The Sunday Mail
Motivation for Success Chrispen Muyeche
HAVING a brilliant idea is not enough to achieve success, you need to do more.
Determination or motivation, while critical, are sadly not enough to move you to the next level. You need more than that!
It is futile to spend time planning if we are not prepared to apply the most critical ingredient of all — ACTION!
Action is like yeast in baking.
Often we sing songs about how we can make money by doing A, B and C, or how a certain challenge can be solved by this or that. We fill our minds with propositions, but we don’t have the fire in the belly to convert those propositions into action.
The Procrastinator and the Doer
In life there are two types of people — the procrastinators and the doers. The former are often creatures that take their sweet time to think through ideas, and then do nothing about it.
Then of course there are the doers who stealthily scout for opportunities. They pay absolute attention to both economic and entrepreneurial trends, trying out the ideas that they have.
Some of the ideas actually come from procrastinators.
With sustained action, the doer triumphs while the procrastinator fails.
Not surprisingly, procrastinators often moan about lost opportunities, but, sadly, there is no dividend.
We cannot measure thought, all we see are results and those come from action. Are you a doer or you come up with brilliant ideas but never act on them? Are you an implementer? Are you a world changer?
Newton’s first law of motion
In taking action, the first step is perhaps the most critical. Newton’s first law of motion observes that “a body in motion remains in motion unless it is acted upon by an external force. If the body is at rest, it remains at rest.”
So, when you start off, you start from “rest” and it is critical that you APPLY a force so that you get into motion, a force of action. Unless you take the first step to create a new product, an innovation or a service , you remain at rest.
The first step of action is critical, take it now.
Action — the only true sign of commitment
No one can ever claim to be committed to anything that they are not willing to act upon. You cannot claim that you want to become a great entrepreneur when you don’t take time to study even the fundamentals of business.
It would be folly and rather myopic to only have hope without action. Show that you are committed to what you want to do. Take the necessary steps, take the necessary measures.
Idea, Action and Determination
I believe that to move from where you are to where you want to be, you need three essential things: an idea, the ability to take action and determination, especially when the going gets tough.
Put simply, Idea + Action + Determination = Success.
Talent on its own is not enough. An idea on its own is not enough. Hope on its own is not enough. We must act, but to act we need an idea.
Identify what you really want to do and go for it. Stay determined no matter what comes your way.
The odds are one day you will definitely succeed.
Lessons from Mohammed Ali
Did you know that Mohammed Ali (born Cassius Clay) became the world’s greatest boxer due to his action-oriented approach to the sport?
Ali had the ability to ward off distractions and focus on his job.
According to his longest-serving trainer, Angelo Dundee, Mohammed Ali was always the first one in the gym and the last one out.
His determination to act was incomparable.
Success doesn’t happen on its own. We fool ourselves if we think that success is possible without action.
Ali would run from his apartment to the gym and back everyday.
He did not dread to work out.
That is how he built his agility and pace in the ring. He was a firm subscriber to the notion that if you want to be a champion you have to train like one. It is, however, worth noting that he did not enjoy training but he did it nevertheless.
He once remarked, “I hated every minute of training, but I said don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life like a champion.”
There are three critical lessons that we get from Mohammed Ali:
1. Talent on its own is not enough. We must ACT and we must have the determination to build a reputation as ‘‘the first one in the gym and the last one out.’’
2. To be the best, we need to be best at applying effort and taking on the task head rather than expecting things to happen on their own. Things do not happen on their own, we make things happen.
3. Take action. Running from your house to the gym and back everyday is a sign of both action and commitment. How committed are you to doing what you have to do everyday for the rest of your life? That is what greatness is made of. Greatness is up for grabs, will you reach out for it? At the end of it all, if you expect more, you have got to act more!
Muyeche Chrispen is the author of the motivational books Embrace Your Ultimate Greatness and Pack your Bags and Journey to Greatness. Feedback- [email protected]. You can also find Chris on Facebook.
