Step 5 Take Action

If you’ve found this article, but have not yet read the introduction 10 Steps to Success, I highly encourage you to do so before continuing. This is part of a series of articles that read in order will give you valuable insight as to how to become successful with anything you envision.

Acting in a Physical Sense

Steps 1-4 of the 10 Steps to Success can exist solely in the mind and do not require physical action. Creating a mind set and attitude that welcomes success, developing a proposition to provide value to the world, building your vision, and setting goals are all things that can be done without taking one single action in the physical world. While each of these steps is incredibly important, it would be impossible to guarantee outcome based success without taking action (recall that outcome based success is defined as success measured by the external result of your actions - for example sales at your store, or getting hired for a job). In fact, it would be almost impossible to attain outcome based success without taking action. If you did, it would be a matter of ‘luck’.

What exactly does it mean to act in a physical sense? You may ask - “I am already writing down my goals - isn’t that an action?”

This is a fantastic question. The reason that it is so important to write down your goals and your vision is two fold. First, it creates a referenceable document that you can read and engage in regularly. This keeps your vision and goals in your mind such that you are constantly thinking about and are aware of them (you can act accordingly when the opportunity presents itself). The second reason is that you are beginning to take action in the real world when you take your thoughts and write them on a piece of paper. Immediately there is a concrete result. Someone else can see that you did this, a measurable outcome has been generated.

When we write things down we are acclimating our mind to the concept that in order to generate success we must cross the threshold where our ideas lie and the real world exists. In essence writing things down is the first and simplest step we can take to translate ideas into a physical world. As we take additional steps, our ideas become more and more of a reality, until soon the majority of the idea exists in the real world - not just our mind. At that point additional action becomes simple and flows with much less effort.

Manifesting Results

I love the world manifestation. When I began my exploration into the world of personal growth, I began hearing the word manifestation over and over. The truth is that at first, I was not even sure what people really meant by it. As I explored the meaning of manifestation, I learned that some people truly believed that they could ‘manifest’ results in the physical world simply by thinking about things. I’d ask them ‘how’s that working for you’ and lets just say the results were across the board. But did these results translate into outcome based success?

I noticed that many of the people that believed in manifesting results without action were people that were living a lifestyle different than mine. They tended to be very ethereal, they believed in magic, and in general had relatively poor results in many of the measures of success that one typically focuses on. For example success in finances and relationships. Now, I am not one to argue against this lifestyle or state that these people were not happy because they may have completely priorities than I. I am not one to assess their results. I do know that for myself - their definition of manifestation had not worked for me and for the most part it did not seem to be working for them either.

In some cases, there do seem to be people able to manifest wealth, relationships, happiness as easily as bringing a thought into the world. This is very interesting. Most people attribute this manifestation to the actions they’ve taken but some may say that a result simply came into being because they thought about it. What’s happening in these situations?

The people adept at ‘manifesting’ results have two different functions at play. In one case it may simply be coincidence. Read my article on how I manifested a job as a wellness coach as an example. In the case of coincidence there are several things happening. We become so engrained in steps 1-4 of the 10 Steps to Success, that our minds are open to possibilities. When we see something that is similar to the result we want, we accept that as manifestation. We are welcoming success and are open to the possibility of manifestation, and therefore it happens! So even if it were a coincidence (like you really wanted to manifest ice cream cone and suddenly an ice cream truck appeared), you attribute it to the power of the mind. Your mind has become so open to accept and create possibility that you begin to see and believe the results you want.

Most people that believe in manifestation without action are simply not acknowledging the actions they do take. In my job manifestation case, I searched every possible job board, contacted everyone I knew in the industry, and jumped at the opportunity when I saw the lead. People that manifest do the same. They do not recognize that they paid for the ice cream - or walked over 2 blocks to the music they heard! They don’t see or acknowledge that that have indeed taken action to create the reality they desire. The thought of manifestation is so appealing that this becomes what they believe.

To summarize, manifestation can be a reality. The process involves becoming very clear on steps 1-4, then taking appropriate act. Slowly and surely, you will see the outcomes you desire in your life appear as if something magical has happened!

You are well on your path to success when you’ve embraced the first 4 steps to success and you begin acting. The remainder of the step are geared towards maintaining long term success.

Be Well

Written by Doug Nau, The Wellness Coach, i-grow.net