Want to Stop Dreaming and Start Doing? Why Successful People Always Use This Word

One small change that can turn an endless loop of planning into immediate action.

EXPERT OPINION BY JEFF HADEN @JEFF_HADEN

Three people I know face the same struggle. One wants to start a business. Another wants to get in better shape. The third wants to be a writer. None of them have actually started, though.

The aspiring entrepreneur has placed all his financial hopes on small business success, so he’s still trying to perfect his business plan. (Which is especially hard since he also hasn’t figured out the perfect business to start.) The second wants to get in incredible shape (he dreams of being a fitness influencer), so he’s still trying to determine which exercise regimen is optimal. The aspiring writer doesn’t just want to write a bestseller; he dreams of achieving a 4-Hour Workweek, Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Atomic Habits kind of fame.

The aspiring startup founder hasn’t dipped a toe in the entrepreneurial waters. The aspiring fitness influencer doesn’t work out. The aspiring writer doesn’t actually write.

Why haven’t they gotten started?

Refreshed leadership advice from CEO Stephanie Mehta

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The problem lies in the words “the” and “a.” Instead of starting a business, starting a diet and exercise plan, writing a book… the people I described are focused on starting the business. Creating and following the diet and exercise plan. Writing the book.

That’s why they haven’t gotten started.

The same holds true for embarking on any new pursuit. Ideating, analyzing, planning, and preparing matter, but what matters most is starting. No plan, no matter how well, um, planned, is ever perfect. Only in hindsight, especially where entrepreneurial journeys are concerned, does it appear that way.

Source: www.inc.com