Monday, September 15, 2008

On Taking Action

He there! Bob Leonetti here and as Willie Nelson would say, I’m “on the road again!” This time, I’m in Phoenix on my way to my home in Palm Springs where I can catch up on some sun and some writing for a few days before speaking for Real Estate Guru Ron Le Grand and 1500 fellow real estate investors in Los Angeles at his Customer Appreciation Celebration at the LAX Airport Hilton. You should stop by if you get a chance – I’ll be speaking early Friday afternoon and I’d love to see you there!

Right now, I’m using my time during a layover at the Phoenix Airport to share with you something I just saw in the gift shop: a new book by the folks at USA Today on Michael Phelps and his road to and through the 2008 Olympics! Wow! Weren’t the Olympics only a few weeks ago? That was quick! (ASIDE: His book Beneath the Surface was actually written in 2005 and has been re-released in a new “timely” format).

Now this isn’t meant to be a review of his book. However, it is meant to point something out:
Successful people make decisions quickly. The first decide and then they act on the decision. Period. They’re not wishy-washy because they know that ultimately, if they don’t make the decision to act, someone else will.

Michael Phelps had to make decisions in his races; he had to decide when to “coast” to conserve his energy and when to go all out. The editors over at USA Today had the same mindset: they saw that he was a winner, knew that a book about his exploits would be very popular, and ACTED on their decision to write it and get it to market before the rest of the crowd. They decided…they took action…quickly

Our lives are much the same way: we’re rewarded for first deciding and then taking action. One of the biggest tragedies that I see as a teacher is people who have these incredible dreams who are afraid to act on them. I, for one, got rid of my “to do” lists! Why? Because I know that if I’m going to move ahead, I need to take my to-dos off the list and put them into action. And while you’re contemplating this, I encourage no to write down your thoughts, but to take immediate and compelling ACTION.

As the famous author, Napoleon Hill, said, “Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into action.” Or, to put it in a more recent cultural context, as Nike would say, “Just Do It!”

And until next time, it’s Bob Leonetti signing off!