You Can't Get it Done Sitting on a Stump

Growing up on the farm in the 1950's gave me some real insight about hard work. My dad would say, "The fields won't get plowed until you hitch up the mules."

While it has been more than fifty years since I heard my dad say that I'm willing to bet that farmers today still have a similar saying. With the modern equipment like the big John Deere tractors with an air-conditioned cab, the farmers are probably instead saying, "The fields won't get plowed until you crank up the tractor."

Farmers understand the effort that goes into growing a crop. The seeds can't grow unless they are planted. All the planning and all the wishing in the world won't plant the seed in the ground. It takes action, it takes work. 

This message can be applied to the hopes and dreams in your life. You can plan and wish all you want, read all the books in the world, think about your dreams and goals, BUT until you actually stand up and take some action, nothing is going to change. No one else is going to plant those seeds, except you.

The real secret to success, ANY success, is action. This is the key ingredient that cannot be forgotten or skipped. The action step puts your plan in motion. In life, you simply CANNOT do anything--without DOING something. In other words, without action, there is virtually no chance for success.

The first phase for taking action is to put the steps in place to move towards a goal. You need to get out of you chair and take these steps. Which brings us to another one of the ole saying that I haven't forgotten, "you can't get it done sitting on a stump."

That is about as blatant and to the point as you can get. If you sit by and remain idle, or stay in passive mode, nothing will happen. Success is as simple as just DOING what needs to be done. If you think you can succeed and bypass this step, you will fail. Remember, the seeds will not will themselves into the ground. You must physically put them there.

In simple terms, most success plans consist of three main parts. One: Set a goal Two: Make a plan to achieve the goal. Three: Take action to reach the goal.  Where most fail is with step number three. People are good at setting goals, and some even make solid plans, but most never get up out of the chair and take action to reach that goal. So, get up off that stump and take some action today!

Tom