Words Speak Louder than Action?

Dan Brown, author of Da Vinci code takes his words and makes millions of dollars. I put down and mix some letters together and you feel a different response. Steve Pavlina writes words of inspiration that should inspire you.

How do you get anything out of this?

How does someone read a motivational story, get inspired and go do something? How do you not have the flame blip and then burn out.

What can people do when reading something to: absorb, adopt and continually use this new information. We can all put words on paper, we can all write but how can we all act upon what we read, hear, feel and believe?

Welcome to Noah Kagan's Okdork! I am really glad you found me. Don't go just yet. If you're killing time at work, enjoy marketing, online communities and other business things; then you are at the right place.

You should check out my Okdork Virgin Guide to get started.

If you like what you read why don't you subscribe to RSS Feed?

Thanks again for dropping by and I hope to see you soon! - Noah

Want More? Get new articles via email:

people read Okdork everyday!

11 Responses to “Words Speak Louder than Action?”

  • Sean Tierney
    April 20th, 2007
    5:09 pm

    noah- as always great friday pondering. I think it comes down to how well what you write ultimately resonates with the reader. For instance I tried to get off my ass for a long time and motivate to do a routine workout program in the gym but it took reading Bill Philips’ “Body for Life” book to actually give me the inspiration to finally do it. I have no idea why it took reading a certain sequence of words to compel me to do what I already wanted to do, but it did.

    “can you use an old word to say something new, can you rearrange the letters and change my point of view?” - Cold Turkey
    (http://www.coldturkeyband.com/downloads/ColdTurkey-Catalyst.mp3)

    what prompts people (including myself) to comment on your posts more than just about any other blog? It’s all about the resonance of the message, the humility of the voice and the feeling that you have something to add and in doing so can impact others.

    sean

  • Noah Kagan
    April 20th, 2007
    5:20 pm

    Sean, Damn! That was extremely well put. I have asked before what makes people comment, okdork.com/2006/06/22/why-are-you-looking-at-me-swan-the-comment-conspiracy/

    It makes me wonder at times because if there are no comments are people actually reading my articles?

  • KR
    April 20th, 2007
    6:45 pm

    a great motivational writer understands that there are people with a pressing problem or dream which they can help. a person looking to lose weight reads the “south beach diet” and changes their dietary regiment. a rising star at a fortune 500 company is looking to improve his management skills and reads “straight from the gut - jack welsh.”

    i believe that the reason a book succeed or fails in moving the reader into action comes down to knowledge and simplicity. first the reader must have enough knowledge and context in regards to the subject. next, the benefits of changing behavior/taking action must be substantial. finally, execution the action plan must be simple enough and seem highly obtainable.

    how do you get your mother to finally use that $1800 dell laptop you setup for her during christmas? send her pictures of her grandchildren to her email. the reward for learning a new behavior is substantial. before you succeed though, you need to spend 2 hours providing her the basic skills for checking email and using a mouse, etc. then you have her talk with a few friends who are using gmail so that she can see that seniors are capable of basic computing functions. also, you send her the time magazine article showing that more seniors are going on-line than conventional wisdom would suggest.

  • Jon Bischke
    April 20th, 2007
    7:52 pm

    Easy.

    Repetition.

    We’re all given a million message that tell us to “drink this beer and we’ll get the hot chick” or “go buy that couch and life will be ever so good.”

    Then we read one motivational book for a few minutes and wonder why it doesn’t have an effect.

    The key to life is conditioning. Just be very sure that you choose the conditioning rather than other way around. :)

  • Jason H.
    April 21st, 2007
    1:38 pm

    Did u know that Motivation is a $10 billion industry?
    Just read it on BW:
    http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_18/b4032066.htm

    Isn’t that quite remarkable?

    I guess the answer to your question can be– “How Bad do you really, really want it?”

  • joe
    April 21st, 2007
    7:58 pm

    i think people are inspired when they see goals being feasibly accomplished, when success is modeled. First they see what they admire or want for themselves; then they see someone acheiving it and/or understanding it (which is the first step towards achieving it); thus they get the urge to pursue it themselves. [given: the goal has to be worth it to them, the chances of attainment have to be reasonable, and the course of action necessary must be within their threshold of capabilities.]

    ex: noah tells a story about a fantastic burrito he ate in mountain view and how it didn’t cost much or give him gas. boris hears this, remembers his ongoing dream to find the perfect burrito, and is motivated to get one tonight.

  • Noah Kagan
    April 22nd, 2007
    3:14 pm

    First off. DAMN~!~! Seriously my readers amaze me everytime. Okay friends. I feel like the dumb friend in the shadows of all my smart friends. I am glad to have you guys/girls around.

    Joe, I am still waiting to see your first book in a bookstore. That story with Boris is more true than you know. I think having babysteps is critical. Starting off with small victories is one of the keys to moving to larger ones. As well, planning and working towards something is essential. This is all talk to me as well.

    What is the motivation that will really encourage someone to go to that next level? Does the person need to think to drive themselves and realize they need to improve?

  • Noah Kagan
    April 22nd, 2007
    3:15 pm

    Ken,

    Brilliant. So true. There needs to be immediate benefit and reason for a person to move forward. It is also nice as you somewhat showed is to have a support team of people in helping you go to the points in your life that you want.

  • Noah Kagan
    April 22nd, 2007
    3:17 pm

    Jon,

    Damn again! I am so glad I met you and have you as a positive influence in my life. Conditioning is critical. Doing something daily. Lately I have been trying to improve my overall discipline so anytime I do anything I think about my discipline and act. My choice now is to always act with discipline, always.

  • joe
    April 23rd, 2007
    2:38 am

    noah - the motivation? that’s different for everyone. but i know motivation goes to nil if one believes they can’t do it. my best motivator is the knowledge that i don’t know everything…it keeps me learning, growing, improving. there’s always bigger, there’s always better. i’m rambling.

  • karen
    September 3rd, 2007
    6:05 pm

    I think a lot of how we react to things we read has to do with what we’re looking for. For instance, we all have something we want to improve on, but until you start becoming aware of what’s surrounding you and how it can ‘help’ you improve, you’ll walk around blindly, not making any changes. I am always aware of what’s going on around me in order to apply what I’m seeing/hearing/learning to my life.

    The other factor has to do with what you really believe in your heart. I have often thought in my head, “I want to change this…” and will read and research and nothing happens. Why not? Because my heart wasn’t on board with the idea. There has to be a definite connection between the head and the heart in order to motivate someone to make a change.

    In closing, motivational words “Gonna make a change, for once in my life…”
    -Michael Jackson, Man in the Mirror

Leave a Reply




Most Popular Posts...EVER!

    will brb.

Noah.licio.us

October's Top Commenters