One Action Can Change Your Life
One Action Can Change Your Life
Take Action Now
Hi friends. Welcome to the YouTopian Journey. Today’s issue discusses why one single action can change your life.
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ONE SINGLE ACTION
“There is no reality except in action. Man is nothing else than his plan; he exists only to the extent that he fulfills himself; he is therefore nothing else than the ensemble of his acts, nothing else than his life.”-Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism
Nothing matters.
Not your hopes. Not your dreams. Not your ideals.
They are powerless without action behind them.
And you must take that action to change your life for the better.
Understand that one single action has the remarkable power to catalyze profound positive change in our lives, akin to a pebble creating ripples that extend far beyond its initial impact. Whether it is the simple act of pursuing a healthier lifestyle or taking a chance on a business idea, your one single action can make all the difference.
The journey towards a better life begins with a single decision. This one single action sets in motion a series of transformative events. By recognizing the potential impact of our choices, we can harness the power of intentionality to shape our destinies and create positive change that resonates far beyond ourselves.
How do I know this to be the case? Because I took action when I had the idea for YouTopian Journey.
I never had a newsletter.
I was not a content creator.
I simply wanted to do something positive and act on this idea I had, one which could change the world for the better.
Never did I think that my one single action would impact so many people nor could I have imagined that the YouTopian Journey would end up as a case study in a book, specifically this book.
“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”-Buddha
I am beyond thrilled to see my Substack journey and content in a book that will be required reading for classes in universities around the world. All of this resulted from a single action to take the plunge into the unknown.
And you can do this as well.
No matter what it is that you are thinking about, nothing will happen unless you take action to make it real. People waste their lives waiting for the stars to align and the right moment to begin.
But there never is a right moment.
The economic circumstances aren’t favorable.
There is too much happening at work.
Life at home is just too busy.
People remain idle, rotting away in the hope that their perfect moment will arrive.
Don’t make this mistake.
Take action now and I promise your life will change for the better.
“I’m not in a contest with anybody, have no thoughts about immortality, don’t give a damn about it. It’s the ACTION while you’re alive. The gate springing open in the sunlight, the horses plunging through the light…the glory is in the motion and the dare. Death be damned. It’s today and today and today. Yes.”--Charles Bukowski
THANK YOU
Thank you so much for being here. Whether you are a new subscriber or you have been reading YouTopian Journey for years, I appreciate each and every one of you. There are a lot of amazing things on the horizon, including an animated series, a show focused on personal growth, and so much more. None of this would be possible without your support.
Shaun
"DEATH BE DAMNED" Charles Bukowski's quote in this inspirational essay caught my attention. He meant that he wasn't trying to achieve a sense of immortality through his writings, which would survive him. I don't believe him. At what stage in his life did he write that quote? I have a different perspective, as I am being ravaged by cancer. This quote brings to mind Rachel Carson's struggle to write another book, while enduring pain from metastatic breast cancer. She had something to share with the world. Her writings were her legacy. I had not been favorably impressed with Bukowski before, as he was known for being a sexist alcoholic. Ironically, his epitaph is "Don't try." Hmm. He said that was his theory of life and his manner of writing: "I don't try, I just type." That his epitaph requires explanation is proof that he expected his writings to be known after his death. Scientists find that pesticides are endocrine disrupters, which may cause breast cancer. Carson, a marine biologist, undertook "Silent Spring" (1962) because pesticides were poisoning the ocean. Pesticide poisoning may also have taken her life. ("The Right Way to Remember Rachel Carson," Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 3-19-18.)
The message, quotes and evidence based example ( kudos for your personal one), and generally, the value of actions versus inaction is well known and worth being always aware of it.
The perplexing part for the rest is the fact that, some if not most of us did some very actionable things. More or less enthusiastically and more or less emboldened by an existential crisis or competitive desire (I am excluding the sociopathic tendencies of power, that have some extra characteristics for "success" or "fulfillment" drivers - some that are actual requirements in a more and more shareholder gains as immediate indicators of "actions speak more than words" oriented society .
There's a remarkable absent actionable broad formula that works consistently.
If things were done , by someone, that check the actions and even some over delivered ones, it is very volatile outcome, depending on , I would speculate, geolocation ( that will shape the social and economic dynamic opportunities) .
Sartre access to remarkable education (with all the bullying that comes with proportional with the institutional fame) coupled with his ability to maintain a high profile interesting relationship with Simone de Beauvoir, Bukowski's LA move (one can imagine his impact on american literature if he stayed in Gdansk to stick with his Polish ancestry).
The sponsor choice of a French sounding inspiration-aspirational name if the founder would be in, again, the geolocation and the prominent school signalling pedigree.
All those do not guarantee, obviously anything, but facilitate acceptance to the vast majority of people that don't really understand what the reality of having some graduate titles from an ivy league means, beyond the PR).
So , actions all for it.
Now, for the real life changing question, that would throw some light and allow the "action" to encounter minimal "reaction " ( from intrinsic personal or extrinsic pushback).
How to do a blueprint or at least a sketch, of a flexible actionable plan?
That is, in the reality of the statistical distribution of many different realities and variables, make an actionable plan, with , hypothetically and mostly accurately reflecting the real life, are pushing back ? ( think student loans, children education coats, the mental soothing pet companion, stressed partner, local climate ( too ..... fill in the complaints) , civic disintegration, general disinterest, and , most aggravating, the ascending callous lack of empathy everywhere. When everything is designed to be central to a person or group = "brand". Politicians, media, content or discontent creators, ( that's debatably more lucrative than educationally ones - thank you for that), corporate or otherwise.
Luck is the bonus part, and may eventually involve grit, so it's not quantifiable or to be included in an action plan. ( but that's no guarantee, grittier it gets, more epidermis gets lost and open wounds can become more difficult and severe to manage concomitantly)