John Ruskin said, “What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.”
We’ll take issue with part of this statement, since we know that what we believe (i.e. our faith) is, in fact, of great consequence. We also know, however, that unless what we believe is expressed in what we do, our beliefs aren’t fully genuine. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26)
So, nitpicking aside, let’s look at what Ruskin is saying. He’s saying that talking, planning, evaluating, analyzing, and theorizing won’t get us where we need to be. What we need to do, more than anything else, is take action. Al Batt said, It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action.”
Along these same lines, Jack Canfield (The Chicken Soup for the Soul guy) said, “The world doesn’t pay for what you know; it pays you for what you do.”
Canfield goes on to say (in his book, The Success Principles): “When you take action, you trigger all kinds of things that will inevitably carry you to success…You begin to learn things from your experience that cannot be learned from listening to others or from reading books. You begin to get feedback about how to do it better, more efficiently, and more quickly… You begin to attract others who will support and encourage you. All manner of good things begin to flow in your direction once you begin to take action.”
What action have you been putting off too long?
