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Allison Maslan, an entrepreneur and author, said, “Once you make a decision, take action that moment. Write the letter, make the call, send the email. Show up in a bigger way than you ever have before, but don’t wait for the planets to align. Take action now, and by next week, your anxiety will start to dissipate because you are going for it. I am always so impressed by persistent people, whether they are getting the results they want or not. No matter what, if they keep pushing forward, the big break they are waiting for is just one step away. Why would you ever want to miss that opportunity?”
I’ve thought a lot about that, and as a spiritual person looking to feel and notice more personal revelation every day, this is the pivotal decision: Once you make a decision, take action immediately.
When Lot’s family left, and his wife looked back toward their former home, it is suggested that she did it because she paused. She hesitated on the path forward toward her future, wondering if it was really the right decision. She longed for the past, looking back on and valuing what she left behind. The idea that she was turned into a pillar of salt is really about the fact that when we stall on our journey and question the decisions we have made, after knowing they are the right thing for us, it makes us completely immobile. Now, we hesitate between two decisions. Should we move forward on the path we realized was absolutely right for us? Or, should we turn back? Take the action that felt inspired and guided, or ruminate on our lack—all that we have lost, and what we gave up to begin the new direction?
The kinds of actions we need to take immediately after deciding are things like writing a letter, making a phone call, or sending an e-mail. Those might seem like small things that are fairly inconsequential, especially when compared to Lot’s family leaving their homeland never to return. But it is in the small and simple things we do every day that our entire lives, nature, and character are forged into patterns that can lead to our success and happiness. Those small things, like taking each little step without looking back, make all the difference.
When you take action now, next week, your anxiety will be smaller. She is acknowledging the idea clearly asserted in the book Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, by Susan Jeffers, which plainly tells us that we will ALL feel fear when we are stretching, growing, and moving in new directions. The only way out of the fear is through it—to do the very thing that we believe drives fear and anxiety. To avoid the action only increases the fear and whittles away at our self-confidence, replacing it with self-doubt and “should” statements we tell ourselves, statements that erode any drive to overcome those feelings and take the action. Allison knows, as anyone living large does, that acting quickly on your decisions keeps those fears and doubts small and actually makes the action much easier to take.
I am impressed by persistent people. They won’t always have a big impact or get the outcomes they are working toward. But by being persistent, they are much more likely to eventually make progress and find the way forward, little by little. After all, that is the very nature of persistence. The opportunity is certainly NEVER going to come if there isn’t any effort. But, by persisting in taking small efforts forward, or backward if that happens along the way, at least some kind of progress is more likely to happen. In some ways that effort can be a complete gamble. But, the alternative is just failure from the outset by doing nothing.
I’ve worked to be persistent throughout my life, and a lot of the time, I’ve been ridiculed or at least doubted by the people around me. I can understand that when I’ve got a vision of something internally and ideas to motivate myself to expect good things to come that others don’t share, they are probably justified in their doubts about my plans. However, in all cases, I’ve been successful at achieving the outcomes I have targeted, even when it has taken longer than expected.
And those achievements have definitely not been easy. But they have always happened because I persisted.
One example was in my most recent effort, writing a book.
Another has been in my weight loss.
A third has been in paying off debts.
Yet another happened long ago while earning my bachelor’s degree and I was able to work my skills up from a very low level in playing the trumpet to a high level of excellence that landed me in the Wind Symphony and my traveling on tour with them—a dream goal I adopted my freshman year that was realized five years later.
Another goal I achieved that came through persistence was earning a pilot’s license.
I also completed three college degrees, all because I persisted.
I bought four different homes I’ve lived in due to my persistence, despite having debt and struggling to come up with the down payments.
I could go on, but the point I am trying to make here is that I firmly believe in the value of persistence and the importance of seeing the mountain range and setting sights on the next peak, to find value in the journey ahead. Without ideas about where to go in life, it can be impossible to move forward, and equally impossible to feel satisfaction and joy.
In summary, it’s a great idea to set out with a decision and act immediately, without wavering, doubting, or looking back. Take action with confidence, and go “all in” by doing this. It’s the safest way to go in abating fear and anxiety, and it is the most likely way to promote your positive growth and increased ability to do those things you’d like to do in life, relationships, and work. And then, you’re on your way to becoming the best version of YOU!
If now is a great time for you to work with a coach, let me know!
New Day, performed by Danny Gokey, (P) 2021 Danny Gokey, under exclusive license to Capitol Christian Music Group, Inc., was written by Ethan Hulse, Coby Wedgeworth, and Danny Gokey. Copyright © 2019 Better Than I Found It (BMI) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission; and EGH Music Publishing (BMI) / Be Essential Songs (BMI) / Colby Wedgeworth Music (ASCAP) / Fair Trade Music Publishing (ASCAP) / (admin at EssentialMusicPublishing.com). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
