Getting an “A” in Significance (Part Three): Action

Action — The Bridge Between Dreams and Reality

Dreams are beautiful. Goals are powerful. Vision is inspiring. But without action, they’re all just words floating in the air like balloons that never come back down to earth.

Action is the bridge between what you imagine and what you actually live.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “One day I’m going to write a book,” or “Someday I’ll start my own business,” or “When the time is right, I’ll take that step.” The problem is, “one day,” “someday,” and “when the time is right” never appear on the calendar.

The truth is this: action rarely feels convenient. It usually shows up wrapped in fear, discomfort, or uncertainty. But it is the only thing that moves you forward.

I’ve learned that action doesn’t wait for perfect conditions—it creates them.

Too often, people freeze because they think the first step has to be the biggest step. That’s not true. Action is about building momentum, not mastering the finish line. Start with the smallest move you can make today, then stack those moves tomorrow, and the day after that. Progress compounds.

Here’s how action builds significance:

• Clarity comes after motion. You don’t have to see the whole staircase to climb the first step. Once you move, the path unfolds.

• Courage grows with use. Every action you take silences the doubts a little more. The doing is what builds the believing.

• Results follow consistency. One action may not change your life. A thousand small actions, stacked over time, absolutely will.

• Action is the foot and a half difference. Most people stop at ideas. Action-takers move into reality. That extra step—the one others talk about but never take—is where breakthroughs live.

Action doesn’t guarantee immediate success. But it does guarantee growth. And growth always leads somewhere better than where you began.

The question isn’t whether you have big enough dreams. It’s whether you’re willing to move on them today.

So here’s the challenge: what’s one action you’ve been avoiding that you can take in the next 24 hours? Not next week. Not “someday.” Today.

Because action is the language ambition speaks. And it’s the difference between wishing for significance and actually living it.

That’s the Foot and a Half difference.

-Dr. Rich