The High Cost of Doing Nothing

By: Daniel Sitter

Cost is sometimes a difficult term to define. Here, we are not simply discussing cost as it relates to selling price, but rather opportunity cost. 

The web site, "Mentors, Ventures and Plans" defines opportunity cost as "The loss of the next best alternative whenever a decision is made involving two or more options". "Investing in Options" defines it as "Choosing the best alternative means that you can't choose the next-best alternative. 

Opportunity cost is the next-best alternative that must be sacrificed in order to get something else you want. Opportunity cost can be thought of as the road not taken." Inactivity, or doing nothing, is usually the highest price paid and is often associated with great opportunity cost. Inaction is usually the worst decision one can make, made from a base of fear.

Many of us freeze when facing decisions. For some reason, decision making becomes complex, paralyzing and even painful for many people. It should not be this way. Making a decision is simply the act of choosing between alternatives. You must learn to weigh the implications of each possible decision and choose the outcome that is best for you and all others involved. For example, when your telephone bill comes due, you may choose to pay it or not. There are real obvious consequences for both actions. The situation becomes more complex however, when our human emotions enter the picture. For instance; you are offered a new job and must decide to leave your current position and move your family to a new location, hundreds of miles away..

What we often fail to realize, is that delaying important decisions or simply not making a decision at all, are actions that often impact us with the highest opportunity costs and worst case scenarios. Inactivity, or the lack of a decision, is actually a decision made, although one seldom made in our best interests. In this case, we unfortunately transfer over control of our lives to external forces and circumstances. We are now positioned to be at the mercy and decision-making of others. This is not your best scenario. There are often unusually high costs associated with doing nothing.

How to Be Successful in Life

Everyone wants to achieve the highest level of success. However, reaching that desirable level of success is not as easy as most of us perceive. To be successful, you have to sacrifice and forego majority of life's pleasures. Below is a list of seven guaranteed ways to be successful in life.

1. Do what you love

Unfortunately, most of us end up settling for jobs or careers that do not offer maximum satisfaction. Put simply, it is important to understand your passion and pursue it with all your energy and resources. The greatest regret held by a majority of the elderly is settling for what they did not love. To avoid having regrets on most of your early life decisions, be sure to pursue your passion. Doing what you love will ensure you remain passionate and highly motivated in your day to day activities regardless of the income. Be sure to discover your true purpose and work hard to achieve your goals.

2. Identify with a successful individual

As you look to achieve your dreams and initially set goals, ensure you remember that success has no secret recipe. It is advisable to identify with a successful person in your field of interest, and do whatever your mentor does to achieve his or her level of success. Once you have a role model or a mentor you associate with, it becomes easier to emulate the positive traits while learning from your mentor`s mistakes. Pick up the positive habits and ensure you avoid the mistakes made by your role model. By emulating a successful person, you increase your chances of succeeding exponentially.

3. Anticipate failure of disappointment

Good things never come easy, and if they do, then they probably won't last. Do not anticipate a smooth sailing in your journey to success. Instead, be ready to pick yourself up whenever you experience failure or disappointment. After all, successful people are characterized by their ability to remain hopeful even in their greatest disappointments. Therefore, regardless of how many times you fail, ensure you remain optimistic and confident in your ability to succeed.

4. Practice makes perfect

No one can succeed without commitment and adequate practice. To achieve the highest level of success in your respective field, it is necessary to take your time to practice until your skills become flawless. Contrary to popular belief, success is attained by maintaining a high level of consistency. Thus, to enjoy success, you must be willing to put time into strengthening your skills through constant practice.

5. Plan

Unfortunately, most of us assume that success happens overnight. However, success more often than not occurs as a result of adequate planning and organization. To achieve your set goals and targets, it is crucial to have a plan that will act as a guide. Successful people know what to do and when to do things; they just don't go about doing everything simultaneously. As a result, be sure to take your time and adequately plan for all your milestones. Set a schedule and observe it to the latter. Once you have a plan in place, it will be possible to measure your progress and consequently ensure that everything goes according to plan.

6. Be true to yourself

As you embark on your journey to success, it is necessary to understand that the biggest obstacle to success is yourself. Procrastination never helps; in fact, all it does is rob you off the time that you would otherwise utilize to achieve your goals. Therefore, ensure you are hard on yourself. That is, avoid procrastinating or letting yourself off the hook whenever you lack the motivation to do an important activity. Without self-discipline, it is impossible to achieve your set goals.

7. Enjoy the journey

Always keep in mind that everyone has an independent journey and purpose. Avoid comparing yourself to others as aimless comparisons can derail your development. Be patient and ensure you reward yourself every time you achieve your goals or initially set milestones. Indeed, it is only through self-love and appreciation that you can achieve the highest level of success. As such, give yourself treats and rewards that match your achievements. Remember, if you do not appreciate your achievements, no matter how small, then no one else will.

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Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Leon_Edward/39417

The No Excuse Guide To Success - Jim Rohn

Habits of the Wealthy with Jim Rohn

Before You Give Up, Watch THIS

Try One More Time, Every Single Day

Jim Rohn: The No Excuse Guide To Success

The Story of a Big Dreamer

He had big dreams since his childhood. At the age of nine he started playing cricket. He wanted to play cricket at national level. He wanted to become the best bowler of the world. He wanted to become the Captain of the national cricket team. He wanted to be recognized as the greatest player in the cricket history. His dream came true when he became the national hero by leading Pakistani Cricket Team to the World Cup victory in 1992. He got what he wanted.

He did not stop here. He had another bigger dream. His focus was shifted from self to others. He wanted to build a hospital for free of cost treatment of the poor cancer patients of the country. He discussed his dream with twenty doctors. Nineteen doctors said "it's impossible". Only one said "yes, it's possible". He disregarded nineteen doctors who said "no" and sided with one doctor who said "yes". And the result, he was able to build the first cancer hospital of the country in the private sector. His dream came into reality when he inaugurated the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in 1994, named after her mother who died of cancer in 1985.

He again did not stop here. He had yet another much bigger dream. He wanted to become the Prime Minister to bring drastic changes in the country for the benefit of the common people. As he was not satisfied with the working of the existing political parties, he established his own political party by the name of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). In the beginning, people did not take him seriously as a politician because he had no experience of politics. Therefore, he received a lot of criticism and discouragement not only from other politicians but also from common men. It was not easy for a cricketer to become the Prime Minister but he is a man who never compromises on his dreams. He was dead sure that he will become the Prime Minister. He worked hard and after many failures he was finally succeeded in achieving what he had dreamed. He became the Prime Minister of the country in August 2018. No doubt, Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, is a BIG DREAMER and a high achiever.

Imran Khan has some rules of success. I am giving below his Top Seven Rules of Success. I am sure, anyone can achieve unbelievable success if follow these rules:

1. Dream big. Whatever you can dream, you can achieve.
2. Work hard. You cannot achieve success without working hard.
3. Be honest with yourself and with others.
4. Conquer your fear of failure. Fear will never make you succeed.
5. Learn from your mistakes.
6. Don't give up. You only lose when you give up.
7. Be humble, polite and kind to people and ready to serve them.

Hifzur Rehman, the Author of this article is a Thinker, Poet and a Success Coach. He is also the Founding Editor of http://www.selfimprovement.ch

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10077148