Intention & Action => Direction

Have you ever had an excellent idea which went by the wayside?
How about a moment of inspiration, a solution to all your difficulties, which turned out to be nothing more than a dream?

It happens to me all the time!

I once read a story which has since served as a lesson in life. “What is the difference between simple and easy?” the author asked. He used the example of golf, which is a simple game though certainly not easy. All we need to do to become a great golfer is to put the ball in the hole in 3, 4 or 5 strokes depending on par for the hole. It's quite simple. For those who play golf, or in my case have “tried” to play golf, it's far from easy!

So it goes with many things in our lives. From being a Sunday afternoon quarterback in the comfort of our living room, to creating a plan to lose weight or write a book. Intention abounds in our quest to solve the world’s challenges. Where we frequently fail is to take immediate action necessary to reach our objective.

We have countless answers and alternatives. What is most difficult is “putting the pedal to the metal” in order to achieve what we desire. When we perceive our destination as fraught with peril, danger and uncertainty, it’s common to feel overwhelmed with the amount of energy we need to expend to achieve our intention. Taking action, regardless of how small, is frequently the difference between “What if…?” and “I did it!”

Any worthy destination requires a first step. Losing weight is a function of eating less, eating healthier and exercising. Writing a book requires a first word, sentence, paragraph and page. Without a first page, there will never be a book. Any project can be cut into tiny pieces and tackled one at a time. When is the best time to start? Next Monday, next month, next year, or right now?

Intention is the first step to our desire. We must then take action to give direction because it’s not what we know, rather what we do with what we know which is most important!

It's the Bounce that Counts!nn© 2007 Rob McBride
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