Never Mistake Motion For Action
In A. E. Hotchner's 1966 book Papa Hemingway, the author relates a conversation between Marlene Dietrich and Ernest Hemingway. When Dietrich told him that she couldn't decide about accepting a job offer, Hemingway told her: "Don't do what you sincerely don't want to do. Never confuse movement with action"—meaning she shouldn't accept the job if it wouldn't put her closer to her ultimate goals in life.
When we set goals for ourselves, particularly when we're enthusiastic about them—losing weight, for example—we may give it our all only to find we've accomplished nothing. There are usually two reasons we fail at achieving our goals: not being clear about what the goal is, and not having a way to measure success at reaching the goal.
In business, unclear goals can wreak havoc. If you have “make 20 sales calls” on your to-do list, you've accomplished nothing if you haven't made any sales at the end of the day. All you did was go through the motions, without realizing any action. You wasted time and energy, and ultimately, if you continue on this path, you will move farther away from your goals instead of closer.
So what's the solution? How can we change our motions into actions?
- Focus on the final goal.
If you're making sales calls, for example, making the sales is the desired result, not the actual calls. Possible changes you could make include knowing your product better; considering alternate modes of contact, such as emails instead of calls; changing your sales script or improving your sales training. - Be open to the opinions of others.
Often we can be our own worst enemy by closing our minds to new ideas and new perspectives. Ask someone else for their input. Sometimes what worked last month doesn't work this month. - Don't do something just to be doing something.
Have you ever gone out with someone because you felt like you should accept? Are you doing this in your business? Accepting jobs you aren't comfortable accepting? Working with people whose values you don't share? Cutting prices below the profit margin just to make the sale (“we'll make up for it in volume”)? If you find yourself doing something because you feel like any action is better than none—that's NOT progress. - Keep your goals measurable.
How can you tell your efforts are working? If it's sales calls, then what's your measuring unit? X amount of money by Friday? 500 calls per month? A scale of one to ten on how you feel about yourself at 5 pm? This is not only a way to measure your success, but a gauge to measure how serious you (and those around you) are about the goal. When you look at your progress, you should be able to determine which actions did or didn't move you forward.
Motion without purpose won’t get you anywhere. Sometimes it’s the destination, not the journey. By focusing on your goals as you travel, you can make sure you get to your destination more effectively.