ideas... or Committed Action?

What do you do with your ideas?

When it comes to the brilliant ideas that form in our minds we have three choices.  We can think them and nothing more.  We can think them and talk about them.  We can think them, talk about them, commit to them and then take action.

Everybody thinks them.  Many of us stop there.

Some of us think them and talk about them.  Usually though it comes out as negative gossip.  Instead of being excited about our idea we feel the need to complain about the ideas that have already been acted on. 

Even fewer of us commit and take action.  Why?  Is it fear?  What are we afraid of?  Is it failure or success?  In my experience it could be either one.  Is it comfort?  That probably plays a role.  I know from my own personal experience it sure is easier to talk about why an idea is not possible than to commit and move on it.  There might be some serious risk involved right?  I mean, if you were to quit your job to do something that you actually enjoyed and were passionate about, who would pay your bills?  That’s just one question that might hold us back.  There are many, many more.

Ever since I stopped talking about it and started doing it, my life has been totally different.  I now live life on my terms.  I am my boss.  We are all blessed and gifted with talents and we are all capable of refining our gifts through hard work and committed focus. 

I’m going to share with you my personal development commitment for the next 6 months.  I am currently enrolled in the School of Greatness Academy and our assignment this week is to fill out a Certificate of Achievement for April 30, 2015.  We are to establish objectives that we’ll complete by that date and sign the Certificate before we even begin our committed journey.  Some are in the middle of their journey but just need a kick in the pants to finish making it a reality and some don’t have quantifiable goals that they can objectively measure.  That’s me. 

I’ve broken my goals into three categories and chose to start with personal development.  If that’s in place, everything else will follow.  The other two categories go along with my two businesses, 10x Traction Wellness and Training Edge Sports.  Both are LLC companies and I’m excited to grow and develop each in the next 6 months.  In the next 4 days I’ll examine realistic and objective goals around each of them as well and share them here.

My personal development objectives are around a physical challenge.  I recently completed a 100 mile footrace in northern Minnesota.  That was a three year commitment that took more time and energy than I originally thought it would.  Last winter I taught myself to nordic ski and completed my first ultra-ski event called the Vasaloppet.  I’ll do that one again and also three more.  Here’s the schedule:

February 7 – Vasaloppet 58km http://www.vasaloppet.us/index.php

February 15 – Minnesota Finlandia 50km http://www.minnesotafinlandia.com/

February 21 – Birkie 50km http://www.birkie.com/

March 7 – Sleeping Giant Loppet 54km http://www.sleepinggiantloppet.ca/

So there are my personal development ideas in action.  I know that since I have them on the calendar and have already committed finances to them (I just paid the entry fees), I'm in.  It's not an idea anymore.  Now it's about finding a way to make it happen and to do that I'll need to train, focus on my nutrition, categorize my life making sure I create enough time and space for my family commitments.  Things will be sacrificed and choices will be made that I won't want to make in the moment.  That will happen for you too.  But... let me tell you from experience, if you make those sacrifices and honor that idea with commitment, you'll come out better because of it.

What are you willing to commit to in your life?  Take your ideas and make them a reality.  We are all capable of much more than we give our selves credit for.  Ideas don’t make a difference, committed action does!

Jon Howard – Husband and Father of 3 | Ultra Endurance Athlete | Owner – Training Edge Sports