The importance of acting fast

It is important that we act sooner rather than later, without waiting to figure out everything in advance. Nothing says this more succinctly than Joe Vitale’s aphorism: Success loves speed. So, why does “success love speed?”

Don’t be like this guy. If you leave everything to the last minute your stress levels will increase and productivity will decrease.

When you do too much planning, there’s a tendency to think of one reason after another as to why your idea won’t work. As a result of this you are not likely to go ahead and act. And unless you act, you can’t succeed. So, don’t try to figure out steps two, three, and four before taking step one. The legendary motivational writer Joe Karbo ran his first ad for The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches (a million-copy seller) before he even began to write the book! In fact, he said that the ad he wrote served as an outline for the book itself.

When you procrastinate, you tend to lose your enthusiasm. That, in turn, causes homeostasis to set in. Homeostasis is the tendency to live with existing conditions and avoid change. You get comfortable with the way things are and allow your great idea to fade into the comfort zone of oblivion. But when you take action, your creativity and resourcefulness kick into high gear, and the things, people, and circumstances you need to accomplish your objectives are drawn to you almost like magic.

Changing circumstances can place new obstacles in your path. As a result, if you wait too long before taking action, the opportunity may become less and less appealing to you as those obstacles start to make their appearance. The bottom line? The longer you fiddle around with something, the greater the odds that it will never close. Time is your ally when you take action – but time is a two-sided coin. If you hesitate or procrastinate, time becomes your worst enemy.

Perhaps the most important reason of all for taking action now is that time is finite. No matter how proficient you are, there is a limit to what you can accomplish in a lifetime. Every second that’s wasted reduces the totality of what you can accomplish by one second.