Ever hear something that stops you in your tracks?

Dave Ramsey’s comment that “Information will not change your life” did that for me a while back.

Think of all the blog posts, e-books, and books you’ve read over your lifetime, and all of the courses you’ve taken. Maybe you highlighted the heck out of things, made notes to yourself, and got all fired up. But if that’s all you did, you’re probably still out there reading and looking for the magic words that will change your life.

But there are no magic words. Information is just information.

Information can be helpful, but…

Don’t get me wrong, information can be helpful, especially if you’re trying to make a decision or get started with something new.

For example, you wouldn’t just automatically hire the first painter you see to paint your house. Instead, you’d get an idea of what the cost of painting houses your size in your area typically is, get recommendations, read reviews, etc.

And if you wanted to learn a new hobby, you’d get some information about what might be involved first.

But you can’t ONLY do those things and expect anything to happen.

Action is the key

What will change your life is action.

Acting on the information you receive or seek out — especially acting with purpose, passion, and persistence — will get you places. When you want to make a change, you have to DO something.

Sometimes, you have to do many things. If you’re like most people, you’ll probably make some mistakes along the way too. But making mistakes IS taking action. It’s progress.

They’re going to get you somewhere, especially as you learn from them.

So don’t let opportunity pass you by

Like the old infomercials say, “Act now”. Take the first step toward whatever it is you want to do, today.

(Ideally, right now.)

Whatever it is, don’t wait to take the next step. And don’t confuse taking yet another class with taking action. You’ve probably already got all of the information you need to at least get started. So go for it.

You’ll feel a whole lot better once you’ve gotten past the procrastination and into progress.