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I’ve seen a lot of articles and posts with a similar headline to this one over the years. Most of them are going to be about the top 2 or 3 or 5 things you need to do. They’ll include things like write your goals down. Make them specific. Put deadlines on them. Etc. Etc. Sure, these things are important, but they are missing the point. We can have all the best written goals in the world. We can have the most inspiring list of things we want to do and achieve. We can be the most disciplined goal setter in the world.

But none of it matters if you miss this one thing. That’s not hyperbole. It’s absolutely true.

Do you know what it is? If you think it’s anything like the examples above or having a better why, you’re still missing the point.

The most important thing is to TAKE ACTION.

You’re thinking, “Well, duh!”

But it’s not as obvious as it seems. If it were, everyone would be working on and achieving their goals all the time. Sure, it’s best if you have at least an idea of what your goals actually are, but I’d rather act on an ill-defined or somewhat vague goal than spend time on crafting the perfect goal. Actions are like a small snowball rolled down the side of a mountain. It goes slow and it’s small at the top. It’s huge, fast and powerful at the bottom. We’re talking about momentum of course.

Momentum implies action. You can’t have momentum if you’re not moving toward something, doing something or taking some kind of action. It may be the wrong action sometimes, but if you’re paying attention, you can correct what you’re doing. You can’t correct your course if you haven’t even left the dock yet.

Of course the number 2 thing you need to have is an action plan. You should have at least a general plan of attack on your goals. You should know what you need to do next and after that and after that and after that. You need to know what should happen when. When you do this, taking action is a lot easier, because there’s no ambiguity around what order things need to be done in.

Doing something is essential.

Doing the right something is even better.