The Power of Learning from DAD

Lesson 4 – Action – Part 1

This part of the video covers the following topics

• Why should you take immediate action
• How to approach action in the world of work
• Why successful actions compound

Take immediate action
It is sometimes said that the best ideas are in the grave. What is meant by this is that we all have or have had brilliant ideas, they may be well thought through or come to you in flashes of inspiration. The critical thing to do when you have one such idea is to take action immediately. Your brilliant ideas will not create results by themselves.

“Only if you take action can the world respond with the results that you desire .”

It is your action that brings about the results that you desire, these are the result of your endeavours. This is a basic law of cause and effect. This law cannot be changed, and it is the same for everyone. Your success is invariably a result of certain successful actions, consistently taken. This is why it is important to take immediate action, and to stay in an action-orientated mode. When we take immediate action, we get the ball rolling towards the results we desire.

How to approach action in the world of work?
One feature discussed in this video is how to approach action in the context of work. Here, it is important to “fill your role” To explain this further, Dr. Selva introduces a metaphor of a cargo ship.

Imagine that you are on a cargo ship. The crew members on the ship fill their place, which means that they perform their roles efficiently and effectively. Those who do not fill their place, are like the cargo, and they will be the first to be thrown overboard when the ship hits rough seas. When a crew member becomes cargo, this means that they are being carried at great expense by their shipmates, so there is hardly any choice when times become difficult but to throw the cargo overboard. Absolutely no captain wants to throw his cargo overboard, cargo is very precious, however if it is a matter of the survival of the vessel, they scarcely have a choice.

The point here is that if in your daily actions within your organisation you are filling your role, you are a critical shipmate and are not likely to be cast overboard. When it comes to actions at work, the question to ask is am I an effective crew member, filling my role to the best of my ability?

Successful actions accumulate
A successful day depends on your successful actions, and a series of successful days leads to a successful week, a successful month, a successful year and ultimately, a successful life. These actions have a cumulative effect because they are producing successful results, and these successful results compound. The more successful days the more you tip the balance in your favour.

The opposite is also true. Too many unsuccessful days, leads to unproductive weeks, months or even years. Therefore, too many unsuccessful days tips the balance, this time, not in your favour. We must therefore be vigilant to identify and eliminate unsuccessful actions. If there are unsuccessful actions (i.e., ineffective or inefficient actions) that are leading you to unproductive and unsuccessful days, nip those behaviours in the bud quickly. Without corrective action, the danger is that these unsuccessful days can easily accumulate, and can ultimately tip the balance between successful weeks, months and years.

Lesson 4 – Action – Part 2

Every act is either a success or a failure.
A successful act is an effective or efficient action.
An unsuccessful act is an ineffective or inefficient action.
This means that the cause of failure is simply doing too many things that are either ineffective or inefficient.

Looking at things in this way, the way to increase your success is simply to increase the amount of effective actions that you undertake on a daily basis. If you complete efficient and effective actions daily, you are bound to ultimately be successful.

In fact, doing just one or two actions efficiently and effectively daily can be all that is required to lead to exponential success. After all, as we have seen, successful days lead to successful weeks which lead to successful years. Not only that, success builds momentum and compounds exponentially. The more efficient and effective actions you take daily, the more the results of those actions build to create greater and greater successes into the future.

But how do you take efficient and effective action? Here are some pointers discussed in full, in the video.

• You have the power to make your actions effective and inefficient, use it, take action now. If you have a great idea about a business or how to improve your efficiency at work, begin it immediately
• Spot which of your actions are inefficient or ineffective and stop doing these activities immediately. Notice also your effective and efficient actions and amplify these
• Concentrate and stay present in the moment: focus on the action that needs to be taken now. Do not think about the actions you took yesterday or the actions you will need to take tomorrow. Ask yourself, what do you need to do now? Focus on that completing that action both efficiently and effectively.
• Spend the majority of your time in an action-orientated mode. By spending most of your time acting you will get speedy results – action is the primary medium through which success is gained
• When taking action do not compete with others. Stay on the creative plain. Think of new ways you can act even more efficiently and effectively, not how you can beat a competitor.

“You must get rid of the thought of competition. You are to create, not to compete for what is already created.”