ONLY ACTION CREATES CHANGE
- Tracey Mahaney
- Jul 30
- 5 min read
ONLY ACTION CREATES CHANGE
SMART goals. Tiny goals. Scary goals. Goals that can be broken down. Goals that can be stacked. Outcome goals. Intrinsic goals.
Goals are useful, especially clear and meaningful ones.
Having a well-defined, coherent objective — even if that’s just understanding who you are and what you want and value, rather than a specific “goal” per se — helps with other parts of the behavior change process.
And, of course, setting silly, illogical, and/or unrealistic goals usually doesn’t help.
You do want to set goals that make sense in some way. In the previous section, Laying the Foundation, we talked about why goals are important, and I encourage you to set them.
But even if you set the best goals ever (whatever those are):
A goal won’t take action for you.
When we accomplish something in life, it isn’t because of the way our goal sounded on paper. It isn’t because it was broken down enough, or perfectly specific, or super smart.
It’s because we did the things that led to the goal.
Only action creates change.
A goal is a way for us to focus on something, to conceptualize what our future will look like, and to put words to the feelings we want to have.
A good goal is just a tool. It helps.
But ultimately, we need to do something.
The practice of good nutrition has a lot more to do with action than it has to do with knowledge. You can know exactly what, how much, and when to eat to drop body fat, build muscle, and lower your cholesterol or control your blood sugars, but you will still fall short of your goals if you don't do / eat those things consistently.
Though having a committed daily personal development practice is what will enable you to develop the internal qualities that you need to achieve everything you want in your life, it’s only half the equation.
You can imagine something, understand something, figure something out, plan something, decide something… You can meditate and recite affirmations every day, read self-help books, stare at your vision board, gain clarity by journaling, and become the most important, knowledgeable, confident, and prepared person you could ever be – and then do nothing.
It’s not enough to just read the daily lessons.
To truly benefit from the program, you must take action and practice the principles on a daily basis. Consistent follow-through is what gets results.
It is important to organize, to plan, and to set priorities, but without action, a plan is nothing more than potential. Research has shown that the one thing that separates successful people from average people more than anything else is that successful people take action.
Once they set a goal, they develop a plan.
They anticipate potential hurdles or blocks that could slow them down, stand in their way, or stop them from following through consistently.
They look for any weaknesses (behavior patterns, habits, self-limiting beliefs, etc.) that may exist within them that would stop them from achieving their goal.
Once they bring their weaknesses and potential hurdles to awareness, they determine which ones are within their control, then they come up with solutions for overcoming them.
Once they have developed a plan, they start. They are proactive about it. They get into motion, even if they don’t start perfectly.
One of the main lessons is this: Eating better and good lifestyle practices (like exercising, getting enough sleep, managing stress, etc.)isn't about what you know. And it's not about what you do occasionally. Real results come when you find strategies for repeating certain actions or behaviors consistently and reliably.
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Consistency is perhaps the most important factor in success. It doesn't have to be perfect. I repeat: It doesn't have to be perfect. But, by slowing down and taking it day-by-day, you'll prevent yourself from going into overwhelm, you'll stay engaged, and you'll give your new habits time to sink in. This is a simple program. Its power lies in its practice and its applications.
I'm here to help you hit the ground running and start becoming the person you are excited to become while you are going through this program (instead of just becoming someone who has a lot of information about what to eat and what not to eat, or who understands the science behind how habits work). The goal here is to have an interactive experience. This program works if you work it.
You can't pay someone to do your push ups for you. Consistent follow-through is what gets results.
WHAT YOU CAN DO...
1) Take a 5-minute action
Many people feel “stuck” – whether that’s in stale, unhelpful behavior patterns, or in a state of puzzlement about how to “fix things”, or in negative and maladaptive thinking, or overwhelmed by all the possible options.
Taking action helps us get “unstuck”, immediately. It’s a declaration of our intent; a vote in favor of the future we want for ourselves.
Taking a small action doesn’t require us to change our mindset, our motivation, our sense of self, or how we are feeling about things… although it probably will change our perspective, drive, identity, and emotions as we do it over and over. We don’t actually have to love, appreciate, or care deeply for our body for us to act as if we do.
Action comes before motivation. Once action is taken, motivation will follow. Even if it's "just" a 5-minute action!
A 5-minute action might be:
Making a Super Shake
Making 5-Minute Meal
Eating an apple.
Booking a doctor's appointment.
Going to bed 5 minutes earlier.
Flossing.
Meditating for 5 minutes.
Taking a 5-minute walk.
Taking an extra 5 minutes for foam rolling or stretching.
Plus, taking a small action is manageable. If a 5-minute action is too much, it can be a 1-minute action, or a 10-second action (such as drinking a glass of water, taking a single flight of stairs, or swallowing a multivitamin).
2) Use the 4-Circle Exercise
The 4-circle exercise can help you with your end goal, then distill it into a small actions you are ready, willing, and able to do today. To help you link daily actions to outcome(s) and identify what small tasks you can do today to work towards a larger goal, check the Resources below for a form-fillable pdf of the 4-Circle Exercise.
Here's a example:
Outcome (end goal):
Lose 10 pounds.
This month I will:
Complete the #4+4Challenge
Complete 12 total body strength workouts
Get in 10k steps / day
This week I will:
Plan, shop for, and prep my meals
Complete 3 total body strength workouts
Walk for 30-60 minutes everyday
Today I will:
Do a total body workout (with weights)
Walk for 30-60 minutes.
Eat 4 meals that include 1 palm of protein + 1 fist of veggies + 1 cupped handful of Smart Carbs
For more lessons like this one check out the Moxie 5 Rings Method Program!
LINKS + RESOURCES
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