Do
It Now
Do
It Now
High
achievers accomplish their goals by planning far in advance,
but more importantly through their day-to-day activities.
The goal of becoming a black belt begins in the mind, but
is accomplished by daily sweat and training.
Through
out the ages, we have watched the winners in combat and
adopted their attitudes and behaviors because we have seen
the ramifications of using the strategy and tactics of their
loosing adversaries. A warrior understands that it is easy
to know how to become successful in battle or even life.
Simply watch what successful people do and duplicate their
actions.
All
successful people have a unique ability to see the future
through a keen vision. They create their future one step
at a time by chipping away those things that are standing
in the way of their success. They know that where they are
right now is based on their actions from the past and likewise,
where they will be in the future is based on what they do
right now. The actions they need to take right now to reach
their future goals are usually not highly evolved tactics,
but very basic things linked to universal truths. To understand
yourself and the world around you, you must learn to incorporate
these universal truths into your everyday life. One of these
classical principles is to do it now.
In
Japanese martial arts, combat tactics are discussed in reference
to the timing of the movement. For example, Go no Sen is
a counter attack which translates as after, before. In other
words, you implemented your technique after your opponent
launched his attack. He attacks and then you counter. The
next level of techniques, is Sen no Sen which translates
as before, before. This is where you initiated your technique
at the same time that the attack occurs. To be successful
at this higher level, you must develop a great sense of
awareness and timing, reading the subtlest signs that most
people would not even recognize. The highest level of techniques
is Sen no Sen level where one actually counters a conflict
before that action is ever initiated. It is at this level
where the real senior tacticians and most successful people
dwell.
To
understand the sophistication of this level of conflict
resolution, you must understand that all the biggest problems
you have ever had in your life, began as a little one. If
one learns to deal with situations at the lowest level,
they never become a crisis, and you can spend your energy
on more productive goals. Take for example a simple punching
attack. If you wait till it gets to full speed and at full
extension, then it can be very powerful and dangerous. If
however, you reach in and stop the attack just as its being
thrown, it is easily nullified.
This
self-defense principle works in other areas as well. Lets
look at time management for an example. One of the biggest
time wasters is to handle an item several times by putting
it off to another time. You receive a letter and place it
in a pile, only to look at it at a later time and file it
again. By taking care of the business as it comes in and
only dealing with it once you save a tremendous amount of
time and increases your productivity.
On
a personal and even professional level, we may have a tendency
to avoid an uncomfortable situation by not discussing a
problem we have with another person or an employee. By not
handling the problem at the lowest level, many times this
situation will grow into a serious problem later on. Whenever
you identify a problem of any nature it is better to try
and resolve it right away.
The
very best way to deal with a problem is to create proactive
action plans that prevent them from occurring in the first
place. The very best preventative action is to stay busy
working on your short-term goals by identifying what is
the most important thing you could be doing right now that
will allow you to reach these goals in the shortest and
most efficient manner. Once this has been identified, the
key is to remember “do it now”.
