“It is easier to say something than to do it, but it is through the doing that we know what is possible and what is not,” a mentor told once told me. Personally, I have adopted a “do it now” mentality. I built this approach over time and now certain practices have become muscle memory, and I do them without thinking. To paraphrase Brian Tracy from his book, The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires, it takes discipline to create positive habitual behavior. Habit leads to consistency, and consistency leads to growth and results. Many say it takes hundreds of repetitions to create a habit. For me, it is whatever repetitive number is required. I do this in the easiest, most convenient way, for as long as I need in order to do it without much thinking. The key to “do it now” is care. When you care, you will pay attention. When you pay attention, you will focus on the details. Focusing on the details creates a drive to action. The question for all “do it now” behavior is,” Do you care enough?” “We are facing a challenge of care in this society. We live in a technological world, in which virtual activity has become so commonplace that people think they totally interact and socialize with each online via the internet, but they actually do not,” a mentor once told me. He was referring to how destructive social media and the internet have become, especially for children and the young generation. They live in a different world, where care is limited, and individualism is elevated. Actual live human interaction is becoming a burden, and when there is a requirement for real life work that adds true value to others, we struggle because of the lack of care for the actual human being; however, we have become quite adept in virtual life using avatars online. “Care, really care. Put yourself in others’ shoes to understand and empathize with the situation. That’s when the best of you will show in your actions,” my mom taught me.
START SMALL – VERY SMALL SO YOU CAN ACHIEVE A WIN NOW
Growing up, I was always in survival mode, where everything was urgent and required the “do it now” mentality. Delays in the things I cared about almost always caused me to have feelings of anxiety. “Obsessive compulsive,” many have told me after observing me in action. “You are a perfectionist,” the vice president of an IT company, to whom I directly reported, once told me. “It’s better to handle a small piece of work immediately than to handle a burdensome load of many small pieces of work later. It’s much more digestible that way,” a friend told me, and I agreed wholeheartedly. I clean my house daily in minutes, because I do not choose to spend hours cleaning it once at the end of the week. I wash dishes immediately in seconds when there are dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, because I do not like the pile of dirty dishes in my kitchen which require significant time to wash later. I make my bed immediately after I wake up, because I do not like to return to a messy bed at night after a long, tiring day. I organize the shoes in the mudroom immediately as soon as I walk in my house, because I like a pleasing, organized, and welcoming home environment. Overall, I like a clean, organized home environment, where those I care about, my family, can enjoy and spend time together. At work, I apply the same do it now concept in caring for the workplace. I notify people as soon as there is any news, because I believe in immediate communication, feedback, and results. I respond quickly to phone calls, emails, and texts, because I believe that those who ask for my assistance need help immediately. For me, everything is done in small doable doses, and instant results occur. In this way, I always sense an accomplishment as the form of encouragement I need to continue, and others around me receive the value-add they need from me at the time they need it the most. “I see time fly by, just like that,” I say often, and I experience this almost every day of my life. “When you notice that 24 hours a day is too short, that is when you know you are doing something good for your life and others. You also know you are doing things you love to do,” a mentor once confirmed.