Success Information

Step Up To Success


Sometimes it is better to just get on with doing something rather than thinking and planning for too long.

Philip Humbert makes an interesting evaluation of the race for the South Pole by the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott (Scott of the Antartic).

Scott spent days in planning and preparation for the trip whilst Amundsen set off quickly with far less preparation. Not only did Amundsen get to the South Pole first. He arrived back safely.

Scott reached the pole second and was hit by cold weather on his way back. He and his brave band of heroes died eleven miles from their home base. If Scott had set off earlier he might have missed the cold weather on the way back.

Another key factor was Amundsen's reliance on dogs for pulling his sledges; Scott did not use dogs.

I do not entirely agree with Philip Humbert's assessment since Amundsen had already done his preparation some time before his assault on the South Pole. On his successful trip to find the North West passage through the Arctic seas north of Canada some years before, he had spent over a year living with the Inuit.

They showed him important tips like how to coat the runners of his sledges with ice so that they would slide easily over the snow and help the dogs to make fast progress.

He learned on the job and not by reading and planning from a distance and he did prepare in the best way possible in the type of freezing cold environment he would later face in the Antarctic. He did his planning and preparation by learning from the experts who actually lived in a freezing environment.

However, planning and preparing for too long can allow negative thoughts to creep in. And negativity can kill off any project. Amundsen's crew were not at all happy with their long stay in Arctic conditions while Amundsen learned from the Inuit.

Sometimes action is king. You can always learn as you take action and create your own mistakes and successes. Eva Young sums up this point cleverly:

"To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing."

Another succinct comment on the same point comes from a minister called Vance Havner:

"The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - We must step up the stairs."

If we spend too much time thinking about our potential we may never turn that potential into reality. Fear often makes us pause and cogitate for too long before taking action.

Michael Dell of Dell computers puts his success down to the fact that he was not afraid of making mistakes.

He did not wait for perfection before he took action to produce and sell his computers. He took far more action than most people and made more mistakes than most but he learned from the mistakes and corrected things as he went along.

If we are following a how to do it manual, it is probably better to read a bit and then put that bit into action before going on to the next bit. Few people can read a manual straight through and, if they do, become so bored or overwhelmed with information that they lose their focus and enthusiasm for implementing it.

In life we can both think and do. Most of us spend too much time thinking instead of doing.

Instead of thinking too much, let's do some preparation and planning and then just get going and take action. We need to step up the ladder to success and not just look at it.

About the author

John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams.

They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.

The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now! - Acronyms, Stories, And Pictures...Easy To Remember And Use Everyday To Grab Your Life And Soar With The Eagles"

The book can be found at this URL: http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

The book uses acronyms, stories and pictures to help readers remember 36 laws that can gradually transform your life if you apply them.

You are welcome to publish the article above in your ezine or on your website so long as you do not alter it and keep in the words about the author and the 36 Laws.


MORE RESOURCES:

WELT ONLINE

Analysis: Iran's stake in the success of Hamas's 'resistance'
Jerusalem Post, Israel - 34 minutes ago
By JONATHAN SPYER Over the weekend, Saeed Jalili, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hamas ...
Video: Gaza Gets a Brief Break AssociatedPress
"Humanitarian corridor" labeled a success Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (press release)
Blair optimistic about success of efforts to end Gaza fighting Monsters and Critics.com
TREND Information - Journal of Turkish Weekly
all 28,112 news articles


Global CIO: A 10-Point Plan For Success In 2009
InformationWeek, NY - 3 hours ago
Your letter mentioned my 2008 success in data-center consolidation, but we could have had even more success if Susan hadn't stonewalled my attempts to ...
CIO Replies To CEO: 10 Reasons To Keep Me Information Week Weblog
all 9 news articles


Korea Herald

Nearly Utah 60 schools recognized for success
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - 2 hours ago
By Lisa Schencker The Utah State Office of Education honored 56 schools with Utah Title I High Performing School Awards on Tuesday and three schools with ...
Aggressive overhauls of troubled schools should be examined Honolulu Star-Bulletin
all 10 news articles


The Associated Press

GM leverages Chinese success to reinvent LaCrosse
The Associated Press - 2 hours ago
DETROIT (AP) — With help from its design team in China, General Motors Corp. is trying to reinvigorate the Buick brand with its 2010 LaCrosse luxury sedan. ...
GM leverages Chinese success to reinvent LaCrosse Fox 28
2010 Buick LaCrosse could fill tall order for youthful voice ... Detroit Free Press
2010 Buick Allure Autonet
all 83 news articles


Voice of America

China experts score success against snail fever
Reuters - 9 hours ago
HONG KONG, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Chinese scientists appear to have found a formula to get rid of "snail fever", an age-old but neglected tropical disease ...
Scientists Cite China's Success in Controlling 'Snail Fever' Voice of America
all 7 news articles


Keys to Success for a New Leader
New York Times, United States - 2 hours ago
By Toni Monkovic Tony Sparano, Mike Smith and John Harbaugh had remarkable success in their first seasons as NFL coaches. The Jets will be looking for a ...


New York Times

Low-key Eli Manning key to success of New York Giants' offence
The Canadian Press,  N.J. - 8 hours ago
Because you have had some success, it doesn't change your mentality or the way you approach things." Manning's closest friends on the team are the offensive ...
Eagles Notes: Success exists from red zone to the end zone Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants NFL Odds & Picks Locksmith Sports Picks
Giants' Jacobs wired, inspired to face Eagles Newsday
NBC Philadelphia - Big Blue View
all 1,075 news articles


Illinois State's success could be boon for coach Tim Jankovich
Chicago Tribune, United States - 3 hours ago
By John Mullin | Tribune reporter Illinois State lost its undefeated season Tuesday at Bradley. What the Redbirds may need to work on before long is not ...


Recipe for Success: Presidio Helps Food Industry Manufacturers ...
MSNBC - 10 hours ago
To demonstrate how the adoption of new network infrastructure can be achieved while significantly reducing up-front costs, Presidio cites the successes of ...


Product Reviews

ARMing GNU/Linux Netbooks for Success in 2009
ComputerworldUK, UK - 21 hours ago
One of the surprises of 2008 was the runaway success of the ultaportable/netbook form factor. Now that systems running Windows XP are available people tend ...
Analysis: Did Intel underestimate netbook success? EETimes.com
all 132 news articles

Success - Google News

home | site map
© 2006