Do It Now

In the Dynamic Living seminar that I have taught for the last 40 years or so, one of the 10 principles of success I have always talked about is “action”. The summary statement for this simple but powerful principle is: Do It Now.

I think this principle of action could almost be considered the ultimate daily discipline ... do it now!

If we were to come to the place where every single day we actually took action on something in our lives that would lead us towards growth and change and our dreams, imagine the productive, energetic, successful, charismatic people we would be! Picture the massive change we would see in our lives over time as we daily take action that moves us towards our dreams. Think of the momentum we would create with that forward movement.

There is a major difference between planning to take action and actually taking the action. Many components go into the planning and they are all important and good ... but only if we follow through on that planning with action. If we don’t act on our plan, then it’s really all for nothing. In fact, taking action without planning at all is often better than continually being in the process of planning.

Many have used the phrase “beginning is half done”, meaning that once we actually begin doing something, we’ve already more than half completed the mental work of getting it done. The problem for many of us as we work towards accomplishing our goals is not that we can’t do it. Rather, it is that we often don’t get started doing it at all. We never actually begin, or perhaps we take a small step, meet some opposition, and then never push through it towards continued action.

If you have something you want to accomplish, you need to get moving and do it now. If you aren’t sure exactly how to do it, just put one foot in front of the other and start going. Invest the time necessary for the planning but do not allow that to be a substitute for time invested in the doing, and you will discover that the lessons you learn in the doing will teach you things you could have never understood in the planning.

As we learn to make action a daily discipline rather than a sporadic burst of activity, we will find ourselves on a swift and sure path of achieving our goals and moving closer to our dreams.

Author: Skip Ross

Skip Ross was the owner, founder, and director of Circle A Ranch. He and his wife Susan dedicated their lives to making a difference in the development of teens through their ministry and spent the over 40 years giving their summers to the work of Circle A.

Skip authored the books Say Yes to Your Potential and Daily Disciplines, and created the Dynamic Living Seminar and the Thrive Study Series. He traveled the globe teaching the principles of attitude development and leadership to millions of people for over 50 years. He also recorded numerous audio and video teachings that have been distributed around the world with the help of Network 21 and podcasts.

He was a successful business executive, recording artist, and motivational speaker. He was founder and president of the OFIDA Project, on the Board of Directors of the Fred L. Hansen Corp., a Crown IBO with Amway, and a graduate of Westmont College and Fuller Theological Seminary. He worked with many different ministry organizations over the years but has most recently been working with the Equip Organization, founded by John Maxwell, to produce highly effective Christian leaders around the world. Skip Ross went home to be with Jesus on June 13th, 2021, at the age of 82.

This excerpt is taken from Skip’s book, Daily Disciplines.