What Stops You from Taking Action?
The biggest barrier to adopting successful habits - Issue #56
How many times have you shared advice with someone only to have them say, “Pssht, is that all? Everyone knows that. It’s common sense.”
However, I’m sure you’ve also noticed that common sense does not translate into common practice. During my decades-long career, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve witnessed people fail to take action when they already knew what to do.
Are there any secrets to success anymore? We have millions of books and websites at our fingertips, loaded with stories of success, advice, and recommendations. There are more than enough examples to follow.
It isn’t that people don’t know what it takes to achieve success.
It’s that most people aren’t willing to do what it takes to achieve success.
They never overcome the inertia even to get started. They don’t sustain the effort required. Or, they bail as soon as things become uncomfortable or painful.
Taking consistent action despite the uncertainty, fear, and discomfort is what sets the winners apart from the masses.
We all have the knowledge. If that knowledge is so evident that it seems like common sense, then why doesn’t it become standard practice? Why isn’t everyone doing what it takes?
If there is any secret to adopting the successful habits that generate success, I think it comes down to this:
Accountability
Commitment
Integrity
Winners take the knowledge that is available to all of us, and they take action. They actually do something with it. These three forces drive them to succeed in building their new habits.
Accountability
I almost wrote this article about nothing more than accountability. It is an incredibly powerful psychological tool. When I’ve witnessed people fail to make a positive change in their life, it can often be traced to a lack of accountability. No one is watching, so who cares?