Action. In business and in life, I think that action is one of the most important if not the most important overall activity you do every day. Now, this initially sounds weird right? Of course action is important, without it you would sit idle and not get anything done. I'm talking about action and decision. In business there are always tons of decisions to make all the time. From the very beginning of your ideas to the smallest details.

What should I name my company?
What logo should I use?
What should I sell?
What should my URL be?

All the way to...

Should I invest more into my PPC?
Should I change my ad headlines? To what?

Maybe I should buy a banner on that blog...? hmm $5 CPM... ?
What color should it be?
What should my landing page look like?

What should my blog post be about today? ;)

And so on...

You can get completely caught up in making these decisions and it leads to inaction.

I've learned from tons of sources (Dan Kennedy, Eben Pagen, our business coach Marcie etc...) that this can spiral into repressing the most important decisions you have to make. It's always easier to do something you know really well and are comfortable with than it is to make a risky decision about something you might not be an expert in.

The key is action.

It's always better to do something even if it turns out to be flat out wrong. The key is to make correct decisions often and fix wrong ones fast - but always take action. If you have an idea, test it and pursue it.

Decision repression also leads to making excuses. For example, you can blame not deciding something on not being able to have a meeting with your business partner. This decision then collects dust for weeks and it can lead to a missed opportunity. It doesn't only apply to business either, of course. You can make excuses for inaction with almost anything that's difficult. "I didn't work out today because my room is messy and my shoes are uncomfortable."

Most people become comfortable with their excuses and start to rationalize them.

"It's fine to eat McDonalds three times per week because it's cheaper, easier and faster than cooking a healthy dinner." Do you see why this excuse is flat out wrong? Think about how many people rely on these sorts of excuses to live unhealthy lives...

Heck, I do these things all the time. I thought I could never have a consistently updated blog because I simply didn't have the time. There was no way I could do it. Hey, look around folks... I realized that was a bum excuse and found the time to have dailymarketingblog.com.

Really... at the end of the day it's really about getting things done. Everyone has the ability to do take action, so do it!

Here's an exercise that really helped me.

First, close your eyes and think of a situation that you made an excuse in order to avoid something difficult or lead to inaction and indecision.

Next, think through the excuse and if it's something you can fix (like buying new sneakers, or cleaning your room), just do it! Don't let controlable situations cause excuses.

Be uncomfortable with your excuse. If it's hindering you from getting what you want, get rid of the excuse and take action.

Right now, decide that if you have a constraint or excuse that is causing inaction - fix it.

Test some new ad copy, make a new social networking profile, A/B test a new landing page idea, go for a jog or join a gym... Just don't let an excuse get in the way.

Anyway, this was all a huge realization for me recently (especially after a few product launches about similar topics; Rich Schefren's GPS, Eben Pagen's Wake Up Productive, Mind Movies etc...) and I wanted to share some of the most impactual things I've learned.

Thanks,

Anthony Latona