#1 - On A Bias For Action (Collectors Edition)
#1 - On A Bias For Action (Collectors Edition)
“Worry takes a lot of effort. And worry, unlike focus, learning or action, accomplishes nothing of value.” -- Seth Godin
You might wonder how some people seemingly just get ahead.
The Gary V's and the Elon's of the world. Love em or hate em, they're doing their thing.
While there are many traits these people have that propel them to the heights of business and society - there's one trait that everyone has access to right now with no formal education requirements.
Bias for Action.
Too many people have the intention of doing things, and yet never do.
The reason it's the topic of issue #1 of this very newsletter is because I've sat on this idea for months.
Today I decided, it's time to take action.
We Expect It Of Our Clients
Every day potential gym members are hesitant to join a gym because "they're not ready" - when we know the only way to be ready is to just jump in and start.
To take action.
Funny how it's obvious when it's our clients, but we sit in fear when it's our own action sitting in front of us, isn't it?
We're Wired To Be Scared
It's not your fault - human's are wired to be scared.
Scared of failure. Scared of judgement. Scared of looking stupid. Scared to step up to the plate and strike out.
This ultimately comes from our innate nature to survive, the core function of our lizard brain - the amygdala.
This innate fear is compounded by social media and tv shows like The Kardashians which subtlety place judgement and ridicule at the center of our subconscious.
The World Rewards Action
But those who produce true value in this world are generally able to overcome this base human condition and strike out a few times while they learn the pitcher.
The world does not remember the strike outs. We remember the game winning hits.
We don't remember Apple for the Newton nor Google for Google+. We cherish them for the iPhone and Google Search.
Calculated Action > Action
As with every law of the world, there's the counter-law: Action for the sake of action will not magically produce value.
How often have you switched checkout lines at the store only to find yourself in a slower line?
Stepping up to bat and swinging incoherently at the first three pitches you see will not help you become a better hitter.
Intent must be the center piece of all action. A clearly defined expected result and a means you can learn from your action, regardless of success or failure.
Building Action Optionality or Improvement
A bias for action means moving quickly and taking calculated risks. Sometimes those calculations don't play out as expected.
Successful businesses balance speed with progressive improvement or pivot optionality.
For example, if your hypothesis is onboarding new clients via personal training is the action to test, and you find it's not going to plan:
Adjust your go to market messaging to attract better clients
Learn new sales techniques to supplement the higher priced personal training
Inspect and adjust your initial sessions to create higher immediate value
Move from 1-1 private training to 1-to-many small group
Action
That one thing you've been meaning to do for months now? Find the path to getting it done this week.
Outline the one thing you'd like to accomplish or learn from getting it done.
Focus on the accomplishment or learning, over the result of the action.
For me, my intent on publishing this first newsletter was to build my weekly content framework, which I now have. I won.
Follow Up
Naval: Partner with Rational Optimists (Podcast / Spotify) 5m