If you ask me what is the secret ingredient to achieving anything of importance in life, my answer would be action. It’s above everything else because you can talk about ways to deal with things, come up with plans, feel bad or good, complain or laugh, dance or limp your way around things but if you don’t act nothing can ever happen. Without exception everybody fails in their lives, but the ones who act are the ones who change the world.
There are broadly two kinds of people in this world—the talkers and the doers. The talkers talk all the way but get nothing done. They always want to do things but never do. They either live in the past or in the future, but never in the present. They have one reason or the other to not do something or postpone things. Action seems to be missing in their lives.
The doers, on the other hand, are the ones who get things done. They don’t like to talk too much but would like their action to speak for them. They go about their life doing one task at a time, and they do it better than anyone else. They don’t care what others are doing or saying. And in the process, they help others around them and become a team player and a go-to person of the group. These are the kind of people you would like to associate yourself with wherever you go, and you must consider yourself lucky to be in the company of doers, because these are the people who run your team, your family, your company and even the world. Talking doesn’t run this world, doing does.
Ofcourse, we have a category who does both, talking and doing. In fact, it’s also important to have effective communication to succeed in a task but the point we are driving home here is action. Whether you can talk or not, doesn’t matter. What matters is, whether you can act or not. The ability or the inability to act, differentiates these two categories.
Here comes the good news! While it’s true that a doer can degrade to become a talker (if he/she loses motivation), a talker can also become a doer if he/she truly desires. How then can one emerge as a winner by becoming a doer rather than ending up a talker? Can 2016 be different for you? Yes, it can. Let’s try to follow few simple and basic steps...
Identify whether you are a talker or a doer
All said and done, who am I? A talker or a doer? Here’s a very practical approach to finding where you stand currently.
Try maintaining two lists:
• To-do list
• Done list
Keep adding your tasks—be it work related, personal, hobbies, extra-curricular activities, and whatever it is that you wish to do. Tasks could be completing a book that you always wanted to finish, or taking time out to take your parents for a nice dinner, or coming up with a new product idea for your company, or meeting a deadline at office. It’s important to note that the items on your done list are far more valuable than the items in your to-do list, because they are not done yet, and until things don’t get done they have zero value.
You are a doer if more and more tasks are getting done on a weekly basis. You are a talker if you see your to-do list is getting bulkier. Now, it’s your choice as to who you want to become; the balance between your to-do list and done list is your yardstick to measure yourself. Before jumping into any conclusion whether this will work or not, try it yourself for a few weeks!
Do what you love and love what you do
One critical ingredient of being a doer is motivation. That’s exactly why it’s important to work for a cause, a job or an idea that you love. Else you tend to get demotivated sooner or later, and end up as a talker. Perhaps you always wanted to do something in your life but never had the guts or an opportunity to do so. Be it going for a world tour, or starting your new venture—2016 could be your year. But only if you decide to stop talking and starting doing! Just do it, silly!
Remember what our original gangsta Tuca told us in the cult movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly— “When you have to shoot. Shoot. Don’t talk.” Turns out, Tuco was telling the truth.
Fight your way through, one step at a time
Here’s one thing about the so-called glorified success—it doesn’t come easy or cheap or quick. Unfortunately, there is a no short cut and as a doer, you are bound to fail on your path to achieve your goals. That’s a guarantee. So what is one supposed to do?
The best way to deal with failure or setback is to learn from it and move on. Don’t be afraid. Fear is an illusion in your mind, it’s not real. Failure teaches you how not to screw up things the next time, pay attention. Be practical, you need to know what feedback is good for you and what is not. Try to understand why you failed and correct yourself. Don’t repeat your mistakes, else you are doomed.
Remember, everyday is a new beginning. When you wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror, ask yourself the question—Are you charged enough to take on the world today? The answer should be yes. A YES! Else tell yourself that you won’t let yourself go down without a fight. Fight back, one punch at a time, one step at a time. And you will reach your goal.
Be Shameless. Care a damn about what others think or say
Wherever you go, surrounding you are the talkers (or other people around you) trying to take you down by undermining what you do and who you are, misleading you, taking credit for what you do, or simply by not understanding you and your intentions. Talkers are the majority in most places you go, unless your company or team has a culture of nurturing quality, innovation, passion and transparency. (This is the kind of culture you need to foster around you.)
The best way to deal with them is by not focusing on them, but by focusing on your task at hand. Let your work do the talking for you, and soon you will see all the petty politics will fade away in the light of your honesty and sincerity. Be smart, do not alienate people by arguing with them or trying to prove them wrong. That is not your job! Your job is to focus on your tasks and do it better than anyone else in the world.
Lastly, be shameless. The world has always ridiculed people who did great things, but later adored them for what they accomplished. Let them say or think whatever they wish, but you continue to tread your path. Period.
Believe in yourself
Believe you are going to do great things, and you will one day do great things. Believe you are special. Believe you can change the world. Never for once doubt yourself or your abilities. Everything you ever wanted to become is in-built in you, you just haven’t discovered it yet or not nurtured it yet. Hard work is the key to manifest the best in you, there is no substitute for it. When you believe in yourself, you will get the courage to follow your path no matter how hard it is. Try to enjoy the journey, for success is not a destination, it is a journey.
The key to success in 2016 and in the years to follow lies in your hand and mind. Become a Doer and get rid of the Talker in you. Everything will fall in place if you continue to do what you love to do and not despair in the face of fear or failure. You are a born winner! Just believe in it and shine like a crazy diamond!
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