by Oli Anderson, Transformational Coach for Realness
Action Over Ideas: If You’re Not Taking Action then WTF are You Doing?
We live in an age where ideas are as abundant as air.
In the Information Age (as they sometimes call it), it’s easier than ever to stumble upon a new concept, share it in a tweet (yeah, I still call them that), or weave it into a conversation as if it were a priceless gem of intellectual currency.
Here’s the thing, though – ideas, no matter how dazzling or novel, mean absolutely nothing without action. They’re essentially the equivalent of a car engine revving in neutral: lots of noise but no forward motion.
We’ve all heard that “talk is cheap” and, ultimately, that’s what we’re talking about (see what I did there?) – when we’re just talking about our ideas (or somebody else’s) then we just end up shadow boxing with ourselves and not getting anywhere new or REAL.
Friedrich Nietzsche maybe said it best when he said that “The doer alone learneth”.
That’s the essence of life: movement, learning, and growth through doing.
Simply put, if you’re not learning, you’re not living, and if you’re not DOING, you’re not learning.
Ideas and Words are Only the Starting Point
Words, theories, and concepts are a wonderful place to begin – they provide us with frameworks to explore, challenge, and refine. But that’s all they really are – a beginning.
Without tangible action, those carefully curated thoughts and self-professed ‘brilliant’ ideas are essentially worthless. They’re like seeds left in a packet, never planted, never given the chance to grow into something real.
If you’re someone who takes pride in being an “ideas person”, it might be worth reflecting on what that really means:
Does it mean you have a keen eye for noticing patterns and connecting dots or does it mean you’re stuck in an endless cycle of intellectual entertainment and chasing insights so it feels like you’re getting somehwere?
Are your ideas fertilising action, or are they merely swirling around your mind like glitter in a snow globe – – pretty to look at but static and inert and eventually destined to go right back to square one?
The Cost of Idealism Without Action
Here’s a hard truth: Idealism without action leads to frustration and, often, depression.
Think about it – when you have ideas but don’t act on them, you stagnate. Your energy, which should be flowing into creating and building FLOW, gets bottled up.
When this happens, you start to lose momentum, your enthusiasm wanes, and that unfulfilled potential starts gnawing away at you like an itch you can’t quite scratch as you get pulled into the Void.
Here’s a vital equation to remember (from Personal Revolutions: A Short Course in Realness – which this article is based on):
Idealism + Inaction = Depression.
If you want your ideas to bring joy or meaning into your life, you must engage with them in the real world and you do that by taking REAL ACTION.
The simple steps to do this are: figure out your VALUES, turn it into a VISION, break this down into GOALS and HABITS that will help you make it happen. On the way there, figure out the QUALITIES and SKILLS that you need to develop to become the person you need to grow into.
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REAL action not only helps you execute your ideas but also makes you feel alive – few things are more satisfying than seeing something you imagined come to life, in making something real that didn’t exist before you rolled up your sleeves and got to work.
All you gotta do is set a direction and then take those steps.
Why Execution Trumps Intellectual Property
A quick word on other people ‘stealing’ our ideas (because this sometimes stops people doing anything with theirs):
In a world where we often hear about the sanctity of “intellectual property”, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that the value of your ideas lies solely in their originality and so you better wait until the ‘perfect’ conditions arise before executing so nobody nicks your genius idea(s).
While protecting your creative work is important in certain contexts, it’s not the idea itself that holds the most value – it’s what you do with it.
Remember: execution is everything.
Share your ideas without overthinking it, because if you can act on them better than anyone else, they will always belong to you in spirit, even if others attempt to replicate them.
And if someone else can execute your ideas better than you, perhaps it’s a sign that the world needed someone else’s touch to bring them to life. Don’t cling to ideas out of fear; instead, focus on how you can transform those ideas into something tangible and impactful.
Like we said, ideas are just as abundant as air – they’re everywhere! If you lose one, you’ll get another one. All that really matters is that you act on something REAL and see where it takes you.
The Real Value of Ideas Lies in Their Transformation
The best ideas don’t just float in the ether; they transform us and offer the people we share them with transformational value.
As we execute something REAL, real ideas challenge us to grow, to refine our values, and to create something meaningful for others. This transformation doesn’t happen in your head (you can’t think yourself into transforming your life) – it happens through action.
Think of it this way: A writer isn’t a writer because they have ideas for a novel. They’re a writer because they sit down and write. A baker isn’t a baker because they dream about recipes; they’re a baker because they bake.
Ideas without action are illusions, and illusions create distance between you and reality – this gap breeds dissatisfaction and misery because it traps you in a cycle of unmet potential and just leads to ego instead of REALNESS.
On the other side of the coin, real action bridges the gap between who you are and who you’re becoming – it allows you to align your inner world with the outer world, creating harmony and flow in your life, and taking you deeper into WHOLENESS within yourself, the world, and reality.
Talk is Cheap; Action is Everything
We often give too much weight to words, treating them as though they have intrinsic power but words are just…symbols. They have no real influence unless they lead to action.
Ideas may inspire, but action creates and transforms. The doer is the one who changes the world, learns the lessons, and grows into their own REALNESS.
It’s tempting to stay in the realm of ideas because it feels ‘safe’ – yhinking doesn’t require risk or vulnerability (which is why so many of us stay trapped in our comfort zones and live lives of quiet desperation).
If you want to live your REAL life, you have to step out of the safety of theory and into the unpredictability of practice.
Real action – action that’s not motivated by ego – is the ultimate teacher, the ultimate healer, and the ultimate path to self-realisation, because it’s always connected to something real (even the ‘wrong’ action can teach us more about what’s real if we’re always willing to learn).
Practical Steps to Turn Ideas into Action
- Start Small, Start Now
Don’t wait for the ‘perfect’ conditions to begin – just start with what you have, where you are, and take one small step forward. The momentum you build will carry you to the next step and that in turn will reveal the next one (which is why it always comes down to TRUSTING Yourself and TRUSTING life). - Prioritise Your Ideas
Not every idea is worth pursuing – take time to evaluate which ideas align with your values and have the potential to create real impact. Focus on quality over quantity. At the same time, don’t overthink it so much that you never get to actually taking action. - Set Measurable Goals
Break your ideas into actionable steps with clear deadlines – this helps you stay accountable and track your progress. - Take Consistent Action
Discipline is the bridge between ideas and results – commit to taking consistent action, even when it feels uncomfortable or inconvenient (there’s a difference between emotional discomfort and physical danger and if you can navigate your own discomfort you’ll reach your next level). - Seek Feedback and Adapt
Share your progress with trusted peers or mentors and be open to constructive criticism – use feedback to refine your approach and improve your execution and get even better results over time. - Embrace Failure as Part of the Process
Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back – every setback is a learning opportunity that brings you closer to success. Remember that F.E.A.R stands for “False Evidence Appearing Real” – once you get going you’ll see that most of the things you feared were in the mind alone. - Celebrate Your Wins
Acknowledge and celebrate the milestones you achieve along the way – this reinforces your commitment and keeps your motivation high. In a world of talkers and idea chasers, enjoy the fruits of your ACTION.
The short-version of all this is that – in a world saturated with ideas – it’s action that makes the difference and gets RESULTS.
Execution transforms the intangible into the tangible, the abstract into the concrete – so stop revering words and concepts as ends in themselves. Treat them as the starting point they were always meant to be, and take pride not in what you think or dream, but in what you do.
Stay real out there,
*Based on ‘Revolution’ number eighteen in Personal Revolutions: A Short Course in Realness
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