Yet, we agreed, none were very aesthetically pleasing in our desire to create an uplifting, beautiful environment that would positively affect our daily performance and happiness.

To stimulate our idea process, we went to local home improvement monster box store and cruised aisles, trying to come up with a good solution. No luck.

Finally, frustrated and back home again, I noticed glass block I had in my office. It simply sat on my window sill since I had nowhere to install it, but I had loved it for years. Was there some way to use block?

We quickly discovered that spacing was almost perfect – one column of glass block on either side would fill gaps perfectly. The wave pattern made it so, while light came through, we didn’t really see what was outside, just some color.

Now we wondered how we would stack a column of blocks, without mortar. It turns out they make a plastic insert for just that purpose – dry-stacking glass blocks.

We bought some blocks and inserts and you would think that window had been specifically planned for this purpose. I was amazed! The solution was perfect. Yet, in my initial rush to solve problem, I would never have come up with this.

It was a wonderful lesson to me to: 1) take enough time to come up with best solution, and 2) put your head together with one or more others to guarantee better solutions.

In this action-oriented culture, there isn’t much value placed on patience. Let us be wise and not make that mistake.

Do you see yet what number one success secret is?

You must take action! You must put your ideas into play.

You will not be successful if you don’t take action. You can have as many ideas as you want, read as many books as you want, listen to motivational tapes, and watch inspirational speakers, but if you do not act on what you learn, you will not be successful.

It really is that simple.

If you have a great idea but stand still with it, nothing will happen. You have to walk—or better yet, run!—with your idea to make it happen.

After all, who was successful with dog snack idea?

Was it my friend, who quite possibly had idea first, or was it her friend’s husband, who actually followed through with idea?

The person who takes action will be successful.

I know that it can be difficult to take action, especially if you are used to not doing so. It can be very hard to break out of bad habit of inaction.

You’ll need to have continous improvement to achieve it. If you want to know how and where you can gain continous self-improvement resources, email me at patric(AT)esuccessmastery.com

Take action now.

To your success,

Patric Chan CEO, eSuccessMastery.com