DEVELOP THE HABIT OF TAKING ACTION ON TIME; EVERY TIME, ALL THE TIME.

“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. It is the first lesson that ought to be learned and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.”― Thomas Henry Huxley

Let’s face it; it is easier to wait than to act. 

It is easier to procrastinate than to make ourselves do what we need to do when we need to do it, whether we feel like it or not. It is easier to while away time than to put it to a good use. However, everything we desire comes from learning to make a move at the most appropriate time; from learning to make a move sooner rather than later.

 

Indubitably, true satisfaction in life comes from doing, not procrastinating and being lazy. Languor may feel good at the moment, but value is never generated without action. Just as Pablo Piccaso said:

“Action is the foundational key to all success.”

Since we can never earn money or any tangible rewards in this world without action; we need to learn to make it a priority in our lives. And we need to make it a habit. That’s exactly what Thomas Huxley, the famous biologist, is calling our attention to. Action is the key: it certifies our intentions; it destroys our fears, and enables our hopes.

The most successful people are bias for action. They move. They go. They act. Whenever they have a choice to either delay or act. They always choose to act. 

Conversely for many of us, we still find it easy to delay rather than act. We choose passivity over activity. We still find it easier to wait. Ostensibly, that’s the number one differentiator between us and superstars of this world.

Going forward, we will explore two simple strategies that will exclude us from the herd of the majority who consciously or unconsciously find it too easy to put important things off until later.

So how do we MAKE action; right action — timely action — a habit?

If you think about it, this is the greatest question of all. Simply because the greatest idea is absolutely useless until it is followed-through with action.

We have all accomplished many things by forcing ourselves to act when we needed to. And at the same time we have all fallen short of our very best, many, many times because of delay and procrastination. 

However, the secret of our maximum capacity lies in learning to do what needs to be done, every single time — even when we least feel like doing so.

And this is what the peak performance expert, Anthony Robbins meant when he said: 

“In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It is not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives but what we do consistently.”

Now the strategies….

TWO STRATEGIES FOR MAKING ACTION A HABIT

These two simple strategies have been proven in the lives of many successful people, so don’t overlook them because of their obvious simplicity.

1. SCHEDULE

“Some of our best intentions fail because we don’t have a system of execution.”—Darren Hardy

The strategy of schedule is perhaps the most effective tool ever used by superstars in all walks of life to produce consistently amazing results and make the most of their time. And it will do the same for me and you if we utilize it properly.

Here is how it works:

    1.    Decide something important you need to accomplish.

    2.    Fix a time for it in your day and set the alarm: i.e. 6 a.m.

    3.    When the alarm rings, get up and go.

    4.   Do it the first day and the next and the next.

    5.   Keep doing it, even when it is easier not to — especially then.

If you follow this process long enough to establish it as a habit; making things — big things — happen will no longer be as hard as it seems to you now.

This is because when you get better at one behaviour, you can replicate the process for another; and this makes you better overall as a leader. Schedule is a key component of a disciplined life.

2. MAKE THIS YOUR MANTRA: “DO IT NOW.”

The first strategy of schedule is the best solution for a recurring task or project. However, there are some important things that may come up and require us to act but without enough discipline we may want to let slide. 

To overcome the inertia of inaction for such tasks when motivation is low; we should say repeatedly, the three propelling words:”Do it now.” Then resolve to follow-through with action. 

W. Clement Stone would say it more than fifty times a day. He was the founder of Combined Insurance Company of America; which he started with $100 and built into a multimillion-dollar company. He made himself do big things consistently with the aid of this mantra.

Though, there is a caveat he mentioned: “Never utter those words without following-through with action.” The obvious explanation for this is to prevent us from a new insidious habit we don’t really want to start.

Developing the habit of action at the right time, no matter how we feel, can be practically challenging at the initial stage but if we have the discipline to put these strategies into practice for long enough time till they take hold in our lives: we shall see ourselves becoming the type of person we were meant to be; the type of person with the power to make anything happen.

This kind of power hinges on habit as Tryon Edwards reveals:

“Any act often repeated soon forms a habit; and a habit allows steady gains in strength.”

If we succeed at this in the long run, we would have achieved the most valuable result of all education; the discipline to take action at the most opportune time — which is invariably, now.

TENACITY OF PURPOSE: A VALUABLE LESSON FROM THE RICHEST BLACK MAN IN THE WORLD.

“I know of no such unquestionable badge and ensign of a sovereign mind as that of tenacity of purpose.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tenacity — unremitting demonstration of the habits of prosperity — is the secret behind the success and multi-billion dollar empire of Alhaji Aliko Dangote; the richest man in Africa and richest black man in the world.

The business magnate was fortunate to recognize his passion for trade and business early in life. Though at the time, the main thing he had was an eager desire to be superior in his business; but unlike like many of his peers; he knew how to get started with the few resources available. With a burning dream in his heart to grow big one day; he was able to start small.

The day he dreamt of is not too long in coming. The day Dangote dreamt of has become a reality, this day. Far more than many, and without question, he understands the meaning of taking action, and more importantly, he understands the meaning of tenacity. 

Proverbially, you can’t grow an Iroko tree overnight; and practically, you don’t build a multi-billion dollar business overnight either. You need not only the courage to start but the discipline, the energy and the will to weather all the storms of life for you to eventually come out on top; you need to have tenacity.

My objective on this article is not to repeat the entire life story of Alhaji Aliko Dangote for you; that, you can view at Wikipedia and many other business websites. My aim is to help myself and you integrate and apply — in our own lives —   the core principle behind the gargantuan empire of the business tycoon; the principle of tenacity. 

The principle is very powerful, no doubt. But we can benefit fully from it, only when we move beyond merely knowing and talking about it, and decide to embody it in the key areas of our lives through unremitting action.

Meanwhile, listen to the man himself for you to be thoroughly influenced by the magnate’s deep understanding of a seemingly simple idea. Here it is:

“I built a conglomerate and emerged the richest black man in the world in 2008 but it didn’t happen overnight. It took me 30 years to get to where I am today. Youths of today aspire to be like me but they want to achieve it overnight. It’s not going to work. To build a successful business, you must start small and dream big. In the journey of entrepreneurship, tenacity of purpose is supreme.”

UNBREAKABLE WILL

Arguably, tenacity of purpose is the greatest secret of his spectacular success. This is evident in his triumph over so many challenges throughout his business life.

To enumerate all the challenges he overcame to become number one will require volumes of articles or a complete book. To rightly describe his success stories on business after business is beyond the capacity of just one article.  Just like Sir Richard Branson; the chairman and owner of Virgin Group, the businesses that make up Dangote Group are legion.

However, one critical test of his courage and tenacity that I am going to highlight was his founding of the continent’s largest cement producer — Dangote Cement Plc. The odds he had to surmount to establish this key company in the global prominence of his business empire were huge. 

How huge were the obstacles? You may ask. 

They were huge enough to force an enterprising man of fearless mettle to utter these words:

"The most dangerous thing for an entrepreneur to do is to actually go into a business that he does not understand fully." 

The extremity of this statement underscores an important point on what the daring fighter experienced; the odds were overwhelming and potentially crippling.

Yet, he didn’t quit. He was able to hold-on, no matter what. He was able to persevere because he had an unbreakable will.

He has tenacity!

His tenacity of purpose made him commit to a tall standard of life that great success demands and this has made him one of the greatest businessmen of our century.

Another reference for this can be found in Harvard Business review when Jonathan Berman  wrote  to encourage American CEOs — that they must annihilate their fear of uncertainty and risk — with the bold investment choices of a man from the African soil; a testament to the audacity and tenacity of his purpose.

With all of this, my question for you is thus:

How can you and I cultivate such spirit of tenacity in the most important areas of our lives — no matter what life throws at us? 

This is what today’s article is all about.

BE LIKE A POSTAGE STAMP: STICK TO IT UNTIL YOU GET THERE.

Meanwhile, not everyone is cut out to be a business mogul; everyone has different interests and passions. For Dangote, it was business, as he himself said:

"I can remember when I was in primary school, I would go and buy cartons of sweets [sugar boxes] and I would start selling them just to make money. I was so interested in business, even at that time."

He was lucky to know his dominant passion at a very young age and he had the courage to pursue his heart desire. While many people, in their thirties and forties are not quite sure; let alone getting started on their unique paths to stardom and fulfillment.

The way it has always worked is expressed by John Maxwell as: “Find something you like to do that you will gladly do it for free and learn to do it so well that people will be willing to pay you for it.”

Now, the questions for you to answer before you learn to be like a postage stamp are:

What is my purpose?

What am I passionate about?

What do I love to do that benefits the people?

What am I willing to do whether I am paid to do it or not?

What will I continue to do if I were the only person living on earth?

The importance of this process is expressed by the black American billionaire, Oprah Winfrey, as:

“Your life work is to find your life work; and then to exercise the discipline, tenacity, and hard work it takes to pursue it.”

After you have chosen your purpose, your dominant passion, your life’s work; the next step is to get started.

Dreaming big doesn’t mean you have to start big. Just start where you are with what you have. Lack of understanding of this simple truth has stopped many from fulfilling their heart desires. Imagine, if Dangote had not started where he was and with what he had, he probably wouldn’t be where he is today. Isn’t that an awful probability?

If you are brave enough to start something you are passionate about; you have made a wonderful choice; not for overnight success; but for a brand new destination of glory and grace. 

Now all you need to do is resolve to be like a postage stamp; you must stick to it until you get there — no matter what. You must stick to it until you reach the acme of your aspiration.

This vital principle is what made Dangote the richest black person in the world; and it is what Amelia Earhart; the distinguished American aviation pioneer, demonstrated throughout her life. And I choose to end this article with the illustration of her words on the courage to start and the power of tenacity in the achievement of our dreams — whatever they are:

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is mere tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.”

So, never let up your flying speed after you have kicked off the plane. Keep moving. Stay moving. Always. That’s tenacity of purpose.

        BIPOLAR POWERS OF THE HUMAN MIND

"We are made or unmade by ourselves; in the armory of thought we forge the weapons by which we destroy ourselves, and we also fashion the tools with which we build for ourselves heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.”—James Allen

Mental attitude — the conceptual habits of our conscious minds — is the focus of today’s article.

According to the English Physicist, Sir Arthur Eddington, the universe in which we live is a creation of our minds. The mind is the source of the all-powerful force of thought; which is the first and most important step of all human creation. Everything begins in the mind.

W. Clement Stone affirms that the mind has two amazing powers; it has the power to attract wealth, success and happiness; and this is what he calls: “Positive Mental Attitude—PMA.” PMA is the inexorable force that uplifts anyone who populates his mind with the thoughts of beauty, truth and love.

Likewise, he affirms that the mind has the power to repel success, health, wealth, happiness and peace of mind; everything that makes life worth living; and this is what he calls:”Negative Mental Attitude—NMA.” NMA is the inexorable force that wrecks anyone who dominates his mind with unwholesome thoughts of any kind.

This is what informs my idea of bipolar powers of the mind; NMA, represented by the negative pole of thoughts; and PMA, represented by the positive pole of thoughts. 

Since an object at rest tends to stay at rest, our habitual thoughts will invariably determine our destiny — if nothing changes. 

However, with awareness and the right guidance, we can make our lives better just by changing the nature of our thoughts; and unless we commit to first changing our thoughts, we will never be able to change our results — no matter the digits of our IQ. 

To prove this, I will analyze the dramatic examples of two real-life opposing poles of thoughts; Charles Manson and Thomas Edison.

NEGATIVE POLE OF THOUGHTS — NMA

Pondering over the words of James Allen, at first, it seems difficult to accept that we manufacture our woes just by the nature of the thoughts we permit to populate our minds. 

“Does that mean that the pitiful state of a miserable man comes as a result of his habitually negative thoughts?” 

I query. 

Still, it is somehow hard to accept that the same man wishfully wanting happiness is equally the one forging the weapons by which he destroys himself through the negative use of his mind.

Eventually, I agree with James Allen after studying the sad story of Charles Manson; a man fortunate enough to be born and bred in the wealthiest country in the world; United States, who ultimately became a symbol of macabre, imprisonments and ghoulishness. 

This is in spite of the fact that he has an IQ of full three digits — 109 IQ score, to be precise. He has sufficient brain power but he chooses to use and direct it towards a destructive end. Unfailingly, he is ruined.

If you have never heard of him, just search through Google for complete history of a very negative mind. 

Then you will see a hardhearted criminal who has spent most of his life and will still spend the remainder of his life in prison. 

In his mind, he has some horrid beliefs and thinking that somehow lawlessly killing people will contribute to the good of the world; and he created a cult to execute just that. 

With this kind of example, it is hard to doubt the veracity of the philosopher’s words. Clearly, this is not the case of a man making a onetime big mistake; but definitely, the case of a habitual thinker of horrendous things.

His world, as he has created it, is a process of his thinking; and he cannot change it, without changing his process of thought. The moment he arrives at this level of awareness, he gains supreme control over the rein of his mind, and hence the power for solutions to all his problems.

Beware of what you choose to think about. 

This is the great lesson we can all learn from the reprehensible life of Charles Manson. Thus, we must guard firmly the kingdom of our minds for solid protection against the dangers of thinking carelessly, as described by Jonathan Foer:

“I think and think and think, I‘ve thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.”

POSITIVE POLE OF THOUGHTS — PMA

While also questioning in my mind the truth of the philosopher’s message that we make ourselves with our thinking, I came across the words of Thomas A Edison, written as:

“I NEVER pick up an item without thinking of how to improve it.”

Let’s analyse this profound statement from the greatest inventor of all time.

And yes, it is profound due to the comprehensive nature of his progressive thought. 

Whatever he picked up; he must think of some ways to make it better.

It doesn’t matter whether, he was the initial maker or not; it doesn’t matter whether the product was his specialty or not; it doesn’t matter whether it was made in his country or not. 

The only thing that mattered to him was; thinking of how to improve it.

Imagine how beautiful life can be, if we all adopt this kind of mental attitude.

No wonder he became the greatest inventor of all time. This is in spite of the fact that he was once considered, “A blockhead” by his school teacher.  

The cause of his remarkable achievements was his thinking process, not his IQ. He was set on thinking improvement on anything and everything he laid his hands upon.

With these two extreme examples, we can evidently conclude that, James Allen, was right and on point. The mind has the powers that can either debase or elevate based on the nature of our dominant thoughts.

Without question, positive mental attitude is ultimately the difference maker between suffering and joy.

The good news is that we can change our thoughts because we have the power of choice; and with such a change; there is hope of better and brighter results in all areas of our lives that we need to improve. 

That’s what the theory of “Equal Odds Probability” suggests.

EQUAL ODDS PROBABILITY

“The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues.”—Rene Descartes

This quote — in my view — subtly represents what Harvard-trained psychologist; Keith Simonton called “the Equal Odds Rule.”

It means, by extension, that the basest minds are equally capable of greatest virtues as well as of the greatest vices.

That is, with a permanent change of thought — from NMA to PMA — the likes of Charles Manson could become as reputable as, Thomas Edison.

And…

In the same vein, with a permanent change of thought — from PMA to NMA — the likes of Thomas Edison could easily become depraved like Charles Manson.

The magic is in the mind through the unlimited power of thought.

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. If the thinking changes, so is the result. Mastery of the mind always precedes movement of the body.

The mind is a very powerful tool; and we have the unchallengeable prerogative on how we use it.

Now, let’s see the mind at work in a commonplace experience:

A SCENARIO OF TWO PEOPLE STUCK IN TRAFFIC TOWARDS AN AWESOME JOB INTERVIEW

NMA: He thinks: “I am always having bad luck; some devils are working against my good fortune. How can I expect to get this job by arriving late for the interview?” And subsequently he feels sad and despondent.

PMA: He thinks: “Stuff happens, I won’t stress over what I can’t control. Since, I am fully prepared, even if I arrive late, I will do my best to impress the panel on why I am still best person for the job, anyway.” And with this thought he remains calm; and he keeps looking at the bright side of a potentially frustrating experience.

We can see that both experience the same thing; but their thinking response are completely different. 

This is what the psychologists call “Subjective Reality,” which states that it is not what we encounter that determines our reality but what we think about what happens that will determine our ultimate reality.

Hypothetically, even if the traffic clears by some stroke of luck: Which of the two thinkers, in this case will likely perform better before the panel of judges — all things being equal? 

You guess right, the person with the positive mental attitude.

SWITCH FROM NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE, EVERY TIME

Instead of thinking, I am really bad at this; think I can be better at this.

Instead of thinking, I am a failure; think I can, and will be a success.

Instead of thinking, it is impossible; think where there is a will, there is always a way.

Instead of thinking, I will only do little because the job only pays little; think I will give my best, no matter what the job pays.

Instead of thinking, there is no use trying again; always think, one more time.

Instead of thinking, I have lost; think I have learned.

Instead of thinking despair about what you lack; think gratitude for one good thing you still have.

Instead of thinking about everything you can’t do; think of just one thing you can do now.

So the simple lesson here is that, we must learn to still the mind and deliberately refuse to populate our mind with anything that does not support our greatest good. 

We should strive to switch from negative to positive, every time we encounter sad situations that forcefully tempt us to dwell on the negative appearances of our current realities.

We must develop the discipline to always focus our thinking on the bright side of things — even the saddest and the most intractable of predicaments. And if we look hard enough, we can always find; at the very least; just one percent good in every hundred percent bad — just one.

Though, it seems small compared to the bad, but start from there; and you will be surprised with the huge lift of mood and a boost in confidence sufficient for you to make the most of an apparently hapless situation.

Thinking and believing in the good is what will eventually make us whole. Such is the amazing power of our mind; once we have learned to switch from the negative to the positive, every time.

“It is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.”— William Shakespeare