Something remarkable happens when you start to think about, and then live your life more purposefully. You start taking action. You start doing things instead of second guessing yourself and procrastinating. You get off the couch and get going on the things you’ve always wanted to do.
Taking action becomes so much easier when you have a clear purpose. You have a goal in mind and you know exactly what the next step is that you need to take. Even more importantly, you are highly motivated to get it done.
Let’s look at weight loss as an example. You can try to lose some weight and get into shape for months and even years with little success. Sure, you eat a little better and you go for a walk every now and then, but because you don’t have an actual purpose, you don’t get far. You also occasionally give in to the urge to snack, get second helping, or indulge in a cookie. There’s no big reason to get serious about losing weight and there’s no deadline.
Now pretend you’re getting married in nine months and you are determined to look great on your big day. You have a dress or suit size in mind and a pretty good idea of how many pounds you have to lose by your wedding day. Suddenly you have a purpose, a goal, and a deadline. That’s exactly what it takes to get serious about losing weight.
You start taking massive action. You clean up your diet, cut out the sugar and processed food. You start working out to tone and reshape your body as you start to drop those pounds. You read up on and learn as much as you can about nutrition and the latest trends in diet and exercise. Best of all the pounds start to drop and you’re looking better and better the closer you get to your non-negotiable deadline.
That’s the power of having a purpose in action. It spurs you on and motivates you to do things and make changes. Having a purpose also keeps you from procrastinating out of a false fear of failure. Does that mean you won’t fail? Of course not. There’s a chance you may not hit your weight loss goal and there a very good chance that you’ll cheat and have a doughnut or the likes at some point on your weight loss journey. That’s not the point and not the type of failure I’m talking about. No matter what because of your purpose you’re going to make some serious progress and even if you stumble, you pick yourself up and get right back to it… because you have an important purpose that’s motivating you. Not trying because you think you may fail is no longer an option and that’s a pretty big deal.