Shut up and take action!

I remember when I began building my coaching business in 2005.  I had lists of ideas and spent countless hours talking about what was possible.  I’ll do this and that and then this and finally that.  It all sounded great and yet I was immobilized to take action.  There are zillions of reasons why this happens to me and others including being a perfectionist, being a procrastinator, fear of failure, fear of success, etc.  It’s not my intention to delve into the reasons now.

My purpose today is to merely remind myself (and maybe you?) that at some point I got tired of hearing my voice sharing all its good ideas.  I was ready in so many ways to make things happen and yet I couldn’t seem to break the cycle of just talking about it.  So, I typed up a note with big red letters that read . . .

Shut up and take action!

. . . and I posted it right in front of my face at my desk.  I saw it all day, every day.  Like any affirmation (this one sounds more harsh than positive!), it started to seep into my psyche.  Soon, I began catching my thinking and shifting it into action.  Six years down the road I see that taking action helped me create my vision that I initially couldn’t stop talking about yet never would have happened without my action.

Why is this relevant today?  I recently celebrated another birthday, so I am in a reflective mood while also hungry to clarify my ongoing vision for myself.  When I turned 50 last year, I talked about all the things I’ve “always wanted to do.”  While some people call it a bucket list I prefer not to for few reasons that include it sounds a bit desperate and they often tend to focus on big ideas (travel to New Zealand type goals).  While I have lots of “big” goals I will accomplish, this was more about making a list of all those little things I’ve always wanted to do.

I began the year strong, then encountered  a few hiccups along the way that tried to take me off course, and ended up satisfied overall with the progress I’d made. For instance, I arrived bright and early at Yankee Stadium one morning last summer, so I could FINALLY see Monument Park.  Afterward, we visited Arthur Avenue where my husband and I dined on yummy Italian food and took home a hot, just out of the oven loaf of bread.  Later in the summer, I also finally made it to the New York Botanical Gardens.  Professionally, a product I developed (Caring Cards) was recently launched as well as a web site (Write to Thrive) to support others on their journey. I’ve talked about doing these things for years, and because I set my intention to stop talking (and thinking!) about them I made them happen! When excuses tried to sneak in I was able to push beyond them.

Here’s what I discovered over the past year.  I noticed it became less about feverishly checking things off my list and more about moving myself from “shut up and take action” to simply taking action!  Who knew I’d be creating new neural connections and giving myself a lesson in neuroplasticity?  By setting my intention to “do” rather than just “talk,” I enjoyed a lot of new adventures while also re-wiring brain.

We all know it’s important to have goals.  It’s even more important to do at least one thing each day that moves us toward them.  Every day . . . stop talking and start taking action . . . and you might just find yourself reaching goals you never imagined possible.

Which ultimately brings me back to . . . why today?  Well, you see, I set an intention last year to lose 50 pounds.  Ouch!  It pinches each time I openly acknowledge the obvious!  I didn’t and I’m tired of talking (and thinking!) about it.  While I did put many important pieces in place last year to support me in accomplishing it, I’m ready to move from laying the groundwork to making it happen.

This morning, as I was on the Pilates reformer and talking to my trainer, I said “I don’t want to talk about ‘it’ anymore. I’m going to shut up and take more action!” So, I’ve scheduled weekday workouts on my Google calendar.  This will motivate me to stay on track. If they don’t happen, I’m going to put DNH in front of them (for “did not happen”) rather than conveniently deleting them. In the notes field, I’ll put how great I felt afterward or my reason (and examine them for excuses!) for not doing it.  It will give me the opportunity to track my progress (just like a food journal does).

Today I embrace a lifestyle more in alignment with my healthy spirit which will refine my body and eventually re-wire my mind to eliminate this lifelong challenge from its memory.

How about you? What are you tired of talking about? What action are you ready to take today and every day until you realize your goal?

Are you ready to thrive?

Kathie Nitz

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