Life is full of choices and we often make them unaware and so quickly, that we forget that we process between 50 – 70,000 thoughts per day. Thought processes can obviously vary from thinking about: if you forgot to lock the door of the car, to the decision of having a baby. No matter the depth of the thought process, I believe the decision process that follows the thought, is different in each of us.
In general, if you would try to categorize people into two groups, there would be the Doers and there would be the Dreamers. There is no relation between financial income, social status or physical condition between the two. The only difference is that one, takes action and the other, will procrastinate until his or her life is over.
The Doer
The Doer is a person that has a great idea and immediately takes action towards it. It does not matter how big the actual step towards the idea is, as long as it happens almost immediately. Let’s take Mr. Burns, an elderly man who lives alone at home for over a century and wakes up one morning and has had enough of it all. He hates to spend his remaining days alone and wants a change. He immediately calls up his son, to help him join a dating website for single elderly people and starts taking pictures the following day. The Dreamer in this scenario would have the same thought to change things in his life, but is too scared to take the first step, of picking up the phone to call his son for help.
The Dreamer
Milhouse van Houten is a college student who loves running. He is the best runner in his class, but his dad wants him to pursue football as a sporting career. Milhouse frequently goes for runs after his football practice to free his mind, and dreams of becoming a professional runner one day. He is aware that he has the passion and talent to make it work, all his coaches have told him that for months. Then there is his dad, who has controlled all Millhouse’s actions over his lifetime. He decides which majors he takes in school, where he should work and how to live his life in general. Milhouse has not been allowed the experience to feel free to take his own actions. So many times, he has had enough of his dad, and wanted to walk up to him and tell him what he actually wants. He is too scared to hurt other people and is trying to please everyone around him. Milhouse goes on like this year after year. Deep down he is unsatisfied, experiencing feelings of anger and frustration. He never takes the step towards his dreams.
“I can’t give you a surefire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time.”
Herbert Bayard Swope, American Editor and journalist; first recipient of the Pulitzer Prize
You have probably recognized yourself in one of those characters and maybe both to some extent.
In order to become a Doer, we need to take steps towards our dreams and visions every day! It may be as small as writing an email to a person who has done what we want to achieve and ask him for help. It does not matter, but we need to plant the seeds for our dreams daily, in order for the trees to grow.
Have a great week everyone,
Become the unstoppable you!
Cheers,
Matti
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