The more active your orientation, the more you’ll get done and the more you’ll accomplish. In self-coaching, there are three types of action:There is, of course, another alternative - do nothing - but this is not an option for anyone intent on getting more out of life. There’s no point thinking great thoughts and imagining great accomplishments if you sit around and wait for something to happen. It won’t. You must make it happen. Without taking action, you are like an aeroplane glued to the runway - full of potential but unable to fly. Life coaches know that certain ways of doing things get results, so they encourage their clients to do those things. As a self-coach you can find out what they are for yourself.

The Law Of Giving

Time Management

Time is your most important resource and the most valuable. It is also the most democratic - you have exactly the same amount of time each day as everybody else - the only difference is in how you use it.

Unlike money, you can’t save time to spend another day; once it’s gone, it’s gone and you can never get it back. And no matter how much time you’ve wasted in the past, you’ve still got now, today, tomorrow and the day after that…

The ‘to Do’ List

Keeping an ongoing ‘to do’ list is essential for making the best use of your time. Correct use of the ‘to do’ list can immediately increase your productivity by up to a third.

Taking Good Care Of Yourself

You’ll never reach your potential nor enjoy life to the full if you’re not up to it physically. Looking after your body is very important. How healthy are you? What kind of fuel do you put into your body? Do you pickle your brain and liver with alcohol? Clog your arteries with fat and greasy fried junk food? Do you exercise regularly? Are you slim and full of energy, or overweight and sluggish? Do you puff going up a flight of stairs?

The World Health Organisation defines ‘health’ as:

It is obvious from this definition that good health demands a holistic approach incorporating physical factors (i.e. nutrition, exercise, breathing, sleep, etc) and the psychological. You need plenty of energy. You also need to be able to handle the stresses of life with calmness and composure.

Everyone knows what is required to be healthy - good food, clean air, exercise, plenty of the right fluids, sleep and relaxation - but, as we’ve said before, knowing what is to be done but not actually doing it is like hoping to get better merely by reading the label on the medicine bottle!

Step Six: Summing Up

Thinking and dreaming won’t take you closer to achieving your goals. Only action will.

Effective action demands accepting personal responsibility, staying focused, knowing what’s important and what is not, being willing to listen and learn, overcoming procrastination and, in some cases, facing up to your fears. It also means making the best use of your time and, if your goal is a particularly challenging one, hard work and discipline.

Happiness and success require you to find what you love doing and put your heart and soul into it. They require you to make a valuable contribution to the lives of others. Then hard work doesn’t seem so bad; on the contrary - it’s enjoyable and fulfilling.