Action: The Secret to Getting What You Really Want

Realizing your ultimate goals requires action; Not a short, flashy burst of energy or a frenzied effort going in all directions, but a methodical, persistent effort until the goal is reached and results are realized.

To quote from Jim Horan in the Foreward of this book: “The pathway to the next level of success is not with higher levels of activity. You are doing too much now! Nor is the road to success about going faster or working harder. You broke the sound barrier too many times this year and you already work too long and too hard. Your work style is not sustainable …”

Fortunately the problem of how to take action in a way that gets predictable results was solved 2000 years ago and is a mature discipline found in most companies today. I am speaking of Project Management – a collection of tools, methods, and practices that get things done

The good news is that we do not have to become a certified Project Management Professional to take advantage of what Project Management has to offer. We can benefit by asking these questions and writing down the answers:

1. What is it I am building?
2. When does it need to be completed?
3. What needs to be done in order to deliver the goods?
4. When do these things need to be done and who will do them?

I found that a simple, sequenced list of tasks with estimates of how long each will take and who will do them goes a long way to providing the “punch list” of items necessary to be completed to realize the goal of the action we set out to take.

So think about what you need to get done to realize your goals and objectives. Choose one action item and make a list of the tasks that must be completed to finish the action item or project. Start at the top of your list and work through to the bottom. You’ll not only get things done that matter, but leave each day knowing where your time went and what you do each day really matters.