{"id":40116,"date":"2014-05-19T14:42:09","date_gmt":"2014-05-19T19:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=40116"},"modified":"2025-12-15T20:23:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:23:38","slug":"10-overlooked-truths-about-taking-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/featured\/10-overlooked-truths-about-taking-action\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Overlooked Truths About Taking Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Spartan<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Kyle Eschenroeder<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a holy moment. A sacramental moment. A moment in which a man feels the gods as close as his own breath.<\/p>\n

What unknowable mercy has spared us this day? What clemency of the divine has turned the enemy\u2019s spear one handbreadth from our throat and driven it fatally into the breast of the beloved comrade at our side? Why are we still here above the earth, we who are no better, no braver, who reverenced heaven no more than these our brothers whom the gods have dispatched to hell?<\/strong>\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this speech from Steven Pressfield\u2019s gripping, well-researched re-telling of the Battle of Thermopylae (Gates of Fire<\/em><\/a>), the Spartan King Leonidas addresses his troops after a victory. He is reflecting on the fact that when you do battle in chaos, Lady Fortuna and skill have an equal say in the outcome. Pressfield explains this dynamic in his equally worthwhile non-fiction work, The<\/em> <\/a>Warrior Ethos<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the era before gunpowder, all killing was of necessity done hand to hand. For a Greek or Roman warrior to slay his enemy, he had to get so close that there was an equal chance that the enemy\u2019s sword or spear would kill him. This produced an ideal of manly virtue<\/strong> \u2013 andreia, <\/em>in Greek \u2013 that prized valor and honor as highly as victory.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Andreia <\/em>meant that judgment was based on actions taken — not outcomes. Society understood that the outcome was, at least in part, in the hands of the gods. What was <\/em>in a man’s control was how he acted.<\/p>\n

We tend to mix this up. There is an army of authors studying \u201csuccessful\u201d people and writing lists of 5, 7, 10, or 20 things that they did to become successful. All you have to do is emulate the list and you, too, can be successful.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s like looking at the living Spartan soldiers and explaining why they survived. Leonidas would laugh at their idiotic arrogance.<\/p>\n

We have become so focused on results that our actions have become a secondary concern. We judge men based on what they have<\/em> instead of what they do<\/em>. We signal <\/em>our ideals instead of embracing them.<\/p>\n

In his short book Do the Work<\/em><\/a>, Pressfield relates a New Yorker<\/em> cartoon that cleverly skewers our preference for thinking about things, rather than doing them:<\/p>\n

\u201cA perplexed person stands before two doors. One door says HEAVEN. The other says BOOKS ABOUT HEAVEN.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He\u2019s perplexed. He\u2019s considering<\/em> the book. It\u2019s funny because it\u2019s absurd\u2026 and because we know we\u2019d have the same consideration.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where we are as a culture. We run desperately to abstraction and avoid action at all costs. Thoreau\u2019s man of \u201cquiet desperation\u201d<\/a> has never been so prevalent.<\/p>\n

The world is full of men who are \u201cstuck\u201d in life. There has been some mass paralysis. Modern man has forgotten how to take action.<\/p>\n

The culture is beginning to shift, though. The popularity of Nassim Taleb and his Incerto <\/em>series, beginning with Fooled by Randomness<\/em><\/a>, has brought an appreciation of randomness to a large segment of society. As we\u2019ll see soon, a focus on action is dominating the business world as well.<\/p>\n

The economist and author of Average is Over<\/a>,<\/em> Tyler Cowen, agrees:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more information that\u2019s out there, the greater the returns to just being willing to sit down and apply yourself. Information isn\u2019t what\u2019s scarce; it\u2019s the willingness to do something with it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A world that is increasingly confused, uncertain, and paralyzed is calling out for men of action. We need to stop thinking and start acting. Stop looking at the big red button and push it. Stop planning and take a step forward. Stop talking about grit and take a hit.<\/p>\n

In short, the world needs men. I\u2019m not sure if you\u2019ll answer the call. I do<\/em> know some will, though, and that\u2019s all we need. I\u2019ll be out there, too. You\u2019ll probably find me facedown in failure. I\u2019d appreciate a hand.<\/p>\n

The next section will provide 10 powerful and mostly overlooked truths about the nature of action.<\/p>\n

The final section will provide two specific practices that will force you into creating a habit of taking action.<\/p>\n

Your next action? Continue reading.<\/strong><\/p>\n

10 Overlooked Truths About Taking Action<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Vintage<\/p>\n

1. Action is Cheaper Than Planning<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Do you know why the Wright Bros. beat out all the mega-corporations they were competing with in the race to taking the first flight? Action.<\/p>\n

Robert Greene explains in Mastery<\/em><\/a> that the Wright Bros. had a tight budget and were forced to make small, cheap tweaks to each model. They would fly a plane, crash it, tweak it, and fly it again quickly.<\/p>\n

The corporations had budgets that allowed them to go back to the drawing board (i.e. abstraction) with each failure. They spent a ton of money and time on each redesign.<\/p>\n

The Wright Bros. had a hundred test flights in the time it took these big corporations to complete a handful. Every test flight taught lessons \u2013 the one who failed fastest gathered the most information.<\/p>\n

This philosophy of failing fast has spread through Silicon Valley and beyond thanks to Eric Ries\u2019 work The Lean Startup<\/a>. <\/em>We can imagine the Wright Bros. writing this passage from Ries\u2019 book:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve come to believe that learning is the essential unit of progress for startups. The effort that is not absolutely necessary for learning what customers want can be eliminated. I call this validated learning <\/em>because it is always demonstrated by positive improvements in the startup\u2019s core metrics.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Technology has reached a point where building is often cheaper than planning. We can build the thing and know <\/em>the answer before we can plan for all the possibilities and determine how it might <\/em>work. Ries writes:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is not \u2018Can this product be built?\u2019 In the modern economy, almost any product that can be imagined can be built. The more pertinent questions are \u2018Should this product be built?\u2019 and \u2018Can we build a sustainable business around this set of products and services?\u2019”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These are questions that cannot be answered in the abstract \u2013 they must be tested in the physical world.<\/p>\n

The key is to make the tests cheap and quickly make small improvements.<\/p>\n

This applies to everything. Especially your life.<\/p>\n

Planning has paralyzed me time and again. I was taught to always have a plan before taking action.<\/p>\n

That led to a deep depression. I didn\u2019t know what career I wanted to dedicate my life to and so I did nothing. I didn\u2019t know what girl I wanted to marry and so I didn\u2019t give any a real chance. I didn\u2019t know what fitness plan was the best and so I stayed out of the gym.<\/p>\n

Now I do the opposite.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t let myself plan or research until <\/em>I\u2019ve taken action.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve tried a ton of careers and found which I hate and which I love. I\u2019ve let myself love the imperfect girl and have the best relationship I\u2019ve ever had. I\u2019m not allowed to read anything about fitness until I\u2019ve worked out that day. I don\u2019t let myself learn about a new diet until I\u2019ve stopped eating sugar.<\/p>\n

Most of the time, planning is procrastination. It\u2019s based on theory. It\u2019s going to be wrong.<\/p>\n

Plans are useless without action.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Step 1 is to take action based on what you already know. <\/em>Then improve bit by bit. <\/em>Then begin forming a plan.<\/em><\/p>\n

2. Action Allows Emergence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Taking action creates possibilities that didn\u2019t exist before.<\/p>\n

We always look out at our future from the place we\u2019re standing. Yet we forget that this is only one spot.<\/p>\n

Imagine walking in New York City. All you can see are skyscrapers, neurotic humans, and taxis. You turn down the next street and you\u2019re looking out into the trees of Central Park.<\/p>\n

A completely new possibility has emerged.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re obese then you probably don’t see a possible future where you\u2019re fit. But, after three months of working out and eating well there will be a possible future of physical fitness that didn\u2019t exist before.<\/p>\n

These possibilities seem to \u201ccome out of nowhere\u201d but they actually come out of action.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve only failed then it\u2019s impossible to see the possibility of success. The trick is to keep trying. That next step might be the key to a better future — you just can\u2019t see around the corner yet.<\/p>\n

3. Inaction is Scarier<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The pain of action is acute. It\u2019s right in our face.<\/p>\n

Inaction tempts us because it\u2019s slow.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t consider refusing to choose to be a choice. We think we\u2019re safe if we don\u2019t expose ourselves to failure. We don\u2019t appreciate the consequences of inaction because they are slow, chronic, and less obvious. That\u2019s what makes them worse.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t get to escape pain.<\/p>\n

The pain that comes with action is acute, gives you scars, and makes you grow.<\/p>\n

The pain that comes from inaction is low-grade, makes you soft, and makes you decay.<\/p>\n

4. Motivation Follows Action<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I had zero motivation when I began writing this. I had nothing to say. I wrote a book about action but for some reason I couldn\u2019t think of the words to tell you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 1,600 words later now and I can\u2019t stop thinking of new things to say.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always like this.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t feel like working out until I\u2019ve been at the gym for 15 minutes. I\u2019m too tired to have sex until we\u2019ve started. I don\u2019t want to go to the party until I\u2019m there.<\/p>\n

Motivation (and passion) will follow you if you have the balls to go without them.<\/p>\n

5. Action is an Existential Answer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I\u2019m a professional when it comes to existential crises. I\u2019ve spent a large portion of my life in “what is the meaning of my life?” mode. <\/em>I\u2019ve come up with a lot of clever answers. Some of them even felt original.<\/p>\n

The only one that ever really works is disappointingly simple: do something.<\/em><\/p>\n

The meaning of my life cannot be summed up in a pithy quote or even the most complete philosophy.<\/p>\n

It is impossible to give yourself a satisfying purpose in the abstract.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is only in the flow of action that life can make sense. There are no abstract ideals there, just life.<\/p>\n

Why Action Is the Answer — Listen to My Podcast With Kyle<\/em><\/h3>\n