Vision Must Be Accompanied by Action
The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing, But the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied. — Proverbs 13:4
What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? — James 2:14
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: Vision needs concrete action to become reality. Positive thinking and dreaming are not enough: we must turn our ideas into plans, however simple, and carry them out with discipline, one action at a time and over time. Action without vision also wastes effort; the two must go together. A vision becomes feasible when we identify its parts and put it into practice in concrete circumstances. The decisive step is often the hardest: moving from general aspirations to specific tasks. Without the will to carry them out, our visions will not transform our circumstances.
The successful people I know have the dual ability to think positively and act concretely. They can move smoothly from conception to action. They turn their visions into concrete efforts. They do not remain in the realm of theory and vision.
They move from dream to reality with admirable ease. They draw up a plan, however rudimentary and instinctive it may be, and proceed to carry it out with discipline, one humble action at a time, over time, until they see it realized in all its fullness.
Joel Barker has declared: “Vision without action is merely an empty dream. Action without vision is merely a waste of time. Vision with action can change the world.” If your visions and your declarations are not accompanied by an iron will to put them into practice one piece at a time, they will never be able to affect the world. They will remain in the stratosphere, like cold stars incapable of casting light or warmth on your circumstances.
Napoleon Hill, one of the great motivators of our time, declares: “First comes thought; then the organization of that thought into ideas and plans; finally, the transformation of those plans into reality.” We must combine the ability to dream with the discipline to carry things out.
What transforms a mere dream into an inspiring and achievable vision is the energy to translate it into a plan of action, the ability to draw it in three dimensions, with its constituent parts, and to bring it into the dimension of time and space with discipline. This is, perhaps, the most important part, the crucial stage, and the one at which most people fail. The magnificent ships of greatness frequently crash against the reefs of specificity.