We’ve all heard the saying that “talk is cheap.” In fact we’ve heard it so often it’s become a cliché. Like most cliché’s the law of familiarity has set in and keeps us from actually absorbing the true meaning of the phrase. We’ve grown so tired of hearing it that we don’t really listen to it anymore. The fact remains that talk is cheap. It is easy to talk about things and most people do. In fact most people “talk a great game” on a regular basis. The difference in people, however, is not in what they say they will do but in what they actually do.

We don’t really judge people by what they say but rather by what they do. We judge people by their behaviour and by their actions. The reason for this is that deep down inside we all know that words have no real power to create anything in itself. It is only when the words are backed up by action that you have the power to create any real results. The ironic thing is that although most of us know this we get caught up in accumulating knowledge. We learn something and get really interested in the results we think the information can produce for us. In pursuing the results, we often confuse it with getting more information so we end up gathering and accumulation tons of information and knowledge without producing the result we wanted in the first place.

The proper fruit of knowledge is action. It is true that gaining knowledge can make us feel more capable but knowledge in itself will not produce the results we really desire. One of the biggest myths that is prevalent in the information age is the notion that knowledge is power. Knowledge is not power. It is only potential power. What you do with what you know is where the real power is. The difference in people comes in what they have done differently from someone else with the same information. The reality of the world we live in is that information on almost anything is freely available to anyone, quite literally at the push of a button.

Even though you have all the information at your fingertips, still, the most valuable resource you have to create results in your life is your ability to take action. An action always produces a result. When you take action you bring an idea into effect and you use your will to do something to achieve a specific purpose. When you do this you actually create in the true sense of the word as you turn an idea into reality; you express something that was internal on the outside. Every action is a cause set in motion and for every cause there is an effect and it is the effects or results that we are all really interested in. You don’t want to know that you can be wealthy. You want to experience it by seeing and touching it and the real satisfaction comes from turning your ideas into reality.

There is a big difference between knowing what to do and doing what you know. Most people know what to do to be able to make their lives work but knowing just isn’t enough – we must act and use what we know. Something intangible happens when you take action on an idea. You set in motion a series of events, events that you don’t always know the full consequences of. Like throwing a stone in a pond, the ripple effect of the water affects the whole pond and moves everything that is in or on the pond. This illustrates how a single action can have a significant impact even if you aren’t always aware of it. On a more practical and tangible level you start getting feedback from your actions and you learn things that you can only learn as a result of your actions. These are things you simply cannot learn from merely listening to others or reading books.

Think of your knowledge and ideas as an elastic band. It has the ability to be stretched, but until and unless you stretch it you are not using it for its real purpose. Information is usually something external. When you learn it you transform it into knowledge and when you act on it, it becomes part of your life. To truly experience anything in life you must take action. Knowing simply isn’t enough. We all want to feel and this only comes from engaging “all of you” – by engaging all of your senses to experience the fullness of life in all its abundance.

It doesn’t take many ideas to change something in your life. Neither does it take a complicated idea. It takes ideas that you can use and act upon to give you what you really want. Rarely is it the information or ideas that you really want as it is almost always only the means to an end. What you truly want is results and this will only come from using what you know. Don’t get caught in the flood of information and knowledge. Start to focus your mind on action and on applying ideas instead of accumulating them. Slowly feed yourself more information and knowledge, but let your actions be your ultimate guide. After all it is not what you say you will do but what you actually do that will determine the quality of your life and what you achieve or fail to achieve.

Deon Du Plessis is the creator of A Course of Action, a FREE e-Course designed to empower you to break through your limitations, Take Action and transform your ideas into reality. Visit The Self Improvement Gym for more self improvement and personal development insights and resources.

I have a small plaque on my desk that has three words in tall bold black letters: NEVER TOLERATE EXCUSES. It’s an angry looking sign, and it should be – because once you allow yourself to get in the habit of tolerating excuses, it’s all over.

I’m not talking about the excuses other people give us. You can’t control their behavior, so don’t even worry about it. I’m talking about you and me, and the excuses we give ourselves for why we aren’t taking the actions we know we should be. We even have a special name for these excuses, so we’ll feel better about making them: we call them “reasons.”

Let me give you a few examples of common “reasons” we use when faced with challenging situations:

“I don’t have the time for that …”

“I don’t have the money for that …”

“I don’t have the skills for that …”

“I don’t have enough willpower for that …”

We use reasons like these all the time to explain why we’re not making the changes in our lives that we need to. They sound valid enough – we’re all pressed for time and money, and there’s only so much talent to go around, right?

Wrong. These reasons have one major thing in common – they are all conspicuously missing the statement that puts the responsibility on us. Our excuses avoid dealing with the fact that we have the power to change things (and neatly absolves us of any guilty feelings for not stepping up and demanding more from ourselves).

Let’s see what these “reasons” would look like if we really told the whole truth:

“I don’t have the time for that because I haven’t been willing to make a priority of making better use of my time.”

“I don’t have the money for that because I haven’t been willing to make a priority of making better use of my money.”

“I don’t have the skills for that because I haven’t been willing to make a priority of working hard to increase my skills.”

“I don’t have enough willpower for that because I haven’t been willing to make a priority of developing real discipline.”

Ouch! When you put it that way, it stings, doesn’t it? It sure does when I have to talk that way to myself! The truth is that we use excuses to get ourselves out of the hard work of self-discipline or of thinking hard enough to find an answer to our problem.

If you want to get all you can out of your life, you have to decide to NEVER TOLERATE EXCUSES from yourself. You have to decide to develop the discipline. You have to decide to think hard enough to find the answer. And unless you’re willing to do this, you’re going to live out the rest of your days bellyaching about how tough you have it and how much the deck is stacked against you.

Only you can take control of your life. And only you can stop tolerating the excuses that you’ve been letting hold you back from the life you dream of.

Do This Now!

1. Get a pen and paper and write down three things you really want to do but you feel like you don’t have the time/money/talent/whatever to pull it off.
2. Identify Your Excuse – What are you doing (or not doing) that is allowing this problem to exist in the first place?
3. Plan and Strike – What are you going to do to blow these excuses out of the water? Figure it out and get to it – NOW!

Dave Navarro is the Rapid Results Coach who can help you get unstuck from the problems that put limits on your business wealth. Check out the Results Right Now newsletter at http://tips.resultsrightnow.net to get a free 30 minute coaching session and a Crash Course in Creating Instant Momentum! Do it now, before this month’s free coaching slots are used up

When faced with your own personal or business failures, just consider this man. He tried his hand at business and he failed – big time! So he thought, “Well, maybe I belong in politics.” He ran for the political office of State Legislature and guess what? He lost. Failed again.

OK, maybe he really did belong in business! After all, one business failure doesn’t mean he can’t do it. Does it? He went back to another business venture. Again he failed – for the third time. Isn’t the third time supposed to be a charm? But this was beginning to look like a bad luck charm.

The man really did like politics. He wanted to make a difference. So he ran for office once again. And this time he made it. He was elected to the State Legislature. But, when he ran for Speaker of the House, he lost. Rack up another failure.

Congress? Maybe he could be a Congressman. Ahh, he succeeded – for one term. But then when he ran for the second term, he lost. Some people thought only a real loser could lose on a rerun. However, that notion didn’t stop this man. Several years later, he ran for the U.S. Senate. He failed to win.

Lost again? Can’t the man take a hint? Obviously not! He actually even upped the anti and ran for Vice President of the United States. Whoops – lost again. Two years later he tried for the U.S. Senate only to lose once more.

Was this man crazy? Didn’t he realize that he was a failure? Couldn’t he understand out-and-out rejection? The reality was clear – the people did not want the man in office. Nobody was interested in him. He was a failure. Why couldn’t he get it?

But the man refused to accept the “reality.” He turned his back on rejection. He ignored failure. Nothing was going to stop him. He hung on to his dream, his strong intention and his expectations of success. He persisted.

Two years after his last defeat, he ran for office once more. And this time he won, and he won big! He became the sixteenth President of the United States and one of the most famous and influential people in the history of the world.

So, when you’re feeling discouraged, consider this man – Abraham Lincoln – and never, never give up on your dreams. Be persistent!

Katie Byrd will take you by the hand and teach you the skills she’s used to journey from a financially strapped, bad credit nightmare to debt free abundant living. To find out more visit: http://abundanceandwealth.bellaonline.com