I am about 11 years old and laying out in the hot sun with some friends at the neighborhood pool. My friends decide to try the high diving board. To impress the girls, and in the excitement of the moment, I think this is an excellent idea. Finally, it is my turn. As I climb the ladder, I feel it in my stomach. Time slows down as my friends are watching in anticipation. I walk to the end of the diving board and look down. Wow… It looks so much higher from up here. I walk back and take a deep breath. I figure I need to take a minute… It seems that the more time I take, the more terrified I get. Finally… screw it. I run and jump… landing flat on my belly. It hurt like crazy, but I did it.
Have you ever had a great idea? You got super excited about it and started to plan it out in your head. Then you decide to “sleep on it”… Morning comes, doubt sets in, and the “genius” idea is much less exciting. You continue with your day and think about it later… Then you determine that it’s not really a very good idea after all and scrap it. Months later, someone else has it implemented!!!
“The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it”. – The Law of Diminishing Intent
Just like the high diving board sounded like a great idea, the more I thought about it, the more I felt the fear. Everyone is watching me… What if I make a fool of myself? Let’s look at another scenario. Want to lose weight? A friend tells you about a program that works. You get excited at first, but the more you “think about it”, you wonder… Can I stick to this plan? What if I fail? What happens when I stop the program? Sound familiar?”
We intend to take action when the idea strikes us. We intend to do something when the emotion is high. But if we don’t translate that intention into action fairly soon, the urgency starts to diminish. A month from now the passion is cold. A year from now it can’t be found.” – Jim Rohn
Do you believe that a good decision needs to be thought out completely? It is good to know the facts… The problem is that most of us use “thinking about it” as an excuse so we can put off decisions until the excitement wears off.
“Successful people make their decisions quickly and change their minds slowly. Failures make their decisions slowly and change their minds quickly.” – Andy Andrews
Leaders often make multi-million dollar decisions with incomplete information. They take advice from trusted partners that have knowledge in the particular field and move forward. It is far more difficult to shake a successful person off their path than it is to get them on the path in the first place.
Are there things that you want but have not taken action on yet? Why not? Have you been passing up opportunities so you could “think about it”? Is it time to change the pattern? You already know what you want, and you likely already know how to get it.
The word “decide” comes from the Latin dēcīdere literally, to cut off. When you truly “decide”, you must cut off from other options. Trust your first instinct. You will never really know until you try. If you land flat on your belly, at least it will make for a great story. If you “think about it” then you always wonder “what if” and regret the chances you didn’t take.
The best decision is the right one. The second best decision is the wrong one. The WORST decision is no decision at all. Make a decision, take action and do it now.
