Thinking versus Doing

"Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I think about that concept frequently and often for extended periods. It seems to define me. I don't know how well Goethe's quote applies to everyone else, but it fits me extremely well. I have hopes. I have intentions. I have goals. I think about these things and it turns into a day-dream about things I'd love to do or experience. But I don't do them or experience them.

I'm writing this post because I'm thinking about things I'd like to do that I'm not doing. I can be conscious of the fact that I'm not doing what I want to do and still find excuses to not do them. Does that mean it's not actually what I want? Or do I spend all that time day-dreaming and hoping for things I don't actually want? That doesn't make sense... but then why don't I just act on those thoughts? Goethe knew me well apparently. For some reason putting my thoughts into action is terribly difficult for me.

Talking to a woman I'm attracted to. Home improvement projects. Buying a new car. Taking a ski trip. Going shooting more often. Practicing karate. Getting back into shape with running. Writing software in my free time to try to sell it for extra cash. Writing fiction in my free time because I love writing (I think). Getting together with friends more often...

It's all stuff I think I want that I'm not actually doing. I'm sure there's more I should list, but I think you get the idea. Can you make a list like that? This is where I'm hoping I can be of some service to anyone who stumbles on my little blog. I'm hoping that maybe you'll think like I do, but that maybe you can be conscious of the situation and actually do something about it.

I'm writing this so I can try to think through in a clearer way what is going on with me. I think I want to act on my thoughts. I want to stop being afraid. I want to stop making excuses. Maybe putting this out there for anyone to see will help me. Maybe it'll help someone else too.

Good gravy my impulse to find negative sides is strong. As I wrote the previous paragraph I was thinking to myself about how I don't know where to start. When I get home after work I'm just going to settle down and catch up on TiVo'd shows. And why would reading someone else's thoughts on this help anyone to get over that hurdle? And the thing is... I believe the negative side. I believe I won't change. And I believe that anyone reading this isn't likely to change either... or at least not because of anything I've written.

So here I am pondering again the concept of acting on your own thoughts because I'm not strong enough to do anything about it.