To be action-oriented carries a heavy responsibility

The more carefully you consider your options, the more appropriate your actions can be. That�€™s important. Thoughts don�€™t change anything by themselves, but even a small action has the potential to change your whole world. To be �€œaction oriented�€� should never mean rushing into any action, purely for the sake of doing something. Action is far too important for that.

Most of what happens to you begins from one of two places: chance events or your own actions. Chance events you can do nothing about directly, but the way that you respond to those events likely determines much of their effect—at least on you.

Even other people�€™s actions—another area pretty much outside your direct control—have relatively little impact on you until you respond to them by turning to some form of action.

Two examples will show my point

Suppose you encounter a traffic accident on your way to work that delays your journey by an hour. The accident and delay are outside your control. What ruins your day and sends you into work fuming is acting on the anger and frustration that you feel as a result. That bad mood is your choice. So are the cross words you spread around as a result of it.

A colleague makes a small, relatively unimportant decision (to them) that threatens to ruin several months of your work. Again, what has the power to cause a major fight and ruin relationships for months isn�€™t the colleague�€™s decision, but how you act when you discover it.

The real link between thought and action

I am strongly of the opinion that we should all devote more time to thought and reflection, although I know very well that thought, in itself, changes nothing. Why is this?

Every action begins with a thought—either a fleeting, barely-conscious one, or a series of careful deliberations, or anywhere in between. And since every action (including the action of speaking) has an impact on the world, you surely ought to engage in at least some conscious thought before rushing into action.

The curse of much of our society today is too little thought preceding too much action. Action is prized so highly that people forget that thoughtless action is likely to be worse than no action at all.

Action creates risk

Immediately you jump into action, the process of cause and effect is engaged. Whatever you say or do will have some consequences. You can either take the time you need to weigh your words and actions in advance, doing whatever you can to make those consequences positive ones; or you can rush into barely-considered or stereotyped actions and let the consequences be what they may.

We are currently hearing a great deal about risk in the financial markets. It would be more useful if people considered the overwhelming cause of risk in their own lives—actions made without thinking enough, or at all.

When investors leap onto some �€œget rich quick�€� bandwagon, then find themselves facing major losses, we blame them, rightly, for making bad judgments without noting the obvious risks. Yet, most of us do exactly the same thing on a daily basis: we follow a fashion, thoughtlessly apply conventional action, irritate others, or jump on bandwagons without the smallest consideration of what we may be starting in our lives.

A single pebble can start a landslide. A single loud noise can trigger a terrifying avalanche. And a single ill-considered action can leave your life and career in ruins.

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