A time to give thanks, for the love in our lives.
It is the time to remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
As we see the beauty in the change of seasons,
let us remember our families and friends,
And let us give thanks in our hearts for what we have as many
in the world have not.

Let us count our joys instead of our sorrows,
Our friends and not our enemies,
Our smiles instead of our tears,
And our health instead of our wealth.

Let us look around the table at those we are with on this day,
And be thankful that they are there with us to help celebrate
For this is what Thanksgiving is all about,
A time to remember our families and friends.

And to give thanks in our hearts for all of this.

I am thankful to have you here as part
of the SimpleActions blog and want to wish you
a Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving!

May this Thanksgiving bring you success, prosperity and
happiness.

-Ron

Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility. ~ By Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Readiness for responsibility? You might be asking “Responsibility for what?” I think the answer just might be; Everything.

I was once taught that if we take responsibility for everything that comes up in life, as if we actually created each and every event, that we can actually deal with the events that happen to us like events that happen for us.

It took me a long time to wrap my brain around this. In fact, I fought it kicking and screaming all the way! But then I realized that even if I didn’t totally buy the concept… I could at least look at things as if I did.

The interesting thing about practicing this is that over time it became easier to look at the challenging events in life as learning experiences.

So, the next time there is an event that challenges you to grow… look at what may be of benefit to you or to others. You may find a way to help yourselves, and them at the same time.
If you look at the most challenging, troublesome situations you’ve ever experienced or heard of, you can always find someone that excels, someone that stands out as the hero. I bet they would be the people you’d call “Level headed” or “Quick thinker” and they would simply say they acted on instinct and humbly say they were no hero.

Isn’t that weird? have you ever wondered what that’s all about? I think its from a “readiness for responsibility” And that it’s action sprung not from thought but from that readiness.

Yours,

Ron

I have entered into the world of blog-spam. Hmmm?

My good friend and web-guru… David Foster has installed the proper filters in order to stop the barrage of bad posts, but I thought it might be a good idea to let you know why I have been delayed in making new posts lately.

Sorry about the bad joke in the title of this post… just thought it might your attention.

Thanks,

Ron

Jared Said:

“Simple Actions is such a great concept, from the day I first read ‘The Slight Edge’ I realized that Success in any endeavor, it all boiled down to what ya talk about here on this blog, just that Simple Actions (Disciplines) repeated daily over a consistent period of time. On the flip side, Failure is simply, ‘Small errors in judgment (seemingly insignificant) at the time compounded over time’. It really is pretty simple, so simple most people totally ‘miss it’! It’s easy to do, and also easy not to do and therein lies the beauty of this concept and your blog, reminding people that it is the simple daily ACTIONS done consistently over time (forget about the quantum leap or ‘overnight success’) that will allow anyone to go from where they are to where they want to be in any area of their life. This concept is always at work (whether people realize it or not) might as well use it to our advantage aye!”

Thanks Jared, I appreciated your comment so much, it needed to be front and center as the main post for today!

You see… the most troublesome decision about creating this blog in the first place came down to one question; “How would it be possible to come up with enough to write about?” After all, it’s so simple:

“A Simple Action, Consistently done, Compounded over time, Creates a Predictable and Controllable Result”

Then there’s the part about “The Slight Edge” and other great books, tapes, CD’s, etc. that had been written. How could I possibly come up with anything new? Would my success applying the concept be enough to inspire others to do it? Then there was the interview with John Milton Fogg. We talked about my version of this and John quickly realized that I hadn’t heard of The Slight Edge (yet) and that I was really coming from a place of personal discovery unique to my own experience. It was very exciting!

I want to point out one specific thing today that you mentioned because I’ve been on the verge of writing about it anyway. In your comment you said: “On the flip side, Failure is simply, ‘Small errors in judgment (seemingly insignificant) at the time compounded over time’. It really is pretty simple, so simple most people totally ‘miss it’!”

In the Simple Actions blog entry titled ”A Simple Action (Part 2)” we talk about the negative side which you refer to as ‘Small errors in judgment’ using the “Twinkie™a day” plan compare to the “Apple a day” plan. And there are other places it’s mentioned to show the contrast in the decision we are making at each critical moment. (which is right now, right now, and right now!)
Most importantly is what you said about those small errors seeming to be insignificant! And how for that very reason most people totally miss it.

Failing to tie your shoe can be a insignificant thing. But, if you consistently fail to tie you shoe… one of these days you’re going to trip and land on your face, break a wrist, or trip right of the curb in front of a bus! How significant is that!

So, the next time you get in the gym, take a hike, or play with the kids in the park. Ask your self; What if I hadn’t stopped going to the gym 6 months ago? How would I look today? What if I would have done this hike every day for the last year? How would I feel? and What if I had taken the kids to the park every chance we had over the last few summers? How much healthier would our relationship be because of it.

Do you see the power in that? Can you convert or flip that negative into the positive of possibility and easily motivate yourself into taking consistent actions?  Can you see how  you could choose to feel bad about not doing those things in the past -or- you can choose to not be down on yourself and simply choose to take action now? I can, and despite the cold snowy weather today, I’ll be working up a sweet on a long healthy hike in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

-Cheers, and Thanks again Jared

I was a bit stuck today… In fact a lot stuck! I was stressing out wondering what I could possibly write to help you or what to share today that would benefit my readers.

Later, I thought of a good friend that often calls with a problem here or there. I think we all must have a friend like this. You know, someone that may seem to be a bit down and need a bit of a pep-talk once in a while. We can all come across this way to others sometimes. But this one guy, man! it’s like the energy in the room can come down just by seeing the phone number on the caller I.D.! Do you know anyone like that?

What’s so interesting about this guy, is that for some reason… I always get sucked into an impromptu training or coaching session! Even more interesting is that by the time we are done on the phone, I am all pumped up because my friend is so responsive and so deeply full of gratitude for our conversation! Plus, I’m thinking; “Wow, that was great advice… maybe I should try that!”

So, what I discovered is that in the teaching or coaching, I am learning and growing!

My attitude toward seeing the caller I.D. has changed and the conversation simply gets better and better. The cool part is, Now I am in deep gratitude for the opportunity to chat with this guy! How great is that?

Years ago there were one room schoolhouses where the older students taught the younger ones, and they taught their underlings, etc. It’s a little different, but it made me think about you. Maybe one of the best ways to integrate simple actions into everything you do is to look for ways to teach others about it yourself.

Here’s the challenge for you; Be aware of your surrounding circumstances. Look at what is going on with people and how you can share this information to help them. Recommend this blog. Teach.

The old Chinese proverb says; “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I like to add - “Teach that man to teach, and you’ll feed people for generations!”

I hope you take my challenge seriously, I am. Let me know about the experiences you have teaching others and how in turn that inevitably helps you.

I received a couple of quotes today from a couple of very successful guys. One from Anthony Robbins and the other from Michael Jordan. It sparked some thought about these distinctively different guys and their distinctively different attitudes.

The interesting thing to me is how profoundly successful these two are and how stark the difference the quotes are. What do you think?

My friend Giovanna Garcia of Imperfect Actions sent this “Quote of the day” by Tony Robbins: “The path to success is to take massive, determined action.”

The second quote is “Just play! Have fun. Enjoy the game!” By Michael Jordan

Is it just me? Or are those two completely different attitudes? Not that Tony Robbins isn’t about playing, fun or enjoying the game. Or that Michael Jordan somehow isn’t determined or hasn’t taken massive action. It’s just these two quotes happened to come to my inbox within minutes of each other that struck me.

When it comes to the simple actions I think both guys would say that both quotes would apply. And speaking of that, I think that we could combine the quotes and apply that to our simple actions.

How about something like this: “You can enjoy the path to success, take massive action and be determined to play hard and have fun along the way”.

What is your take on this? Anyone want to take a stab at it?

-Ron

I was listening to a song today and noticed within the lyrics something I hadn’t noticed before. It was there all the time… But until today, I never caught it. The song is “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. In one part he says “You win some… You learn some” rather than “You win some… You lose some”

Funny how the mind wanders, I’m surprised that any of us really get anything done. There I was cruising down the Boulder turnpike thinking about how that related to what we’re talking about here.

I’ve often taught “The only way to truly fail is to quit! So, the only way to fail miserably is to fail having learned nothing” So, I was thinking of the lyrics. How is there any failure with that attitude? It’s so simple - yet great! “You win some, you learn some” Brilliant!

Way to go Jason!

I think many people have to win… because if they lose, in their mind, they’ve failed! But if we look at it from this new perspective we can understand a bit better why people made up the saying “Won’t do that again!” There’s no way they’d even try again. They risk hearing “Haven’t you learned anything?”

So, the next time you’re feeling like you failed, the obvious question comes in: “What is it that I can learn from that experience?” and “Next time, what can I apply from what I’ve learned to better guarantee success?”

Back to properly charging the events in life in a more productive way, Right?
See blog entry: Willing It -vs- Winging It

~Ron

Hello, my name is David Foster and Ron has invited me to share on his Blog as well. I will not be adding as much content as Ron, but hopefully you get something out of my little posts.

I wanted to talk today about the power of creating a schedule for yourself so that you can stay focused to get things accomplished instead of being all over the place. This is geared towards people in business, but it would work for anyone who has a problem focusing on getting things done.

See I am the type of person that is easily distracted. I could be working on a website, and then I see an email come in that has a link to a funny youtube video and the next thing I know an hour later I am still on youtube laughing and have forgotten about the work I needed to get done. After that it is hard for me to get refocused. Maybe you can relate!

So I decided that I would try something and MAKE myself do it and the results have been amazing!

I created a schedule. I even wrote down when to shower. Here is my schedule for Mon-Fri so that you get an idea. Saturday and Sunday I do by appointment only. But usually I take those days off.

• 8:00 AM to 8:15 AM: Drink my weight loss shake (breakfast)
• 8:15 AM to 9:15 AM: Check and answer my emails
• 9:15 AM to 9:45 AM: Brain Food. I listen to or watch something motivational
• 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM: 24 Hour Fitness to work out
• 11:15 AM to 11:45 AM: Shower and get dressed
• 11:45 AM to 12:00 PM: Drink my weight loss shake (lunch)
• 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM: Break time. I just sit down relax and do whatever I want.
• 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Work on Projects for Client #1
• 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM: Work on Projects for Client #2
• 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM: Supper. I eat a well balanced meal
• 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM: I organize my business, accounting etc.
• 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM: Read and answer emails, make phone calls and follow up with prospects.
• 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM: Phone Conferences with Business Partners/Consultations
• 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM: My personal time and then bed

Then I wake up the next day and do it all again. I would say that my productivity has increased by at least 85% since I have started doing this. The only thing is that you have to be diciplined. You have to make yourself stick to it, and that can be hard, but you know what they say…it takes 21 days to form a habit, so if you can stick with your schedule for 21 days, you are home free.

So this fits right in with the Simple Action philosophy. If I do this schedule every day consitently over time, I will and have been getting VERY positive results.

I challenge you to create a schedule. Some people can just do this naturally, but I am not one of those people. I actually have my cell phone set to send me reminders just so that I remember not to get off track. There are many goals that I want to accomplish and I will never do it if I am not focused and watching funny Youtube videos all day long!

Post some comments below about your schedule, or if you tried this and lets see what your results are. I have a feeling that you will be pleasently surprised!

Just one thing to say today…

The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

– William Faulkner