In last week’s post, I talked about intentions. Let’s continue along that theme.
It seems like every day some celebrity, politician or other form of knucklehead, convinced they’re opinion is worth something, starts to spew some garbage while simultaneously putting their foot in their mouth.
And then comes the inevitable…
“I never meant any harm…” “It was never my intent…” LOL.
I cannot tell you how often I’ve seen people attempt to deflect criticism about their language or actions by making the conversation about their intent.
Well, you know what they say – the road to hell was built on good intentions.
After all, the intent of our actions doesn’t really matter if our actions have the impact of doing the opposite of our intent.
Therefore, we must learn to distrust our thoughts sometimes. We might even need to break up with them. We must become skeptical of the interpretations of our own actions. Instead, we must focus on the actions themselves.
Thoughts can lie. Interpretations can be changed or forgotten. But actions are permanent. Therefore, the only way to get at your values — to truly understand what you value and what you do not — is to observe your actions.
Now before anyone gets confused, thinking is good, yes sir. I strongly encourage thinking. In fact, thinking plays a vital role in success and I’ve written about how to improve your thinking many times. It helps you strategize. It helps you get motivated. It tunes you into success. I am all for critical thinking and I do it regularly!
That being said, just thinking, no matter how good of a thinker you are, will never catapult you to success. The difference between the thinker who succeeds and the thinker who doesn’t is that the thinker who succeeds also ACTS!
Life does not reward your intentions. Intentions are a good start. But they are only a start. Intentions without significant action are worthless. Life rewards what you DO. You may have intended to build a savings account. You may have intended to start a business. You may have intended to complete your degree. All these things you were going to do. But in the end, without action, these intentions are worthless.
Life rewards action. Let me clarify: Life rewards thoughtful action. .
Think first, by all means… But then ACT!
Do you want to build investment capital? Then money aside for investment – ACT!
- Do you want to be a successful business owner? Then start a business – ACT!
- Do you want to get out of debt? Then quit spending all your money – ACT!
- Do you want to become a millionaire? Then begin to make millionaire decisions – ACT!
- Do you want to be admired? Then become admirable – ACT! .
Anything you want to accomplish will only be done by bold and decisive action. .
Friends, you’re defined by the life you create, not by all the excuses you managed to adopt along the way. You’re also not defined by the fact that you’re a good person or that you mean to do good things.
Nothing defines you more than the life that you have created for yourself — it is you. Your life is the sum of your thoughts, your beliefs, your loves, your passions, your weaknesses, your inhibitions, dreams and wishes — failed or other.
It does not matter what you intended to create. It doesn’t matter how you intended your life to turn out. It doesn’t matter why you decided to go down this particular path in life, nor does it matter why you are the person you’ve become.
If you believe in free will, then you must accept your reality as your own design.
Your intentions don’t matter. The outcome matters. The results matter. The way things turn out.
This week, start to examine your actions. Are they the actions of a millionaire? Are they the actions of someone building wealth? If not, you may be focusing too much on your intentions.
I encourage you to ask yourself if your behavior is actually demonstrating your intentions. Remember that no one can read your mind. No one has any idea what your intentions are. Even if they are noble and great, they must still be backed up by right behavior, reading that book on success, showing discernment with your spending and building that retirement account.
Consider this concept for just one week in your personal life. Whether at home, school, work or play, you will see your bank account grow when you begin to understand the difference between intentions and behavior. I can assure you that if your behavior demonstrates that you are serious about building wealth, everyone will automatically know that you have good intentions. The proof will be in the pudding!
Be free. Nothing else is worth it.
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P.S.S. What’s this got to do with you? If you don’t take action, absolutely nothing. But remember this – most people fail to achieve what they want in life simply because they never start. There’s nothing for sale on this blog or in my newsletter. I just provide actionable advice for free. Lastly, if your definition of achieving success cannot tolerate even the slightest inconvenience, then you are not cut-out for success. What do you have to lose? Subscribe today.
Ready for more tips on how to achieve the free life? Check-out more articles from the blog archives below:
The Top 10 Money Mistakes That The Mediocre Will Make Again In 2018. Yep! They’ll Do It Again!
One Wife. One House. One Car. The Awesome Power Of Focus In Achieving A Successful Life.
Are You Ignoring The Right Things? What Not To Pay Attention To, If You Want To Be Financially Free