Smart People: Do You Make This 1 Key Mistake That Stalls Success?

by Brad Isaac on July 8, 2007

You’re smart. You have a lot going for you. And you are on your way to the top.

Smart people, by design spend a lot of time getting things right. They study more than average people, they learn quickly and they are naturally motivated. You are probably reading my blog because you want to improve some aspect of your life. You want bigger returns for your efforts.

But if you find yourself wondering why you aren’t making the headway you want then you might be making this one critical mistake…

You see, there’s a downside to being smart when it comes to success. Smart people know that there is an easier way to get things done. Many spend many hours and days searching for an easier way, rather than doing the work that will get them results.

Take blogging for example. We all know that successful blogs are built using great content written by smart people. But the really smart people know there”s an easier way. And what comes out is all sorts of automatic article writers and tricks to doing it on auto-pilot.

Unfortunately, we all know what happens in this case. The articles end up sub-par and readership diminishes.

So the main difference between smart people who succeed and smart people who fail is action. Success takes action. Therefore smart people need to know when to quit looking for the easy way and roll up their sleeves and get to work.

That’s not to say that there aren’t tools that can help. There are, but there comes a time to stop looking. Years ago, I would be writing this on a typewriter. In order for you to get it, you would have had to get a book or magazine.

Now I can write it on a computer. Not only that, I can spell and grammar check it when it’s done. What else do I need to get the job done?

If I’m not careful, I’ll seek out an easier way and there simply is no replacement for putting my fingers on the keyboard and typing.

  • It is not always fun
  • It is a lot of work
  • It is sometimes hard
  • But work is the only way this will get done

So listen up smart people. If you are looking for the easy way instead of doing what needs to be done, get to work. Taking action is the only way you are going to get the results you want.

Tell a friend about this blog. A friend told you, why not return the favor?

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{ 6 comments }

1 July 11, 2007 at 2:04 am

I totally agree. Action is the determining factor for people, who know what to do but doesn’t know when to do it in order to succeed.

2 July 11, 2007 at 10:46 pm

True. It’s more about when to do it than knowing how to do it. People don’t share the same level of understanding and there will always be someone who are inferior to others.

3 July 26, 2007 at 1:17 am

this is soo true..always looking to write a quick program to do the work…good point !!

4 August 8, 2008 at 1:13 am

I recently wrote a post about Goal Setting and Action Planning in a cheesy, yet practical analogy. But like you said, “Taking action is the only way you are going to get the results you want.”

http://www.nichedigging.com/2008/08/08/plan-journey-accomplishment/

5 Jonas January 31, 2010 at 1:11 pm

Truth to the last dot!

6 John March 6, 2010 at 1:42 am

Too many… this will not work. You need one fundamental… why do “certain” people go forward…. I can tell you..

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