic).
Scott spent days in planning and preparation for the trip whilst Amundsen set off quickly with far less preparation. Not only did Amundsen get to the South Pole first. He arrived back safely.
Scott reached the pole second and was hit by cold weather on his way back. He and his brave band of heroes died eleven miles from their home base. If Scott had set off earlier he might have missed the cold weather on the way back.
Another key factor was Amundsen's reliance on dogs for pulling his sledges; Scott did not use dogs.
I do not entirely agree with Philip Humbert's assessment since Amundsen had already done his preparation some time before his assault on the South Pole. On his successful trip to find the North West passage through the Arctic seas north of Canada some years before, he had spent over a year living with the Inuit.
They showed him important tips like how to coat the runners of his sledges with ice so that they would slide easily over the snow and help the dogs to make fast progress.
He learned on the job and not by reading and planning from a distance and he did prepare in the best way possible in the type of freezing cold environment he would later face in the Antarctic. He did his planning and preparation by learning from the experts who actually lived in a freezing environment.
However, planning and preparing for too long can allow negative thoughts to creep in. And negativity can kill off any project. Amundsen's crew were not at all happy with their long stay in Arctic conditions while Amundsen learned from the Inuit.
Sometimes action is king. You can always learn as you take action and create your own mistakes and successes. Eva Young sums up this point cleverly:
"To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing."
Another succinct comment on the same point comes from a minister called Vance Havner:
"The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - We must step up the stairs."
If we spend too much time thinking about our potential we may never turn that potential into reality. Fear often makes us pause and cogitate for too long before taking action.
Michael Dell of Dell computers puts his success down to the fact that he was not afraid of making mistakes.
He did not wait for perfection before he took action to produce and sell his computers. He took far more action than most people and made more mistakes than most but he learned from the mistakes and corrected things as he went along.
If we are following a how to do it manual, it is probably better to read a bit and then put that bit into action before going on to the next bit. Few people can read a manual straight through and, if they do, become so bored or overwhelmed with information that they lose their focus and enthusiasm for implementing it.
In life we can both think and do. Most of us spend too much time thinking instead of doing.
Instead of thinking too much, let's do some preparation and planning and then just get going and take action. We need to step up the ladder to success and not just look at it.
About the author
John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams.
They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.
The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now! - Acronyms, Stories, And Pictures...Easy To Remember And Use Everyday To Grab Your Life And Soar With The Eagles"
The book can be found at this URL: http://www.motivationtoday.com
The book uses acronyms, stories and pictures to help readers remember 36 laws that can gradually transform your life if you apply them.
You are welcome to publish the article above in your ezine or on your website so long as you do not alter it and keep in the words about the author and the 36 Laws.
family-safe home cleaners Lincolnshire ..Well, it's that time of the year again. No, I... Read More
What makes you unique? Answering this question will provide the... Read More
Failure is GreatYou are probably asking yourself what could be... Read More
You must understand You are already a Success, and before... Read More
How does an online marketer define success ? There are... Read More
Jim Rohn, noted leader and speaker in the personal development... Read More
There are twelve necessary elements involved in achieving success:1. Spend... Read More
There are so many internet marketing schemes out there so... Read More
Why everything has to be so hard? What have I... Read More
I've long been a student of those who have achieved... Read More
This morning, on TV, I was amazed to see how... Read More
(Excerpted from the 1999 Weekend Seminar audio/CD series)Parents, leaders, employers,... Read More
Everyone wants to be successful. Everyone wants to have more,... Read More
Lesson 1. Category Well Being Plan to do this.Stop blaming... Read More
Let's set the scene. You're in a packed stadium. It's... Read More
(Excepted from the book The Five Major Pieces to the... Read More
Jim Rohn wrote in his book The Five Major Pieces... Read More
As very few people achieve enlightenment in one lifetime, as... Read More
I always say to my children, as long as you... Read More
To be clear about what success is must be the... Read More
Napoleon Hill, the famous inspirational writer, once met a reader... Read More
Whoever first said that knowledge is power was probably selling... Read More
The 90/10 secret is incredible! Very few know and apply... Read More
The ten-year period which followed the stock market crash of... Read More
It's simple and powerful.The philosophy of successful people is often... Read More
maide service in Buffalo Grove ..Finding balance is deciding to notice what goes on in... Read More
In this week's New Age Notebook, I am going to... Read More
Do you ever stop to consider how much we change... Read More
Everybody wants to get to the top, whether it is... Read More
I would like to use this medium to introduce my... Read More
Fighter pilots have an awesome responsibility. It takes a unique... Read More
If you discovered your speaking career depended on how organized... Read More
Visualize success, and what you'll do to reward yourself A... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
(Excerpted From the 2001 Jim Rohn Millennium Weekend Event -... Read More
The Enlightened Warrior's 'Keys to Success' Through the Power of... Read More
Mike, his feet dangling above the city, opened his lunch... Read More
Success can easily be compared to the "genie trapped in... Read More
The 90/10 secret is incredible! Very few know and apply... Read More
What is Optimum Performance? This question raises different responses from... Read More
Start a "round robin" goal letter with others who need... Read More
Why is true success so rare?Why does research show that... Read More
Accelerated learning is not only practical, it is profitable. Acquiring... Read More
Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone have recently hosted a... Read More
Have you ever had this feeling? You're standing in front... Read More
I have found that sometimes the subtle difference in our... Read More
Too often we wait for the 'right time' or 'the... Read More
We are repeatedly told that we should forget about unpleasant... Read More
The entrepreneur game is filled with an amazing variety of... Read More
You have been preparing for months. You are in position... Read More
Success |