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I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching the past 6 months or so, and have really come to a conclusion about business success. I’ve always been a believer in taking action, but like most of us, sometimes do not practice what I believe. With that being said, I have a new phrase I’m going to live by.
“Do It Now”
Pretty simple isn’t it? When I first heard the phrase from Nike “Just Do It”, I loved it! How profound and yet so simple and obvious. But this new phrase takes it to another level for us. Those of us who take it to heart and practice it daily.
I did not come up with this on my own. I am extracting from an excellent ebook I’m reading on my kindle, by W.Clement Stone called, The Success System The Never Fails.
Here is 2 profound paragraphs from the book that I think is worth reading, absorbing and applying, that I know will change your mindset, and get you on the path to a successful business and career:
You’ve heard of inertia right? It’s a universal law. It takes more energy to overcome inertia in getting started from a standstill than to continue the momentum of a moving body when it is once in motion. It’s the fear of the unknown that keeps a person from starting, even though he may have a strong desire.
1. Repeat, “Do It Now!” to yourself 50 times or more in the morning and evening, and whenever it occurs to you throughout the day, for the next several days. Thus it will be imprinted indelibly in your subconscious. 2. Every time it is desirable for you to do something you may not feel like doing and the self-starter Do It Now! flashes from your subconscious to your conscious mind-immediately…act.
Stop Procrastination Tip
Only think of one thing at a time, but stay in action. Be completely focused on the one problem you are working on. Bring everything you’ve got to it. Focus all your resources on that one problem, and keep reminding yourself, this is all I’ve got, so that you can bring your most creative effort to it. You won’t hold anything back that way.
When you lie about time, you become an enemy of time. Time is against me. It’s running out. There’s never enough! When you forget time, and focus on one problem instead, time is all of a sudden on your side. Time is your ally. It is the stuff of which life is made!
And as always, I’d love to hear from you! Give me a shout out down below and some FB or Twitter love! Thanks so much!
Mike Pedersen has been an entrepreneur his entire adult life, and really enjoys helping golf professionals, and small businesses grow their revenue through online internet marketing strategies.
26. October 2010 at 3:26 pm
Great post Mike. I think that there is another angle at work for many small business owners. Most small business owners I know are super busy. It therefore becomes very easy to say ‘I don’t have time to do this’ rather than be focused on your priorities and what you actually need to do, rather than letting yourself do what you like doing.
Heather
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27. October 2010 at 12:37 am
Thanks Heather! Super busy with what? Income earning activities or just “busy-work”? I ask, because so many small business people are not focused on the things that will bring in income. It’s not a matter of doing what you like to do, it’s doing what is necessary to achieve your goals isn’t it?
26. October 2010 at 7:42 pm
“Do it now” is a great life lesson. I normally don’t procrastinate too much. At least not on the things I feel matter the most. Although my wife and I have totally different thoughts on what matters most. She will be glad to hear I am going to follow this advice. I look forward to seeing the new me in the coming weeks.
Thanks Mike,
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26. October 2010 at 9:25 pm
I think it’s a pretty cool phrase that can have a profound affect on someone if they live by it!
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27. October 2010 at 1:37 pm
Hi Mike,
I really believe the idea that there are only two states in the world: Inertia and momentum.
One of the things I think that drives procrastination is not how busy we are but it is our willingness to fail or be wrong or not get it right and that is the thing that stops us from getting to where we want to get to.
What do you think?
Adrian
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27. October 2010 at 2:20 pm
Hey Adrian!
Yes…fear of failure is a huge stumbling block for motivation. But failure most of the time is not the end of the world. The ONLY way we will ever know is to DO and see what happens. If we don’t get the result we want, we learned one way NOT to do it. I am starting to live by another phrase that I may do a separate post on, which is “You Never Know”.
Cheers,
Mike
27. October 2010 at 8:27 pm
Mike
I love it Do It Now! Great way to stop procrastination I think. Amazing how effective just a few simple words can be and very powerful. I am going to use them as my mantra to get more things done.
Thanks
Belinda
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27. October 2010 at 9:13 pm
Glad to hear it Belinda! Pretty basic stuff right? I like it to. Another one I like is “no more excuses”, but for some people that’s a “gut-check” phrase they do not like.
Mike
28. October 2010 at 3:17 am
Mike,
I have often found myself procrastinating on aspects of my business that I want to complete. Sometimes it is because the fullness of the message is not yet clear to me. Sometimes it is because I suddenly have some more pressing and urgent things to handle (e.g., an upcoming teleseminar I am presenting, an upcoming conference I am attending). And sometimes it is because the big task feels huge and I don’t know where to begin. At these times I realize that all I have to do is begin – start taking a few small steps, and then a few more. When I approach the big tasks that way, it’s amazing how quickly the entire task is completed.
Erica
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28. October 2010 at 10:45 am
Hi Erica,
That’s why I like this phrase, “Do It Now”. For me, it doesn’t give me a chance to talk myself out of it. I just do it! It’s very effective. I’m not perfect, but I’m getting there
Mike
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28. October 2010 at 5:24 am
Hi Mike
I love your direct approach….do it now! I find the things I love doing I could do all day but the things I find difficult I do tend to put off doing. It’s a hard one sometimes.
Had a bad experience like when I got locked out of my own site even though I had installed plugin that had been recommended; I automatically thought it was me (baby boomer technophobe so why wouldn’t it be me lol). Anyway find out there is a bug in the plugin!
Nothing to do with me but it makes me nervous to do too much else as it took my host awhile to find the problem and let me back in.
Thanks for sharing. It’s good to get someone else’s perspective.
Patricia Perth Australia
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28. October 2010 at 10:57 am
Patricia,
I’m a No BS kind of guy, so Do It Now works for me, but for others it may be too direct. They will want to ponder their reasons (excuses) a bit, before they end up putting it off
No seriously…I think the Do It Now should be universal for anyone who has a strong desire for more. If you are a person who is happy where you’re at, then that is awesome.
Thanks for stopping by!
Mike
28. October 2010 at 11:18 am
Hi Mike! great read, despite the complexity of the human brain and the hundreds of different scenarios we can find ourselves contemplating to find a solution to a problem we do tend to overlook things we probably shouldn’t – it’s in our nature.
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28. October 2010 at 11:44 am
Thanks Adam! Really enjoyed chatting on FB with you!
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28. October 2010 at 3:05 pm
Whether Do it now or Just do it, these simple yet effective mantras are great for combating procrastination. Most people will start to procrastinate at some point so having these little methods are a good kick in the butt you need to get you over the hump when faced with some of the less pleasant tasks.
Procrastination is something that snowballs the more you do it, so it truly is best to nip it in the bud and, “do it now!”
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28. October 2010 at 6:27 pm
I couldn’t agree more with you Steve. I like the idea of completely eliminating negative self talk, and moving forward with what you need to do to get whatever it is done!
Cheers,
Mike
28. October 2010 at 7:14 pm
Great information here! One of the things that can stop me dead in my tracks, and bring me to procrastination, is becoming overwhelmed with the number of things that need to be done. I love that you link the “Do It Now” concept to focus. When we put everything else on the to do list aside and focus our mind and our efforts on the task at hand, we create momentum in our lives and our businesses.
Thanks for the post. It’s a valuable reminder…
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28. October 2010 at 8:08 pm
You are exactly right Kathy! If we had our way, everything would be important and nothing would get done. But, if instead we “take action” immediately we chip away at it and it eventually ALL gets done.
Thanks,
Mike
29. October 2010 at 12:24 am
Wow Mike – THis really hit home for me! I have so many days where I try to focus on too many things at one time and in the end don;t get anything done. There is always something else that needs to be done. I am going to start right now with this advice – “Do It Now”!! Thank you for the inspiration!
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29. October 2010 at 12:57 am
I’m glad it inspired you. I know it’s quite powerful for me. I find myself saying it over and over again throughout the day. It works!
29. October 2010 at 9:30 pm
Great post Mike. I know I am not only a procrastinator, but also someone who flits about from one thing to the next. I put things off, but jumping from one to the other to the other, eventually come back to each one in turn. Part of the problem is also figuring out what that one thing is to work on and in what priority one should do it. Perhaps that in itself is the thinking of a procrastinator! I see I have a long way to go!!!
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30. October 2010 at 1:09 am
Thanks Guy!
You are not alone in the procrastination group. We’ve all been there many times LOL! I thin if we hesitate to figure something out, that in itself may be the death of taking action, and the birth of procrastination. If at all take action to avoid getting frozen into inaction.
Cheers,
Mike
30. October 2010 at 5:12 am
I have my own little saying…ahem…”f— it!”.
I know it’s not exactly in good taste or can be used in public seminars but it’s what does it for me. Why? Because for me it’s not so much the thought of starting as it’s the fear of results.
Being young, I’m all too worried about – okay, I get to this point – what if I don’t like it – what if it doesn’t work out – what if I’m good at it but I miss out – “f— it”, I’ll do it anyway.
I use it just knock down the barriers in my own mind because, in reality, they shouldn’t be a concern. Just do it
. It makes you realize that there really isn’t anything to lose especially since I have so many more years to work on things.
Time to take action
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30. October 2010 at 2:44 pm
Thanks for keeping it somewhat clean my friend
Remember on this blog there’s more than just “youn’ens”. You know I love your passion and authenticity. Don’t ever change, and thanks for stopping by.
Mike
30. October 2010 at 3:16 pm
You got it! I was listening to a podcast by Pat Flynn yesterday and one of his tips for overcoming fear was “just do it.” The inertia thing is 100% applicable (not just to physical objects, but human motivation too)!
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30. October 2010 at 3:53 pm
Absolutely! But I think the new mantra should be:
“DO IT NOW!”
Lets spread the word and make a difference!
Cheers,
Mike
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31. October 2010 at 3:33 am
Hi Mike,
I’m so glad I decided to head over to your site because I love it!
Great topic. Procrastination is a key business killer for most entrepreneurs. I use to be the master of procrastination and one day I woke up and I said “Self, you can either be in the side lines or get in and play the game.” Thankful I chose to get in and play the game… this way is much better!
Funny you should mention “just do it” because I recently came across a video by Art Williams and now every time I hear excuses creeping up into my head I hear his voice saying “just do it!” You should check it out, I think you may enjoy it…powerful stuff. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8976155746368663848&hl=en#
Thanks for the great post, I can’t wait to read some more! Ciao
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31. October 2010 at 2:32 pm
Hey Michele,
Thank you for the kind words. And I agree with you that procrastination is a business (income) killer for entrepreneurs for sure. I’m glad to hear you’re “in the game”. That’s awesome. Thanks for the video link. Loved the video!
Thanks for taking the time to come over and comment
Mike
31. October 2010 at 12:11 pm
Hey Mike,
Procrastination is such a time sucker and dream killer for most people. It gets them stuck in the state where they continually deny the fact that they just need to get it done or as you mention… Do it NOW! I did a post on procrastination a while back. Check it out on my blog when you get a chance.
Thanks for sharing this with us all.
Make it a great day!
God Bless,
-ed
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31. October 2010 at 2:35 pm
Edward,
Great to see you over here! Interesting you mention denial, as that is another business killer. Hey…maybe I’ll do a post on that next
I’ll definitely check out your post on procrastination. I’m sure there are thousands of these on blogs all over the world.
Cheers,
Mike
4. November 2010 at 1:34 pm
The key to getting things down is to drop the public sector (and, unfortunately, the same is true for a lot of the private sector) mindset that days are about surviving. Days are for doing……action after action after action……that’s how greatness comes: out of the exponential momentum of innumerable actions.
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4. November 2010 at 2:07 pm
I couldn’t agree more Malcolm! That’s where most people are dropping the ball. They do not take action. Instead, make excuses of why they are not achieving what they want. The only thing excuses do is sabotage your efforts, or lack there of.
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5. November 2010 at 9:39 pm
Hey Mike,
Procrastination is easy to justified because there’s always another day. I’ve found just start doing small things but do it daily. It’s like practicing an instrument or doing daily schoolwork. If you do just 30 minutes a day but every single day – that’s how you get into a good habit of ‘doing’ and break the procrastination cycle.
Great stuff!
Janette Stoll
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5. November 2010 at 11:39 pm
You are talking about the compound effect
Doing a little bit each day, and it compounds over time. Great approach. Thanks for stopping by.
8. November 2010 at 12:58 pm
I’ve gotta say, this is something I’ve struggled with personally so the title really jumped out at me. I’m great at planning and talking and dreaming and thinking, but it always takes a great deal of personal push to get me to actually do something.
I love the ideas presented in the book you quoted about personal affirmations. It’s a practice I’ve taken up recently and really find it helpful.
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9. November 2010 at 12:21 pm
Joey,
I’m guilty as well. Once I get started I’m good, but getting going and taking action sometimes is a struggle for me. I think it’s my “ADD” kicking in
Mike
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9. November 2010 at 7:26 am
Hi Mike, this is such an important topic. This one aspect, along with perfectionism, can be the killer to small business success. I work with sole traders and one of the things I often notice is that once folk can jump this hurdle they really can transform their results.
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9. November 2010 at 12:20 pm
Ali, I agree! That’s why I just love the “Do It Now” statement. It eliminates the chance to make excuses not to do something. When you know you should do it, just “Do It Now”.
Thanks for stopping by!
Regards,
Mike
11. November 2010 at 7:16 am
Okay, so you caught me…I wrote DO IT NOW on my whiteboard in my office. But not only that, I only wrote FOCUS beside it. Not only do I find myself throwing stuff to the later pile too much, but also doing too many different things that the later pile gets full of half done tasks. Crazy! If I would just finish half of what I start, I’d probably be twice as far as I am today. DO IT NOW…love it.
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12. November 2010 at 12:31 pm
Awesome Joel! Do you have “ADD” like me
?
I’m with ya on the be farther along completing just half the tasks. Lets make this happen!
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14. November 2010 at 5:30 pm
Mike,
Great post and really relevant for today. I think a big part of people being able to “Do it Now,” is the ability train the brain to be quiet. You have to train yourself to accept risk for what is and not for what is could be. At least in the context of business, it is not likely your decision is going to kill you….
Bill
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21. November 2010 at 7:12 pm
OMG! Mike, this is me – Ms. Inertia. I am a talented jewelry designer who looks at all of my supplies on a daily basis, but can’t get motivated unless there is a deadline, like a show. I keep a poem about motivation taped to my bathroom mirror and look at it daily, but I think fear is the reason for my inertia. What would I do if I really was successful?
I am successful at my day job of teaching for 25 years, but it is the creative side of me that really wants to “make it.” I’m going to add “Do It Now” to my mirror, and pick up a copy of Clement’s book asap.
Thanks for the reality check.
23. November 2010 at 1:26 am
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the tip!
Procrastination has been a particular problem for me as a home business owner. There are so many distractions when working from home. It’s been easy to put off “business” tasks in favor of spending time on other things.
“Do It Now” will help me get on track.
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9. December 2010 at 8:12 pm
Hi Mike,
What a great mantra…do it now. (It reminds of Nike’s “Just Do It”). You make a really great point that overcoming inertia takes a lot more energy than staying in action. I think that it helps to keep a good running priority list so that you can more easily just stay in action by just checking off the list. Thanks for sharing this post.