10 Ways You Can Do What Only You Can Do
Living A Life of Focus – Part 11
Do something! This focus statement is simple. It’s like the Nike tagline, “Just Do It.” We have to take action on a priority. It’s not enough to just say what you want or desire to accomplish. In fact, let me say this (to the left), don’t say it if you don’t mean to do it. Today let’s make it a habit to do what we say we’re going to do otherwise we won’t say it.
The Thought or Concept:
I like people who are doing something, don’t you? There’s no reason we’re not doing something. We have too much at our fingertips not to be doing something. We have too many opportunities and resources not to be executing our plans. We have too much technology not to build on what others have created for us to succeed. This focus statement implies that the majority (more than 1 out of every 2 people) are doing nothing, which is life’s default setting.
Our daughter, Tamia, would use the word “nothing” when asked what she’s doing and I always ask her “what’s a nothing?” My response is “there’s no such thing as a nothing.” There’s always a something and it’s this something that we need to be doing.
The Practice:
Pamela and I during our year of focusing on this statement discovered 10 encouraging tips to go from doing nothing to doing something.
- Go beyond listening and do what it says.
We take classes, go to seminars, and even go to church. The last thing on our minds is to “do something” with what we’ve been given.
“Do not merely listen to the word [what ordinary folk do], and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – bible.com/111/jas.1.22.niv
How often have you attended a session and heard something that could change your life, yet you lacked the discipline to move on it? It’s timeout for that and it’s time to take the small action you can now. - Do the Work.
This book by Steven Pressfield gives us insight into the force that’s keeping us from getting the work done. It’s called resistance. Not to go into the book’s details, you can read it yourself, the point is to find out how to overcome the resistance that you experience when it comes time for you to “do the work.” - Create a list of things you can do.
I have a list of “do something” phrases that will get you going. (Say them aloud with excitement.)
Do something…- Do something…Right
- Do something…Wrong
- Do something…Now
- Do something…Good
- Do something…Easy
- Do something…Hard
- Do something…Black
- Do something…White
- Do something…Normal
- Do something…Uncommon
- Do something…Weird
- Do something…New
- Do something…Old
- Do something…You can
- Do something…You thought about
- Do something…You read
- Do something…You heard
- Do something…You know
- Do something…You put off
- Do something…Exciting
- Do something…Boring
- Do something…
- Get this thing done.
Here’s a phrase from the Bible I just absolutely love saying, “when they had this done.”
It [whatever it may be] doesn’t happen until you have “this done.” Your [whatever it is] won’t change until you have something done. If that’s not motivation enough, you can’t be motivated. - Use who you are and what you do, to do something.
In “The Power of I Am” by Joel Osteen, he tells of how God said to Ezekiel, a prophet, to do something interesting. He told Ezekiel to prophesy (what you do best) to a hopeless, impossible situation. In other words use who you are and what you do to do something. - Ask “what can I do?”
You need to ask yourself this question. Doing nothing isn’t an option. This question should become a habit for you. What can I do? Find something that you can do with any and every opportunity. Doing nothing gets you nowhere. - Have it already started.
“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” – bible.com/116/isa.43.19.nlt
Look at how God talks about what He’s about to do. “I’ve already begun!” This is how we should approach life. Have something to do and have it already started. What in the world are you waiting on? Why are you waiting and what are you waiting for? Get it started! - Do something until you feel like doing it.
The common thought is to wait until you feel like doing it before you do something. If this is your approach, there’s very little you’ll ever get done.
The uncommon will do something until she/he feels like doing it. They get moving long before the feeling or desire to do something comes.
What will you do? Wait on the feel. Well keep waiting. Your life will expire long before you ever feel like doing all the things you desire to accomplish. - Your “do-something” is important.
It’s tempting to think your “do-something” isn’t as important as someone else’s something to do. Remember this. What God’s asking you to do is just as important as that big thing you think He’s asked someone else to do. The key is…Just do it! Do something! - Those great ideas you have alone are things you should be doing.
John Maxwell uses these words to describe the exact idea that supports this thought. He said, “It’s one thing to see opportunity. It’s another to do something about it. As someone once quipped, everyone has a great idea in the shower. But only a few people step out, dry off, and do something about it.” Those ideas you have are a gift from God that no one else is having. It’s these thoughts that make you unlike any other human-being alive. So do something with it!
In his book, The Maxwell Daily Reader, John says, “You won’t be able to move forward on the outside until you can move forward on the inside.”
Today is Friday!
What’s on the inside of you is trapped until it’s released and you’re the only person who can release it and it can’t be released until you… “do something!” It’s time you do something.
Start with sharing this content with a friend or family member. As always, thanks for joining us at kerryAclark.com.
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