By Victor Antonio, Sales Influence

Robert Ringer’s book title, “Action! Nothing Happens Until Something Moves” says it all.  For something to happen in our life, we must make something happen (i.e., we must instigate). 

Last week I was invited to do a full day of training on Internet Marketing; a favorite pastime to my sales training business.  I strongly believe that the internet is the most effective and profitable way to market a business on a low budget.

In the training, I spoke to many people who simply refused to believe that the internet was a viable option for them to make money.  They simply didn’t believe ‘they’ could make money on the internet.  Some refused to believe that the Internet was growing.  This was after showing them that this year’s Cyber Monday grew 15% and reach a near $1B in online sales in one day.

After the workshop I spoke with a few people who shared with me their hesitation for NOT going online.  The excuses they provided were vast, varied and elaborately defended.  Even in the face overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they refused to buy into using the Internet as a marketing tool. 

Age has taught me not to argue, but to accept and respect the opinions and decisions of others no matter how misguided I think they may be.  Nonetheless, their obstinate disposition got me to thinking about why some people make money and others don’t.  

Every person carries with them the ability to do great things but what stops them?  Fear?  No, I don’t think so.  I think everyone wants to be successful but they simply don’t believe they have the necessary ‘cognitive tools’ to pull it off.  They doubt their own intellect or their ability to construct their own reality.  But I’m convinced that somewhere in each of us is the latent (i.e., yet to emerge) ability to figure things out as we go along.  The problem is that each of us is unable to tap into that ability unless we make a conscious decision to activate those cognitive skills and directionally point them at what we want to happen.

We all have the “profitability gene” within us but it will remain latent unless we make and take a bold stance and decide to make something happen.  Is there anything worse than living in constant state of inaction or paralyzing fear?  Yes,…I believe it’s called a state of regret. 

When the time is near and the Reaper fixes his gaze upon us as we lie on our death bed drawing our last few breaths, we won’t remember what things cost or how much money we spent, but we will remember with painful deniability the things we didn’t do.  We will regret all those opportunities and moments of action that we talked ourselves out of doing.   If this is the case, we would be reluctant to admit that we didn’t live life, but simply existed within its framework.  Try as we might, we cannot deny that we passed through life not as an active participant but as willing accomplices to inaction.

So as the year draws to an end, I ask you to reach under your bed of dreams and pull out the whims and desires you’ve quietly stowed away when no one was looking.  Pull them out this coming year and activate those latent wishes for health, prosperity and success.  Take a small gamble; do something outside your perceived limitation.  Don’t be afraid to lose, but be afraid of not trying.  Life is too short to keep doing the things we don’t like doing.  If you’re job stinks, make a move.  If you’re relationship stinks, make a move.  If your financial situation isn’t what you want it to be, make a move. 

If you don't, what’s the alternative?  Ringer said it best, “Nothing happens until something moves”…it’s your move!