Are you a talker or a doer? Being the right role means a huge difference between success and failure in almost any callings. And you guessed what the right role is, the doer.
So how can we transform from the superfluous talker to the practical, successful doer? That is easier said than done, and it certainly doesn’t just involve the mere talking about it. Becoming a doer in itself requires action, not just talking.
Talkers don’t realize the fact that ideas are worth dime a dozen. Let’s face it, no matter how good your idea might be, there’s a pretty good chance that somebody else on this very populated planet have thought of it before. Then, why haven’t you seen it before? That’s because nobody else has executed it. Talking about how great your idea is will not make the idea execute itself. In fact, the mere talking about it and at the same time imagining how it would turned out successful is just mental masturbation. That feels good because all you need is invest is virtually no energy and you can get the feeling of success from within. Have been talking about losing that extra pound for years and still haven’t succeeded? Then there’s a good chance you’ve been talking too much and doing too little.
Listed below is my to-do list for getting out of the “talk zone”:
1. Solid schedule of actions
I deliberately avoided the word “plan” in the title because that’s just another talk word. A schedule is different from a plan in that it has a definite time of execution included. So instead of “I’m going to learn to play the guitar” you say “I will practice playing the guitar from 7 – 9 pm every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday”. Treat your schedule with respect as you would if it was an examination session. Don’t abandon it for your friends’ party.
2. Vivid vision of your goal
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” – Confucius. From the ancient wisdom of China we can see that the next step to “remembering” your creative ideas is to “see” it. This can be achieved by writing them down in big letters where you’ll see them every day, to drawing pictures of you performing your actions and hang them in places such as the toilet, bedroom ceiling so you will remember to do your actions. Living in this age and society full of distractions it is all too easy to forget about our goals, or dreams even. Ready to get out for a jog and then you see the prelude of a drama show on TV? You’d probably decide you can “relax today” and watch that show which serves you no true purpose. Counter that with your own “shows” by sticking vivid reminders of what you want to do.
3. Start small, but realistic
One thing most talkers do in common is they’ll describe in every detail how their plans will work out in the ideal situation. While those ideas might theoretically very viable, they’re worth 0 when the talkers have major troubles getting their butts to perform the simplest actions, let alone their “marvelous plans”. Many talkers might have tried to become a doer but failed, all because they faced failures right after they started. Starting small but realistic means gathering momentum for your plans. For example, instead of saying “I’ll start studying for 2 hours every day starting tomorrow” and feeling miserable in the middle to finally giving up 45 minutes in, settle at “I’ll study for 30 minutes a day starting tomorrow” and celebrate your victories. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself enjoying a 3 hour study fest!
Enough talking, I’m gotta get my ass moving to do something. Think about the plans you’ve been thinking/talking about and haven’t been really doing and start becoming a doer right now!