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Building A Dream Business

A Routine is Something That is Learned

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Books Are a Good Place to Start

Last week we discussed how a routine can help us get more done. Too many times, people drift through life without any plan. They neglect to take control of the things they can control.

I know how this is. I used to feel this way.

Early on I had big dreams. Then when they didn’t happen, I felt like my messy life was just what I was stuck with, and I gave up on my dreams.

Then God got my attention with a board upside the head.

I’d never been a reader, but while recovering from the concussion I began reading. Most of the books I started with were ones that were either written by or recommended by someone that I was listening to on the radio or podcasts. I admired these people and what they had accomplished or experienced.

This was a turning point in my life.

I began reading more and more. Then I began implementing the things from these books and their authors. I was taking back control of my life. This doesn’t mean that I can control everything. What it does mean is that I can control how I react and respond.

Here are twelve of the books that have had a major impact on my life and showed the importance of taking control:

Reading these books helped me to see what was possible if I was intentional and did something rather than just waiting for the next bad thing to happen. Part of what I learned was how a daily routine was a big part of taking control.

Having a routine helps control life.

My routine has been developing over the past fourteen years and will continue to do so every year going forward. The important thing to remember is that learning is something that we should do as long as we’re alive.

Taking control of my life and business makes me a much happier person than I was when I felt hopeless. Some things from these books are included directly into my daily routine, some are more peripheral.

We’ll go into more specifics of how these books are connected to my routine next week.

Wouldn’t You Like To Get More Done?

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A Daily Routine Can Help You

Over the past several weeks we’ve been going through the Hero on a Mission online course. This is one of the courses offered by Business Made Simple University designed by Donald Miller. These online courses are great for helping small businesses.

I’ve taken this course before, but to reinforce my business, I’ve gone through it again as a refresher. The Hero on a Mission course shows the importance of having a life plan and incorporating it into your daily routine.

Routines are regular procedures, chores, or duties done at specific intervals. We are creatures of habit and routines will happen to some degree (even if they are unplanned). The key is to not let your routines be unproductive or random.

A routine requires intentional action.

Too many people live their lives mired in regret. They leave things up to fate, wondering why their life feels so meaningless. We shouldn’t give fate control over our lives.

Having a life plan and routine for implementing that plan is how you can take control. An intentional, daily routine will help you focus and stay on track.

A routine can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. We’re all different and what works for one person may not work for another.

I’m a detailed person and I like having control, so my routine is a little too intense for some people. My routine is broken into three parts: morning, midday, and evening. The morning actions help me get a clear plan and focus for the day on the things that are the most important to me. The midday portion is a break from the chaos and a recentering. The evening is an opportunity to look back at the day and review.

I use a combination of an Outlook calendar and OneNote action lists for my daily routine.

My daily routine overview:

Morning routine – I start my day with making a pot of coffee and taking a shower to wake up. Then I read my Bible, have prayer time, read the Traveler’s Gift Daily Decision, journal, pack my lunch, review the plans for the day, check emails. Then I review the day’s action list, my calendar, and the action lists for business planning, administration, finances, production, sales, and marketing.

Midday routine – This routine is shorter. It involves eating lunch, watching or listening to something educational, reviewing the Scripture of the day, and journaling.

Evening routine – I review the weekly action plan, the day’s action list, the calendar, and the action lists for business planning, administration, finances, production, sales, and marketing. I read the Traveler’s Gift Daily Decision, check my emails, journal, and pray.

This is a brief overview of my routine. Next week, I’ll break it down into more detail, the tools I use, and how I use them.

Do you have a daily routine?

Whether you’re looking to improve yours…

or would like to create one…

I can help.

Set up a free 30-minute consultation and let’s get started building your daily routine.

How to BUILD a Well-Balanced Life 

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Like Everything Else, It’s a Choice 

Last week we discussed being busy. It’s easy to find ourselves with too much to do. There are just so many important and fun things that need done. This leads to burnout. 

It’s all too common for people to get burnt out. 

I’ve seen this happen a lot over the years. One place this happens as much as any is in the church. There’s no work any more important than that. When we have a desire to help it can take over our lives … and burnout is the result. 

I know this, because I’ve been there.  

This is why it’s important to BUILD a well-balanced life. 

Finding and maintaining the balance in everything is one of my core values. Finding and maintaining balance is what keeps a busy life from crashing.  

Balance in life is more than just two things. It’s not like a set of scales with one thing on each side. Life is full of a whole lot of things. Life balance also doesn’t mean an equal amount of time and energy spent on each to the things. 

I see BALANCE as a large platform centered on top of a small point. Without anything on the platform, it is level. When one thing is placed on top of the platform near the center, things go pretty well, and it stays relatively level.  

As more things are put on the platform and things begin to be crowded out from the center, it starts to get heavier at different areas. This causes the platform to lean. If one heavy thing–or too many things–are moved too far from the center, the platform will tip far enough that things will fall off.  

Keeping things on the platform is all about weight and location. 

Our lives are like this platform. God has balanced our platform perfectly on this point and given us the responsibility of keeping it there. The difficult part of this obligation is the number of things we get to choose to put on our platform.  

The choices are endless. There is spiritual, family, work, friends, fun, community, etc. Each of these areas are full of an endless number of specific things that we can put on our platform. Some things carry more weight than others. As we go through life the things we have on our platform will, and should, change. 

FINDING AND MAINTAINING THE BALANCE is a responsibility given to us. Will we be perfect at it? No. Can we learn and get better at it? YES!  

If you want to BUILD a well-balanced life, then you need to do something. A well-balanced life doesn’t just happen. 

Here’s an acronym to help you BUILD a well-balanced life. 

B is Being Aware – A well-balanced life starts with being aware of the problems that come from being out-of-balance and that it’s even possible. 

U is Understand – It is the mental grasp or comprehending of something. It is the knowledge about a situation, how something works or what it means. You need to understand what balance is and what it takes to get it. 

I is Intentional Action – This is the most important.  If you don’t do something, nothing will change. This is where most people get hung up. To this point, everything sounds great. Intentional action requires ACTION.  

L is Learn – This is the step that will take the longest. Construction of buildings isn’t instantaneous. You don’t show up on a job site your first day knowing everything about building. You come back the second day and LEARN more and the third and the fourth. And years later you have LEARNED how to build. And you will continue learning for the rest of your life. 

D is Delivery of the Dream – This is where all the hard work pays off. It’s where you can still be very busy, but your life is balanced. You are in control of the things you say yes to … and the ones that you say no to.  

It feels really good to be in control of your life and your business.  

Building a well-balanced life include a well-balanced business. To help with this we have some business BUILDing tools, systems, and services that can help you. If you have questions about getting your business balanced you can schedule a free 30-minute consultation.

How Busy is Too Busy?

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Having Too Much To Do Is “Self-Inflicted”

The past couple of weeks have been really busy and it’s no one’s fault but mine. This last week was especially so. To the point that I didn’t have enough time to write this week’s solution.  

So, I decided to use a previous post about this very topic. Here’s the post from June 15, 2018:

I have too much to do and not enough time to do it.  

We have all heard someone say this (or said it ourselves) and we have all, for sure, felt it. Just over the last few days there have been numerous times, in a variety of situations, that I have heard it.  

One of the discussions about this was with someone who was self-employed. This person’s family couldn’t understand why they couldn’t do some additional things around the house. They had extra time because, after all, they were self-employed.  

Another conversation was with a business owner. He said he hoped he wouldn’t need to work on the upcoming Father’s Day, because he’d already worked the last fourteen days. Then he said, “But if that’s what it takes, I guess I will.” 

This struggle is nothing new. I would venture to say this has been a problem since Adam. Can you imagine how overwhelmed he felt when God brought all the animals of the earth to him to be named? (Genesis 2:19-20)  

I know this busy life is SELF-INFLICTED. It’s 8:30 PM on a Friday evening as I’m writing this. It will still be another hour or two before I get this finished and posted. 

WHY? 

We all know that there is a fixed amount of time, so why is it that we’re always over-filling it? Even less ambitious and less driven people complain about not having enough time to do everything they want to. 

This brawl we’re in, trying to do more and more and running out of time is internal. It is SELF-INFLICTED. If this is the case, then we’re the only ones that can do anything about it. 

The first thing that we must do is understand who’s responsible for this situation. Next, we decide if we want things to change. If so, then we need to evaluate the things that are filling up our time and decide what to keep and what to eliminate.  

Learning to SAY NO is hard. It’s gonna hurt. 

There is something about self-driven people. They’re always over filling their time with more than they can get done. If we don’t want this battle to continue, then we have to start practicing self-control, self-restraint and self-discipline. 

We have the power within our SELF to take control of this.  

Here’s an acronym to help you remember that if the problem is SELF-INFLICTED you can find the Solution, be Empowered and Live Fully without being overwhelmed. 

Solution 

Empowered 

Living 

Fully 

So, here it is, almost seven years after writing this post and I’m still busy. Part of what I’ve discovered since then is that I have control over what I do and when I do it. Just like reusing this previous post is giving me the time to do other things that need done.  

Everyone has the power of choice. This is what determines when busy is too busy for you. 

You Have More Control Than You Think 

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Take Control

It’s Up to You to Take Control

We like being in control of our lives, but most people feel like they aren’t. I contend that we all have more control than we think we do.  

it starts with you to taking control

Control doesn’t mean you control everything that happens. It means you confidently move forward with your goals and priorities, understanding that there are things that happen that are beyond your control. 

This means that you are clear about who you are and what you want. It requires you to take intentional action.  

You have the superpower of choice, but you have to use it. 

This control starts with being aware that this is possible and understanding what it is and how to get it. Then you have to decide you want control and take intentional action to get it. 

Here are 11 small intentional actions that will help you get control: 

  1. Clarify your core values and beliefs – Chasing other people’s dreams will pull you in a million different directions. Taking control of your life requires you to be clear on what you want. 
  1. Identify internal vs. external motivations – Internal motivators come from within – those dreams that fill you with passion and purpose. They’re determined by your own values and goals.  External motivators come from outside of yourself. They refer to the goals and expectations set by your parents, partners, friends, or community. They can also be standards set by society that you feel pressure to live up to. 
  1. Create a vision – Visualization fills your mind with a picture of what you want your life to become. 
  1. Believe that you can: Overcome limiting beliefs – Most people have an internal dialogue. Many times, this thinking comes from an earlier part of your life. It’s that voice of a parent who didn’t give you enough praise, or that kid in school who was always waiting for you to mess up. 
  1. Take personal responsibility – Regaining control of your life means finding the balance between what you can and cannot control and taking responsibility for the things you are responsible for.  
  1. Let go of what you can’t control – God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. 
  1. Respond instead of reacting – You can’t control everything. But you can control how you respond. Don’t react to situations without thinking first.  
  1. Unpack emotional triggers – Self-awareness will help you manage your emotional reactions. When you know your fears and identify situations that make you feel anxious you will be better prepared to control them. 
  1. Make a plan of action – Many people get stuck talking about their dreams and never do anything about them. Often we’re waiting to feel inspired. The truth is, inspiration comes through action. 
  1. Implement a daily routine – Daily planning helps you get and stay focused on what matters to you the most. It helps keep you on track, removing opportunities for getting caught up in unimportant tasks.  
  1. Know when to take a break – Control doesn’t mean cramming in as many tasks as possible in one day. You need to create a balance that works for you.  

Implementing these eleven things will help you take control of your life and business.  

It’s up to you to take control! 

Over the past few months, I’ve written a lot about taking control of your life and business. Here are some of those posts:  

If you would like help finding solutions for taking control of your life and business schedule a free 30-minute coaching consultation.  

It’s Never Too Late to Learn

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You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

You’ve probably heard the saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks“. This means that it is very difficult to teach someone new skills or change someone’s habits, especially when they’re older. This phrase is often used to express the challenges of altering deeply rooted behaviors or learning new concepts. It is not typically about actual dogs, rather it reflects human experiences concerning change. 

We’ve been talking about how to build a better construction business and the tools and systems to make that possible. The importance of knowing who you are and your core values. This can seem like a lot of work. Especially with the limited time available in the construction industry.

Younger construction companies get a rude awakening when they find out how much they didn’t know about running a business.

I thought I knew everything I needed to when I started my construction business over forty years ago. Boy was I wrong!

I got to a point where what I thought I knew … I didn’t. I gave up and accepted that this mess-of-a-life was just the way things were. I needed to accept it and just continue through the rut. And I did, until I was smacked upside the head.

This event changed my life.

There were nudges that I became aware of before the accident that were a part of this change. I was listening to talk radio programs that were speaking to what I was feeling. These included things like Dave Ramsey, Michael Hyatt, Donald Miller, Andy Andrews, etc.

These guys seemed to have figured out how to get out of the rut and I was intrigued. One of the things these guys all had in common was…

The importance of reading.

I had never been a reader up to that point in my life. I saw it as something that required time that I didn’t have. But after the accident, I felt as though I had been given a second chance. Listening to them and what they were sharing resonated with me.

It’s like they knew what I was going through and had a way out of the rut. And the way out was learning. And a big part of learning is reading. It was clear to me. If I wanted things to change I needed to learn, and learning required me making a decision to do it.

Before then I had given up on learning. Learning was for kids in school. As an adult there wasn’t anything else that I needed to know. Boy, was I mistaken!

I’ve learned more since I decided to read than ever before. Learning is something that should never come to an end as long as we are still alive.

Learning is a choice!

Learning will lead to a better business and a better life.

Don’t become an old dog. It’s never too late to learn. If you would like to learn how to BUILD a better business and life for yourself, schedule consultation to get started.

There is a Limit to How Much You Can Put on a Calendar

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This Isn’t the Same for a List

Last week’s post was about using lists and calendars for making plans. We talked about how your planning is up to you, but if you do nothing … nothing will get done. You can have the best laid plans, but life happens.

You can choose to do no planning and just take things as they come. This haphazard process gives control of your life to others. Or you can plan with so much detail that when things do happen that aren’t part of your plans, everything falls apart. Flexible rigidity is where planning and change can work together.

Calendars and lists are two separate things with two separate purposes.

A list is a place to keep track of things so that you don’t forget them. It’s a good place to prioritize tasks. Lists can be on paper or on the computer. I prefer lists on my computer. I find it easier to modify than paper. Not to mention that I always have my tablet and phone close by. Using OneNote for lists allows me to easily move things up or down in importance as situations change. I can also check things off when they’re done.

I break big goals down into smaller, first next step things. Then I move the small, first next step things to this week’s list and then from that list to today’s list. After doing this from a variety of different lists I now have a list of things that I want to do today to stay on track.

Okay, now we have a list of things to do. If time wasn’t a factor, we could just start going down the list in order…

But time is limited.  

This is where the calendar and a clock come into play.

Like lists, I can choose what I put on my calendar and when I schedule it. The difference is the limited time. I can’t be in two places doing two different things at the same time.

A lot of people view a calendar the same way they view a budget. It’s restrictive and restraining. I, on the other hand, see both as freeing. The same way a budget gives you control over your money; a calendar gives you control of your time. There is a limited amount of time, and you need to spend it wisely.

If you take care of the minutes, the hours will take care of themselves. It is a choice.

My calendar is on my computer for the same reasons that my lists are. It makes it easy to move things around and I always have it close by.

A good example of the ease and simplicity of rescheduling something on my computer calendar happened this morning. I had a meeting scheduled with a concrete contractor this morning at 11:00. The job site was 30 minutes away, so I had travel time scheduled at 10:30. I expected the meeting to take 30 minutes. So, I scheduled travel time back to the office at 11:00.

I got a text from the contractor at 9:40 AM. He was waiting on concrete to be delivered on the project he was working on. He needed to move our meeting to tomorrow at 10:00 AM.

With three simple drags and drops, the travel and meeting were rescheduled. I know that this can be done with an eraser and a pencil on a paper calendar, but it’s not as simple.

One thing I like most about a computer calendar over a paper one is the audible reminders. Granted, sometimes these can be a pest, but isn’t that the point? If we don’t want to be bothered … why even put it on a calendar or a list in the first place?

Ultimately, all of this is a choice. You have the power to control your own life.

Lists and calendars are two different things that can work together. You can put as many things as you want on a list. This isn’t the same for a calendar.

You just need to figure out what works for you and do it. This comes down to being intentional and taking action. It isn’t going to be perfect, but if you keep working on it, it will get better.

If you are feeling lost with your lists and calendar and would like to talk more about how I do it you can schedule a consulting call here.

How to Organize Your Daily Plans

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Getting Your “To Do” List and Calendar to Work Together 

As is normal, early in a new year there is a lot of focus on being better organized. Looking for new ways to get more done. This has been a topic that has come up in several conversations over the past few weeks. At the same time, there can be a sense of despair, knowing that you’ve been trying to be better organized over and over without much success.  

We all have way more on our to do lists than there is time to get them done. The days come to an end and there’s still things that need to be done and we feel like we’ve failed. 

Last week, we discussed the importance of taking the first next step. It’s about breaking big, overwhelming things down into small, manageable pieces.  

Ultimately, it’s not going to get done if you don’t do something. 

I know this feeling of wanting to do more and not having enough time to do it all. Then we beat ourselves up, frustrated that we didn’t get more done. 

The question is … what are you going to do to change this? 

I don’t know what you’re going to do, but here’s what I do. 

I have a long, long list of things that I want to do. This list covers big dreams I want to do someday like: remodeling and adding on to our home, keeping my truck in “like-new” condition, having a lifted 4×4 project truck, owning properties, having a second home in the mountains. Keep in mind that when these big things are broken down into more detailed lists, each list is pretty big.  

Then there are the lists of everyday work and life. Like spiritual, family, vocation, financial, personal, church, community. Just like the someday lists, these lists are made of more detailed lists. 

How am I ever going to get everything done? 

For me the lists are great. It helps me to keep track of the things I want to do so I don’t forget something. This, however, does not get them done.  

To get them done, I have to do something. But what do I do first? How do I know which things are the most important? 

The answer to this question comes down to choice. You can choose what is the most important to you. This is where I align my thoughts with God’s. What is it He has put me here to do? 

Now that I have a prioritized list, this still doesn’t mean there’s enough time to get everything done. We are limited in the amount of time we have. 

For me, this is where the calendar comes in. People that see my calendar are shocked at how full it is, the detail, and the color. 

I take things from the to do list and plug them into the calendar. I estimate the time I think it will take and schedule accordingly. Sure, things don’t take exactly the time scheduled, but it’s a place to start.  

This is where being flexibly rigid comes in. This is the act of organizing the most important things around the unpredictability of life. 

Next week, we’ll go deeper into the details of how my list and calendar work together. 

What’s the First Next Step? 

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Breaking Big Things Down into Little Steps 

Over the past several months we’ve been talking about building a successful construction business. We’ve compared it to an actual building. You need to know what it is you’re building, what kind of ground you’re going to build on, and why it is you’re building.  

Clarity of what you want to build and having a plan is critical to success. 

Then comes the hard part … if you’re going to get it built, you have to do something. Making a decision and then taking action is hard. Especially when it involves something as big and overwhelming as building a business. 

This is the place where most people fail. 

So, how does one move forward when faced with a large, daunting project? 

You don’t focus on the huge, intimidating thing. Instead, you break it down into bitesize pieces. Then you start by taking the first next step.  

I closed last week’s post by talking about how I chose to incorporate The Seven Decisions into my daily routine and how something as small as a butterfly moving its wings can lead to amazing outcomes. 

I use my computer for keeping me on task each day. This next section is part of my daily routine. I use OneNote to organize and track these things. 

After I read through the decision for the day, I read through the overview of all seven decisions.  

Next, I step back and think big. Why am I here and what is it that I’m supposed to be doing? 

Being a believer in Christ, I remind myself that it’s important to not be afraid to dream big (Mark 11:23-24) because nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37). 

 This is followed by the illustration below of how I can turn those big dreams into results:

DREAMS   →   VISIONS   →   GOALS   →   ACTIONS   →   RESULTS 

Start with Dreams – Turn Dreams into Visions – Visions into Goals 

Goals are bitesize Visions 

“A vision that is ready to go to work is a Goal” 

ACTION – I can only do ONE thing at a time, what will it be? 

If I’m going to accomplish the big things, I need to remember to break them down into small ACTIONS.  

At this point, I read through a list that I call the “FIRST NEXT STEP”. This list starts my day off in a proactive mindset. By reading through this list daily, it helps me to incorporate these things when I start something new or switch from one project to another.  

FIRST NEXT STEP:

  1. Start with prayer 
  2. Get off my “BUT”, stop making excuses 
  3. Put it on the calendar 
  4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help (delegation / accountability / education) 
  5. Take goals seriously (create a sense of urgency early) 
  6. Maintain positive forward momentum 
  7. Celebrate wins 
  8. Don’t overthink it 
  9. Break the goals down into brick size pieces  
  10. Make goals about giving and not about getting 
  11. Review progress regularly, and be accountable 

    This process helps me make big things doable. Sure, it takes time to incorporate this into my daily routine. Ultimately, it comes down to making a decision. I can choose to do this or do something else. But for me the time spent is worth it.  

    The same process isn’t going to work for everyone. This is where you need to decide if you just want to roll the dice on the outcome of your business or if you want to take control. 

    Breaking big things down and taking the first next step makes big things doable. 

    Ultimately, it is up to you to do something different to get a different outcome. Or you can just keep doing things the way you are.

    Success Starts with the Superpower of Choice

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    How I Put This Superpower to Work

    The past couple of weeks we talked about my “aha moment” and how the Seven Decisions in Andy Andrews’ book The Traveler’s Gift were a part of that.

    In the book, David Ponder feels like a failure and is ready to give up. That is until his amazing, supernatural journey through time. On this journey, he makes seven stops, each one providing a ‘Decision for Success’.

    He is instructed to keep them with him—reading each one every morning and every evening for twenty-one days—committing these seven principles to his heart. Only then will they become a part of who he is, leading to a changed life.

    Here’s how Andy determined what these were and their value:

    After both of his parents died when he was nineteen he had no money and was living under a pier in Golf Shores, Alabama. From this place of despair and anguish he asked himself, 

    “Is life just a lottery ticket or are there choices one can make to direct his future?” 

    Then something amazing happened, a turning point in his life. He became friends with an old, homeless person, who gave him a remarkable gift- a library card.

    He started reading the biographies of famous, successful people. He became more and more interested in learning how these people achieved success.

    Over time, he read more than two hundred biographies of great men and women. He wondered if they were simply born this way. Or were there decisions made that led to success?

    It took several years, but he determined that there were seven characteristics that each successful person had in common. 

    Each one of us has the ability to change the world.

    Every choice you make matters. Even more important, every choice you don’t make matters just as much.

    The Butterfly Effect is the belief that even the smallest, tiny actions can have dramatic consequences. The flap of a butterfly’s wings can be inexplicably intertwined with the birth of a hurricane around the world.

    Even the smallest things we do can have a tremendous impact on our world.

    Andy points out that even though these seven principles don’t seem very profound. “They can have impact once you really grasp how they’ve been used by other people. Then they become an amazing key to releasing incredible personal power that allows you to explore the world of opportunity that surrounds all of us.”

    After reading The Traveler’s Gift and learning more about Andy and his story I felt like I needed to put this into practice.

    I took the advice given to David Ponder in the book and read through each of the Seven Decisions every morning and evening for twenty-one days. This is part of my daily routine. At the end of each twenty-one days, I read the corresponding chapter from the book. When I get to the end of reading the seventh decision for the twenty-first time I then read the whole book again.

    I know that this seems like a lot, but it comes down to this.

    I decided to incorporate these Seven Decisions into building a better life. Like the “butterfly effect” small actions can lead to big results.

    No matter how small the action is, if it’s not done, nothing is going to change. If you don’t do something, nothing is going to get done.

    You have the superpower of choice…are you going to use it?