Ideas Come to Life with Action

One of my heroes, Spencer W. Kimball, was fond of saying "Do it."

I like framing those words within "Don't Quit."

Improvement ideas create value only when action bears some fruit of value. To ever get anywhere on anything, one must act.

Action makes something of ideas. Results may be desirable or undesirable, sufficient or insufficient. Keep up the "think, then act" cycle to continue learning and improving. You will get one item polished well enough, but always ask what more in the bigger picture can still be improved. Move on to more.

Look for situations where "obviously" needed action has not been taken to produce improvement, think it through, especially why action has not been taken, then determine what action can and should be taken, and then do it, and don't quit until its done. Learn fast, and when necessary fail fast, to more quickly change course in your direction as needed for overall real betterment.

Most of the time, only real action has any possibility of producing positive results. But there are times when "no action" is either called for or is at least the best choice for now. Making that wise discernment carefully, but also plain old luck, can often make the difference. Since you most often never know unless you try, there is a very reasonable bias for action, all things considered.

Where many ways can be tried (many ways to skin a cat), but none are assured of success, get on with it. You may have to try all the ways to get something to work anyway. Overcome resistance with pleasant persistence.

Get Real

One chronically unprofitable company supplied 60% of its product to one large OEM through a multi-year contract for pricing that was simply not profitable. It took the action of 11 separate, creatively unique, and pleasantly orchestrated attempts over several months, asking for a higher price in spite of a "fixed contract" before the OEM finally agreed to a 20% price increase which immediately made the manufacturer acceptably profitable. Determined simple minded pleasant persistence made all the difference.

Another severely unprofitable company had spread its existing resources over numerous product lines as a result of prior mergers in an attempt to diversify risk. Base salaries were high and not performance-based. Figurative walls separated operations and engineering. Acting upon ideas to reduce base salaries and create a performance incentive, break down walls and open up communication, and focus on fewer products produced a 20% pre-tax profit and rewarded employees 2.5 times what they would have made in base salary.

It takes courage to act. Assessments of risk of loss are not to be overlooked, but fear of failure is a familiar beast to be beaten.

Faith Overcomes Fear and Doubt

Simple faith is a prerequisite to action.

Without continuing faith, action lacks power to persevere.

Fear and doubt inhibit faith and therefore action, especially enduring action.

Alternately, a sufficient increment (mustard seed) of faith overcomes fear and doubt.

As faith ignites courage, boldness follows, the boldness needed to overcome barriers and hurdles to progress or improvement.

Whether originating with Goethe, John Anster, W. H. Murray, or someone else, the famous statement about boldness epitomizes faith:

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."