Daily Inspiration #117
Benjamin Franklin
Action

Benjamin Franklin FRS, FRSE (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705] – April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a renowned polymath and a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He facilitated many civic organizations, including Philadelphia's fire department and the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution.
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Another great quote from Ben:

"Never confuse motion with action."

This is a very important thing to learn.

By definition they seem quite similar.

In practice they have very different results.

I know I catch myself in movement that I think is action sometimes.

Ever exerted a lot of energy only to find out that it really didn't get you anywhere?

That is motion.

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Action has purpose.

Action can get things done.

Action kills the doubts that are often still there when you are in motion.

See, the real difference here is whether you are being productive or not.

Sometimes a whole day or more can go by while working really hard only to find out at the end of the day that it really went no where.

We were in motion and didn't really get anything done.

This can be very disappointing.

To really get somewhere we must act on productive ideas.

So if you are every doing a lot of work, and it seems to be going no where, it may be wise to ask yourself something...

Is this motion, or action?

If you find that you are really just going through motions, you may want to take a step back and reassess the situation.

Find actions you can take that are actually productive and you will get much more done.

Remember,

"Never confuse motion with action."

Thanks for reading,
Michael David
@michaeldavid

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