There are many keys to success, but they all depend on one thing: action. No one ever experiences success in any area of life without first taking some action. No amount of good training, excellent planning or benevolent intention will ever create success. Not even a little.

Now, that may not be news to many of you. In fact, Nike seems to have capitalized on that idea with their “Just Do It” advertising campaign.

But I’m going to tell you something about successful people you may not have realized: Successful people take action — even if it is the wrong action — and succeed despite their miscalculations.

I have observed again and again successful people making poor decisions, taking actions that were counter-productive to their goals, yet succeeding in spite of it.

A Habit of Action

Successful people have a habit of action. They don’t overanalyze or plan. Instead, they often jump in and learn from their mistakes. Since they have dealt with their fear of failure as well as their fear of success, they can simply plow through the mistakes and adversities.

People who never quite make it seem to major in everything EXCEPT action. They are great planners. They read all the books. They are perfectly trained. They just never take action.

So, if you are falling a little behind in your life plans today, why not try this: Do Something – even if it might be the wrong thing-and see what happens.

You might be surprised at the results.