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“Exactly how much action is necessary to create success?” Not surprisingly, everyone is looking for the secret shortcut—and equally unsurprising is the following fact: There are no shortcuts. The more action you take, the better your chances are of getting a break. Disciplined, consistent, and persistent actions are more of a determining factor in the creation of success than any other combination of things. Understanding how to calculate and then take the right amount of action is more important than your concept, idea, invention, or business plan.
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Most people fail only because they are operating at the wrong degree of action. To simplify action, we are going to break down your choices into four simple categories or degrees of action. Your four choices are:
- 1. Do nothing.
- 2. Retreat (move away).
- 3. Take normal levels of action.
- 4. Take massive action.
It is important to understand that everyone utilizes all four degrees of action at some time in their lives and especially in response to different areas of life. For instance, you might use massive action in your career but then completely retreat when it comes to your civic duties and responsibilities. Another person might do nothing when it comes to learning about social media, even retreat from it. Another might only take normal levels of action when it comes to eating healthy and exercising but take massive action when it comes to destructive habits.
Unfortunately, most people on the planet spend their time in the first through third degrees: doing nothing, retreating completely, or just operating at normal levels of activity. The first two degrees of action (do nothing and retreat) are the basis for failure, and the third degree (normal levels) will only create a normal existence at best. Only the most successful people hit on very high levels of action which is massive action. So let’s take a look at each of the four degrees to see what they mean and why you might choose each in a range of situations and areas of life.
The First Degree of Action: Do Nothing
“Doing nothing” is exactly what it sounds like: no longer taking actions to move yourself forward in order to learn, achieve, or control some area. People who do nothing in their careers, relationships, or whatever they want have probably given up on their dreams and are now willing to accept pretty much whatever comes their way. Despite how it may sound, do not assume that doing nothing requires no energy, effort, and work! Regardless of which degree of action you operate in, they all require work in their own ways. Signs that you are doing nothing include exhibiting boredom, lethargy, complacency, and lack of purpose. People in this group will find themselves spending their time and energy justifying their situations—which requires as much work as the other actions.
When the alarm goes off in the morning, the “do-nothing” group will not respond at all. Although it may appear that they’re not taking action, it actually takes a lot of energy not to get up in the morning. It is working to be overlooked for a promotion and have to wait another year to be considered and then go home and explain it to your spouse. It takes tremendous effort to exist on this planet as an underappreciated and underpaid employee—and even more energy to make sense of it. The person not taking action has to make excuses for his or her condition; this requires tremendous creativity and effort. Salespeople who do nothing and then lose the sale more often than they win the sale have to explain to themselves, their spouses, and their bosses why they are not hitting their quotas.
It’s also interesting to note that those who do nothing in one area of their lives will find something they love to do and spend time doing those things—something for which they’ll often take massive action. It could be online poker, gaming, biking, watching movies, or reading books. Whatever it may be, I assure you that some area of life receives their full energy and attention.
The Second Degree of Action: Retreat (Move Away)
“Retreaters” are those who take actions in reverse—probably in order to avoid negative experiences that they imagine will come as a result of taking action. The retreater represents the “fear-of-success” phenomenon. They have experienced results that were not fruitful and have therefore decided to avoid taking further actions. Like the “do-nothings,” retreaters justify their responses and believe it is in their best interest to remain operating at their current level. Retreaters claim to be doing so in order to avoid more rejections and/or failures; it is almost never the actual rejection or failure that has impacted them.
Like doing nothing, retreating is an action that requires effort and hard work. Watch any healthy child, and you will see that it is not normal human behavior to retreat but rather to advance and conquer. Usually retreating only comes about as a result of being told to do so over and over. So many of us are instructed during childhood, “don’t touch that,” “be careful,” “don’t talk to him,” “get away from that,” and so on, and then start to adopt retreat as an action. We tend to be pulled away from the very things about which we’re most curious. Although it’s often for our own good and supposedly keeps us safe, it can be difficult to rebound from these years of “holding back”—which might be why it’s so difficult for so many of us to try new things later in life. We might even be encouraged to retreat by a work associate, friend, or family member who believes we are “too ambitious” or focused on a single area of our lives.
Regardless of the reasons why retreaters move themselves in the opposite direction of goals, the outcome is usually the same. Perhaps you can even see how you retreat in some areas of your life. Any realm in which you have assumed you can no longer advance and improve—and are now deciding that there is “nothing you can do”—would be considered an area of retreat. “The stock market sucks; I’m never investing in it again”—retreat. “The acting business is too tough; I’ll just be a waiter for the rest of my life”—retreat. “The job market is terrible; no one is hiring—I am filing for unemployment”—retreat. “I can’t control the outcome of the election, so I’m not even going to bother to vote”—retreat! And notice the one thing that each of these scenarios has in common: They all still require some kind of action to be taken, even if it is just making a decision.
Those who retreat will spend a lot of time justifying why they are retreating. There is usually no arguing with these individuals, as they have typically convinced themselves completely that they’re merely doing what they need to survive. They will then spend as much energy justifying their decision to retreat.
After all, if you’re going to expend effort, why not do so in the direction of success?
The Third Degree of Action: Normal Action
People who take normal levels of action are probably the most dominant in our society today. This is the group that appears on the surface to be taking the necessary amounts of action and to be “normal.” This level of action creates the middle class and is actually the most dangerous—because it’s considered acceptable. People in this group spend their lives taking enough action to appear average and create normal lives, marriages, and careers; however, they never do quite enough to create real success. Unfortunately, a majority of the workforce takes normal degrees of action; it’s those managers, executives, and companies that blend in more than they stand out. Although some members of this group may occasionally attempt to generate exceptional quality, they almost never create anything in exceptional quantities. The goal here is average—average marriages, health, careers, and finances. As long as average works, they are fine with it. They don’t cause problems for others or themselves as long as conditions remain steady and predictable.
However, the moment market conditions become negatively impacted—and therefore less than normal—these people will suddenly realize that they’re at risk. It’s not uncommon to encounter a situation that will challenge a person’s life, career, marriage, business, or finances. When you have been taking only normal actions, you are even more susceptible to challenges that are certain to come your way. Average, by definition, assumes “less than extraordinary.” It is truly—to some degree or another—just an alternative description of retreat and no action. Someone who takes average actions but is capable of much more is really electing to do some variation of doing nothing or retreating.
Be honest with yourself: Do you have more energy and creativity available than you’re using? Average student, average marriage, average kids, average finances, average business, average products, average body type . . . . Who really desires “average”? Imagine that the products and services we’re so often tempted to buy used “average” in their advertising: “This fairly average product can be found at an average price and delivers mediocre results.” Who would buy such a product? People certainly don’t go out of their way to find and pay for ordinary merchandise. “We are offering cooking classes that will guarantee that you become an average cook.” I can do that now without taking classes. “New movie opening this weekend—average director, average acting, and the critics also state, ‘two hours of average action.’” Oh—can’t wait to stand in line for that one!
Taking normal action is the most dangerous of the levels because it is the most accepted by society. This level of action is authorized by the masses, and therefore people who don’t take normal actions don’t draw the necessary attention required to propel them to success.
The Fourth Degree: Massive Action
Though it might sound unconvincing, massive action is the most natural state of action for all of us. Look at children; they’re in constant action, except when something is wrong. Every child is in a nonstop massive action mode for initial 8-10 years. Until adults started telling children otherwise, they didn’t know anything else other than massive action.
Even the most basic elements of the universe in which we live support massive amounts of action. Dive beneath the surface of the ocean and you will see constant and massive amounts of activity taking place. Just beneath the crust of the planet on which you walk is a tremendous movement that never stops. Look inside an ant mound or into a beehive, and you will see colonies of living beings generating massive amounts of action in order to ensure their survival into the future. Nowhere in any of these environments are there signs of retreat or no activity or anything close to what would be considered normal levels.
When you are taking massive action, you aren’t thinking in terms of how many hours you work. When you start operating at the fourth degree of action, your mindset will shift and so will your results. For you, a routine day will become a thing of the past. Once you continued this commitment to massive action, it is no longer an unusual activity but becomes a habit.
It will be interesting to see how many people would ask you, “Why are you still out this late at night?” “What are you doing calling on us on a Saturday?” “You never quit, do you?” “I wish my people worked like this.” And even— “What are you on?” You know you are on the way to achieving success. Signals that you’re taking massive action are having people comment upon and admire your level of activity.
However, you can’t think in terms of compliments or how many hours you work, or even how much money you’re making when you’re operating at this degree. Instead, you have to approach each day as though your life and your future depend on your ability to take massive action. Taking massive action means making somewhat unreasonable choices and then following these up with even more action. This level of action will be considered by some to be wild. Remember: If you don’t create new problems, then you’re not taking enough action.
You can also expect to be criticized and labeled by others when you start taking massive action. The second you start hitting it big, you will immediately be judged by the mediocre. People who operate at the other three levels of action will be threatened by your activity level and will often make it seem somehow “wrong” in order to make themselves right. These people cannot stand seeing others succeed at these levels and will do everything to stop them. A mediocre person will tell you that you are wasting your time, this won’t work in your industry, it is a turnoff to your clientele, no one will want to work with you, and so on.
You will know you are stepping into the realm of massive action when you (1) create new problems for yourself and (2) start to receive criticism and warning from others. But stay strong. This activity will break you out of the hypnotic state of mediocrity that you’ve been taught to accept.
In order to deliver at the level of massive action, you must take every opportunity that comes your way. Massive action never hurt you and will always help you. This is also one place where quantity is more important than quality. Money and power follow attention, so whoever can get the most attention is the person who takes the most action and sooner or later will get the most results.
No one is going to come to your house and make your dreams come true. No one is going to march into your company and make your products known to the world. In order to stand out from the crowd—and for customers to even consider your products, services, and organization—you must take massive action. Massive action discipline will break you through mediocracy, increase your value to the marketplace, and help you generate success in any area you elect. (Excerpt is from 10X Rule by Grant Cardone.)
Action Plan:
- When was a time in your life when you were taking massive action and winning?
- What will you immediately create when you take massive action?
