“Most beginnings are small, and appear trivial and insignificant, but in reality they are the most important things in life.” – Byways of Blessedness

In this one of James Allen’s lesser known books, Byways of Blessedness, he devotes the entire first chapter to beginnings. Mostly the right beginnings.

In my experience, it’s not only the right beginning that is important, it’s beginning in the first place. In other words that powerful six-letter-word: Action.

Without action, you could have the greatest idea and the greatest plan in the world and you would still fail. Whereas a modest idea and an incomplete plan often produces success when accompanied by enough action.

Hugely successful people, the kind who go from mediocre to millions almost overnight, know that the major key to their success was taking MASSIVE ACTION. When Jeff Bezos decided to start Amazon.com, he left his job on the East Coast and headed to Washington State. He had his wife drive him and their belongings across the country so that he could stay on the phone constantly, convincing potential investors and vendors why Amazon would be a success.

Even the smallest of actions, the ones James Allen called trivial and insignificant, can lead to great success. Sir Isaac Newton’s principle that a “body at rest tends to remain at rest and a body in motion tends to remain in motion,” definitely applies to the action principle. Once you’ve taken the first step (even a baby step), the next steps seem easier to take.

My brother shared an incredible insight on this subject with me yesterday: “Actions, like pictures, are worth a thousand words.”

And that’s worth thinking about.