Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Actions speak louder than words – or worse than words, gestures. If you intend to be successful – in business or life, you must put action behind your goals. Don’t be afraid to take baby steps, because at least you are moving forward. And don’t be afraid to fail. It is better to experience a setback than to never move at all.
I am working on a novel. I currently have over 47,600 words and am sending queries and samples to literary agents; however, there is more to write. A lot more. I have over 17,500 words that are random chapters or pieces of chapters. But they were not organized into the book in any order.
I would open Scrivener, which I use when writing my novel, and stare at these random pieces of scenery, dialogue, and raw emotion. But I would freeze up at the sheer amount of work. How could I order all of this writing – these great pieces that needed to be included – how could I get them into some sort of sequence?
I would open up Candy Crush. I would scroll through Facebook. I would check my email. Maybe a literary agent has replied.
But I would not write, and I certainly would not try to shape the existing content. That… well, it was a scary prospect. To do. To move forward. To step into action.
And then I forced myself to do something – anything – but just to do.
It had been months and suddenly, with one attempt at action, I was excited again. I felt the creative juices flowing. I could see the format that was not there before. I began to fill in pieces and writing without worry. It was in the action that the boat began to move, ever so slowly, but moving nonetheless.
“Nodding the head does not row the boat”
Agreeing to an idea. Being a “yes man.” Nodding your head. These things will result in nothing. Take action and row.
Thank you to Andreas Aravis, for inadvertently giving me life advice in the guise of blog posts for entrepreneurs.