The concepts of yin and yang are very interesting, two opposing forces that require each other to acheive balance and harmony. The idea can be applied to many situations and disciplines in life. No matter what your goal, be it tackling shyness, creating wealth, improving your health, building you physique or learning a new language you will discover that underneath the complex techniques there are a few basic fundamentals that apply universally.

These are goal identification, goal setting, time management, results anaylsis and refinement. Of course, I have missed the most obvious common factor of all – taking action. Over the past five years I have read literally hundreds of biographies, and many essays and books on the nature of self improvement. Taking a scientific approach, and statistically analysing several generalised groups it soon became clear to me that there were two basic concepts that fuel any attempt at self improvement.

The first is chaoes, the second order. Or, to put it in a more useful way. Premeditated planning and spontaneous action. General Patton is often quoted as saying that an average plan quickly and violently executed is better than a well thought out plan that is slow moving. The key to making a success of any endeavour is to keep chaos and order in the right catagories and in balance.

Order comes in identifying your goals, and making a list of what needs to be accomplished. Chaos must be equally balanced with order though and as soon as the lists are finished action should be taken as quickly as possible. Procrastination puts the system out of balance and over planning and preperation can reduce the effectiveness of any action you take.

So many successful people say that they have done well because they have leaped before they looked, went ahead with the impossible, did what they shouldnt have been able to do etc, that we should sit up and take notice. To be truly successful at whatever you wish to do you need to balance planning and action. If you can do that then statistically you are in the same group as those people who achieve far more than most and that has to be a good thing.

 

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