Action

Action is the antidote to despair. Joan Baez

I have just returned from a wonderful vacation in the Bahamas. I went on a cruise with my family on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. We sailed on the Sovereign of the Seas. It is a very nice ship with lots of activities. The crew was really pleasant, the food was excellent, the entertainment was well organized and of high quality. I think most on the cruise had a great time. Best of all the weather was beautiful. It was in the mid 80's F with a light breeze and plenty of sunshine. The only problem I can think of is that it did not last long enough.

While on the cruise I noticed that allot of things were going really well. The thing I noticed about whatever was going well is that it was caused by people taking action. When a crew member seemed overly charming, it was because that person took action to be charming. If a person on the islands was successful at selling their product, it was because they took action to make that happen. I know this sounds simplistic and many people are saying, well duh,how else are you going to get things done. Yes, being successful at anything has to start with taking action. But, those that are the most successful do not sit and wait for the circumstance to be right to take action. The boldly do. They take action when others hesitate or when others take a break.

Action oriented people create their circumstances. If they have a desire to be the most hospitable person on the ship, they go around greeting people and being hospitable. They do not wait to find the perfect time or the perfect situation. They make it the time and the situation by choosing to act. I noticed some people on the other side of the issue. Some people waited for something to happen. For circumstances to be a little bit different or a little bit better before they would take some action. Those that waited seemed to be the passengers or workers that were the least happy. They expected someone else to be responsible for their success or their happiness. Those that took bold action always seemed to be happy. If it was having fun or providing a service those that were action oriented had the best time. The bolder the action the more the success. Some passengers took it to the extreme and maybe were a little aggressive in some endeavors, but in the final outcome they had a lot of fun.

If you take action you can be sure that things will happen for you. If you fail to act then things are likely to happen to you. Be a person of action and remember this quote, "Doubt, of whatever kind, can be ended by action alone." Thomas Carlyle