Take the initiative (2)

Third, take action. There is an old saying, “you can if you will.” Initiators don’t wait for others to motivate them. They know it’s their responsibility to move themselves forward beyond their comfort zone, and they make it a practice. President Theodore Roosevelt said, “There is nothing brilliant or outstanding in my record, except perhaps this one thing. I do the things I believe ought to be done. And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act.” The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good [take action]; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3 NKJV). Fourth, learn from your failures and keep moving forward. The good news for initiators is, they make things happen. The bad news is, they make lots of mistakes along the way. The greater your potential, the greater your chance for failure. Senator Robert Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” Are you constantly on the lookout for opportunity, or do you wait for it to come to you? Are you willing to pray and take a step of faith, or do you endlessly analyze everything? As former chairman of Chrysler, Lee Iacocca said, “Even the correct decision is wrong when it is taken too late.” When was the last time you initiated something substantial in your life? If you haven’t moved yourself forward out of your comfort zone lately, you might have to jump-start your initiative. The Bible says, “He is [your] help and…shield” (Psalm 115:11 NKJV). That means God will help you to succeed. And when you fail, He will protect and redirect you.