A Plan Without Action Is Useless!

A religious leader once said that "Without knowledge action is useless and knowledge without action is futile." However, you don't have to be an evangelist to understand the wisdom of those words. Approaching a problem without knowledge is a sure path to disaster. At the same time, when you formulate a plan and acquire knowledge, and yet never take any action, of what good is it? It is futility.

Futility is defined as "uselessness as a consequence of having no practical results." Indeed, taking no action is never anything to be proud of. Nobody ever says, "Well, I could have tried to save your life, but I did not or "I thought about giving you a lot of money one day, I just never did." These are not statements to be content with; usually they are confessions of weakness or of regret.

Applying this to the business world, know that a plan without action is truly useless and futile. If you have a great idea and have gone that extra mile by formulating a cost-effective plan, then you owe it to yourself and to the world to see your plan through. Taking action is all the more important if your idea could make a valuable contribution to society. Do you have an idea for a non-profit organization or for a company that could create hundreds of jobs? Then isn't it an idea worth trying?

This doesn't mean that you are required to put forth money you don't have. It's true that businesses do take a lot of capital to start up. However, are you contributing your ideas in some form? Why not offer your ideas to partners or to investors who have the money but don't have the know-how to create a bankable plan?

A plan without action is useless indeed. You might liken a great idea to a shiny coin worth a lot of money. If you dig up that coin from dirt and can see firsthand its high value then what do you do? Do you bury it again because you are unwilling to take action? At the very least, give that coin to someone else so they can use it!

A great idea and a comprehensive plan are comparable to that treasure coin. If you have stumbled upon a solid idea in business or invention then you are probably correct in thinking that it could work. The next step is to formulate a working plan on how to make this idea turn into a functioning reality. After the plan is formulated all you need is a little courage and a lot of determination to see the plan through. Because taking action is the only way to change your circumstances and possibly the world around you.