The Law of the Pendulum
What we say we believe and what we actually believe are really two different things. My home pastor Rick Rusaw once told me that if you want to know what a person really believes in then you don’t need to waste time asking them. Instead just look at their calendar and their checkbook; because what we spend our time and our money on is what we truly value most. You see it’s much harder to lie with our actions than to lie with our words.
I often write about how integrity, and the power of words, is the foundation of a disciplined life – yet commitments are empty without action. Taking action is the critical and often missing component of manifesting your dreams or ideas into reality. One of my mantras is:
You dream it, You speak it, YOU ACT, it happens. You dream it, You speak it, YOU ACT, it happens.
You dream it, You speak it, YOU ACT, it happens. You dream it, You speak it, YOU ACT, it happens.
Action is the critical element. Action validates your words, it erases your setbacks, and cures your fears. Developing the habit of taking action now is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to create unconditional confidence in our lives. In a state of a depressed marketplace we must respond to uncertainty with action. We cannot wait for the escalator of the economy to turn back on; rather we have to control what we can control, take action and take the stairs.
What actions do you need to take today? What fears are holding you back that you need to plow through with inspired action? What dreams do you believe in that you haven’t yet acted upon? I want to personally invite you to TAKE ACTION NOW.
One sobering truth that I’ve realized from the Law of The Pendulum is that if I haven’t acted on an idea, opportunity, or dream then it’s because I don’t truly believe in it. Learn about the Law of the Pendulum for yourself…
Join the Take The Stairs World Tour:
See you in the stairwell,
Rory Vaden
Tags: business speakers, motivational speaker rory vaden, performance expert, raising your performance, sales performance, Take The Stairs, world tour
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March 25, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Is this similar to the Law of Attraction? Your mantra seems similar.
March 25, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Hey Terry,
Brilliant question!!!! Well the Law of Attraction is somewhat similar to my mantra although dramatically different in 1 significant way. The 3 main parts of the Law of Attraction (at least as they are portrayed in the film The Secret) are 1. Ask 2. Believe 3. Receive.
While the Law of Attraction is so powerful and ultimately important to success in anything (and certainly something I practice on a daily basis) my mantra is slightly different. You dream it means you think about it or you come up with the idea of something important to you that you are pursuing. You speak it means that you literally declare out loud and hopefully in writing specifically what you want. That part is important too because it is the first step of manifesting the mental into the physical – it brings your thoughts to some existence in the physical world. Then YOU ACT! Action is probably the biggest part of my philosophy that is different from how The Secret is promoted. If you had to apply it to the framework that Rhonda Byrnes outlines in The Secret it would probably go in between Believe and Receive. I don’t think you necessarily need to fully Believe in something before you can take ACTION. I believe that you can take ACTION steps that are right in front of you even if you don’t fully believe that your idea or dream is possible and that with each ACTION step you begin to believe more and more what you are doing to where it ultimately comes to fruition.
It’s an interesting conundrum because you can ACT without fully believing that what you are ultimately pursuing is really possible. Yet your ACTIONS are truly demonstrations of what you really believe deep down – which would say that somewhere you really do BELIEVE that it can be possible. But even while you may not be able to wrap your mind around (or believe in) the realistic possibility of what you are pursuing, you can still take those first few steps. If you sit in a room and just focus on believing, I think it’ll be a long time before you see any of your dreams manifest in the physical world.
That’s why ACTION is the critical step. And once you have action you will often find that it becomes easier and easier to believe and then the natural consequence is to receive! So I have found that I shouldn’t wait until I fully believe in my dream before taking action because otherwise I’d never get started. I’d say just take the first step that is right in front of you, then the next, then the next and see what happens. What I’ve seen over and over again is that once you do ACT then IT HAPPENS. You dream it, you speak it, you ACT, it happens.
See you in the stairwell,
Rory
March 26, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Rory,
I checked out your post about ACTING NOW and found it to be very interesting, particularly the part about looking at your calendar and checkbook to find what’s important. Very practical and obvious way of looking at it, yet for some reason we complicate things. I took a lot away from that article. Thank you for that.
I too am a member of Toastmasters and it has changed my life for many reasons. One being that I get the opportunity to be acquainted with people like you!
Take care,
- Angela
March 26, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Hi Rory,
Hope all is going well for you. You might remember me or our Club, Kroger RASCALS, from the Fall Conference in Gaitlinburg, TN last year. I spoke to you briefly after your ‘Take The Stairs’ speech in which I found very motivating.
I received an email today with the Link to the article “The Law of the Pendulum”.
This idea and your words are very moving!!
Thank you so much for encouraging us all to take less short cuts in life!
Sincerely,
Mandy
March 30, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Rory,
How are you man? You probably don’t remember me, but we sold books the same summer a few years ago. I was in Rochester NY with Becky and Tracy, and remember being told to look out for this young gun Vaden
Anyways bro, I know you get this a lot in your line of work but you truly inspired me when I watched you speak at a Southwestern training. I went out, had a great summer, and came back to school with an intensity I didn’t have before and was able to graduate sooner than I was on track for.
I am now studying to take the LSAT, and use your motivational material and online posts to keep me going. I have taken your advice on health, and went from a skinny 140 pound guy to my current 165 pounds with less bodyfat and more strength. I run more, write more, and try to stay disciplined in all aspects of my life (although I can’t say I don’t occasionally slip and be lazy on certain sundays). I am not saying this to flatter you, but all these changes came in large part from your great blogs and stuff online. My relationships have flourished with my family and friends, and I’m considerably happier overall after having you as a role model.
-Aria
P.S. I’m thinking about joining up with a Toastmaster here in Salt lake, but there are SO MANY little groups of them to choose from. Any suggestions?
March 30, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Aria,
Great to hear from you. Congratulations on the success that you are having in the various areas of your life! I’m very thrilled to hear that. Discipline and a take the stairs mentality is usually the most guaranteed bet for success and we all slip a little but that’s fine. As far as the Toastmasters question goes, you should definitely just find a way to get involved. Toastmasters is the best organization in the world at helping people develop confidence in front of a room and also in providing the encouragement and support to overcome fears. TM groups definitely come in all various shapes and sizes so typically you’ll want to go visit 3 or 4 clubs that are fairly close to you and choose the one that fits your style. The first year I want to the Toastmaster World Championship I was a member of Cherry Creek Toastmasters and it was a large club and I loved them and still consider them my home club. My second year at the World Championship I was from the Donelson Early Birds which was a much smaller and more intimate feel which was also outstanding. All the best, keep up the great work, and see you in the stairwell – Rory.
March 30, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Enjoyed your talk at UNC-Charlotte last Thursday. I will be in touch for the 1 hour coaching once I listen to all your CDs! Thx much, you are making a difference! -Karen
April 2, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Action is key. Without action you have pipe dreams. There are two kinds of actions…
1Daily Disciplined actions.
2Faith Actions
1 Daily Disciplined Action enable you to have a clean, unobstructed mind. It provides certainty and forward movement. Making your bed, brushing your teeth, making your calls, planning your day, meditation etc. Done daily you reap rewards of health, prosperity, sanity and calmness. This is good
2 Faith Actions are those that get your heart pumping, push you out of your comfort zone and absolutely make you feel so uncomfortable but you know, you just know deep down in your heart of hearts that if you trust, have faith that you will benefit. It is these actions that bring powerful, transformational growth. Faith Actions are impossible to do without faith because you have never seen the other side.
Both actions are key to success in all areas of our lives and both actions communicate to others who you truly are.
Love ya Rory….. -Pegine
April 2, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Took the Stairs this morning!
-Jennifer
http://www.collaborateMD.com
April 2, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Rory…right on point. And the funny thing about action is that it will make you perform better at what you do because you are practicing more…which will yield better results…which will make you want to go out and do it more because you enjoy it more…which will make you act more…and so on and so on. It all starts with one small action…and then following that up with another and another. I love it. Thanks. – James
April 2, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Fabulous add-on James. You are so right! Success begets success. So many times I (we) never get started because we can’t see the entire picture of how things are going to shake out but it’s like as soon as you just take the step that is right in front of you, then the next one becomes clear. And then the next one, and before you know it you’ve reached the top when originally you weren’t sure how you were going to even get started. I call that principle “The Headlight Principle” because it’s sort of like when you’re driving across country in the dark – it seems like such a daunting and near impossible task but if all you do is know where you are ultimately heading but just FOCUS on what’s in your immediate sight then the next 20 feet are always visible! Very valuable added insight – thanks for sharing! See you in the stairwell, Rory
April 2, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Thanks Rory…Awesome article. I figured you were the arogant student. We all have a story or 2 to tell. You communicate very well with your audience and I need get my live footage done asap. How is that for accountability! – Annette
April 2, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Excelent reply Rory. In fact, if we all asked, believed , and did nothing else, I’m sure that the receive would not arrive. I mean, without taking steps in the direction you want to go, you won’t arrive there. And now I will read your blog, I became curious about it, just by reading the comments, I’m sure the content of the blog is powerful as well All the best, Regards José
April 2, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Jose, glad the discussion was enough to draw your attention. I agree with you. I think of late there has been too much focus on “believe and receive” and not enough emphasis on ACTION. Hopefully people will find encouragement from the blog to take action now for the things that matter to them in their lives! All the best man. See you in the stairwell, Rory.
April 13, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Hi Rory
After seeing your blog and the video I started to use much more the stairs (something that I already did, but more intensively now), and avoiding the elevators.
If we have a FREE Gym just outside our door, why don’t we use it ? In these times, Exercise for Free is something we must capitalize and it can help us not only to keep fit, but to exrcise other muscles, such as the brain ones, as we have a bit more time to think and act as we leave home.
Thanks a lot once again for the inspiration
All the best
Cheers
José
April 13, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Jose, congratulations man! Kudos to you for taking immediate action. ACTION is the true measure of whether or not someone understands and believes in something. Action is what we’re interested in because then we know we’ll see immediate change. I’m proud to be associated with someone like you that immediately puts into practice what they’re doing.
I do quite a lot of thinking myself while I’m in the stairwell. It’s nice because it allows you to have a few minutes of silence everyday to just really think. Although now I have quite a few people taking the stairs with me when I go places so we have good conversations there as well.
You are totally welcome for the inspiration! If you haven’t noticed yet I put up a new blog based on Dr. Oz from the Oprah Radio inviting me to NY to be on the show. It’s called “The Pain Paradox”. Hope you enjoy it man! See you in the stairwell, Rory.
May 11, 2009 at 12:53 am
manifest a miracle
May 11, 2009 at 9:30 am
Thanks for your comment. Would you mind clarifying it just a little for me? Is it a question about how to manifest a miracle? Or a challenge to?
See you in the stairwell,
Rory