I’ve struggled to find a good topic to discuss lately, but a quip I saw yesterday made me think it was time to revisit an old maxim. The quote which caught my eye was:

“Initiative is the most significant differentiator in life. Ideas are plentiful, but action is the catalyst.”

Unfortunately the bold ideas that are in all of our heads don’t manifest themselves as successes through telepathy. Only through physical action does anything in this world get accomplished. I mean really, there’s nothing that should stand in the way of you taking a certain idea or desire and making it reality except yourself. We get in the way of ourselves. People let insignificant obstacles become significant all on their own. The tendency to do so is apparently part of human nature, so I think it’s important to always be on guard.

Nothing is going to get done without you doing it. Genius! I always think about Jack Black in Orange County, telling his brother Shaun - “I’m going to do something with my life. Yeah man. I got these ideas . . . I don’t know, like a t-shirt that says “LOSER”. That shit would sell. You know the guy that started Stussy? He started that in his garage, now he parties with models. He gets to party 24/7 in Hawaii.”

That’s not a direct quote but it’s the gist of it. The point I want to make is Jack Black’s character is just a drugged out dude sitting on his parents couch, worried about his parole officer and whatever else. But there isn’t much of a difference between the idea he talks about (selling shirts) and the on the guy that seriously did start Stussy had once. The guy that started Stussy just woke up the next morning and started getting shirts together, got a printer, registered a business and started looking for a way to sell his stuff.

Every group of people I’ve ever been around sits around the campfire and talks about grand plans and ideas. Some are about business, other’s are about trivial stuff like having a themed party or going on a trip or starting a bowling team. Most of them never happen. Why? Because talk is cheap motherfucker. Whatever gap exists between what you want to get done and accomplishing it - chalk it up to ignorance, fear, comfort, risk (ok, it’s always fear of some kind) - either you get past that by creating action or the idea fizzles away.

Yes it’s as simple as filling out a form. Yes it’s as simple as reading. Yes it’s as simple as asking some friends to go in with you. Just do it MJ, just do it. Otherwise the moment just passes you by. You won’t get to bowl with your friends and you sure won’t get to party in Hawaii 24/7. Move!

P.S. I quoted DMX, My Best Friend’s Wedding and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in this post. But I still said something useful I think. God bless them all. They inspire me.