Become A Man of Action

A Man of Action is fundamentally a person who gets things done. They live life on the razors edge of the present moment, perpetually engaged in the realization of their aspirations, rather than mired in the theoretical phase of thinking and planning, and are perfectly engaged in the realization of who they are.

Firstly, forgive the gender polarizing nature of the term. While ‘Person of Action’ is certainly the more preferable gender-neutral designation, ‘Man of Action’ is the more common phrase.

A man of actions expresses themselves in what they do. They do not speak about their plans, in some futile attempt to convince others of what they have the capacity to accomplish. Everyone can see clearly their intentions because the work speaks for itself.

A person of action doesn’t tell you about the book they are planning to write, but rather gives you a copy of the book that they already wrote. They do not try to describe their music to you, but instead invites you to their show, that happens to be tonight.

People of action understand that actions speak louder than words. They know that a life that ends with dreams and desires unrealized is a waste. Thus we make the conscious choice to manifest ourselves in the world as fully as we can, not to vainly make our mark on the world, but to contribute to the world a positive influence in whatever capacity we are capable of.

Complete One Objective At A Time

To be a man of action you have to get things done. This is above all what it means to be a person of action. We do not act carelessly without thinking, nor do we postpone action until we achieve the perfect failure-proof plan, which one could spend a lifetime crafting – in vain – because it doesn’t exist.

The best plans on paper will rarely unfold as intended. A person of action knows this, choosing instead to consolidate their plan along the way as they gain the knowledge of how to achieve a thing through their efforts along the path to achieving it. The success of a man of action comes from the intention they pour into what they do, with every fiber of their being, every faculty and talent, engaged completely.

A person of action is not frenetic or stressed, because these states are weak rather than powerful. Do one thing at a time because this is more effective. The more we try to do at once, the less we get done, because we diminish the amount of attention that we can give to each piece. This results in inferior quality, which we recognize as unacceptable. Not because we are seeking perfection, but because quality in our work, creations, and actions is a more satisfying and fulfilling expression of what we are.

Completing one task at a time leads to deeper mental-emotional engagement in what we are doing thus to heightened awareness. This is what we seek fundamentally, a higher level of experience, which we seek in every action, with no action being insignificant.

Lastly, we choose to do one thing at a time because we know that it increases progress. The secret of a man of action lies in their ability to focus. The more we can focus, the more of ourselves we are able to express. We wield a greater portion of our power (intellect, talent, ability, creativity) with this focus which results in higher quality work more quickly.

This is what gives a person of action their power to make things happen, and to see results from their actions.

Action Guided By Thought

Being a man of action does not mean we cease to think. Thought is still our most useful tool because it is our minds and emotions which define the scope and clarity of our vision, reveal our course of action, and decide the quality of our actions.

We still strive towards making intelligent and wise decisions. Our actions are still backed by thoughtfulness and consideration. The main difference is that the thinking of a person of action is of a different type.

A person who plans and strategizes looks ahead in an attempt to divine the future, determining all possible obstacles before they occur. However those who plan but never act get nothing done. Moreover, a perfect plan cannot be achieved without knowing the environment, knowledge which cannot be attained without actually walking the path.

This is what distinguishes a man of action. They learn through fire, through the adventuring of actually doing rather than thinking about. Yet with each attempt we learn, and can much more easily make adjustments along the way from the education of our experiences, which give us immediate feedback on the effectiveness of our attempt.

When we are always initiating and following through with action, we address problems reactively as they appear more than they would preemptively with forethought. Though their experience gives them the wisdom to avoid obstacles in the future, if they learn from their mistakes.

The Nature of a Man of Action

The world of a man of action is filled with magic and possibilities. We create because we can, and we do so for the sheer joy of creating. Not necessarily because we can get something from it, but because we would like to see it in the world.

Every project is an adventure, and every ambition a challenge. There is an infinite possibility to what we can do or achieve with a human life, which is why each person has no limitations to their potential. A man of action can see this potential, which excites them and sets them aflame with desire.

The moment that you make up your mind on what you want to achieve and what you desire, go and get it without looking back. Don’t waste your time worrying about slow progress, about failure, about whether or not you deserve what you are trying to achieve, or about what may (or may not) go wrong along the way. Just begin walking.

The one thing that holds most people back is simply the fear of acting. We want our actions to essentially be impregnable. Some of us desire universal support for our actions, because we are afraid of ridicule. Others want success to be ensured because they are afraid of failing – worst of all, failing in the public eye – and having to bear the judgement of those onlookers who saw.

A man of action is not afraid of these trivialities. They know what they want, and they set about trying to achieve it, with no hesitation between conception and action. They live their life with the fearlessness and confidence of a lion, for almost no other reason than the fact that they are not afraid to go after their desires, because they believe in themselves and know that they are worthy.