When you’re seeking change, it’s natural to feel a certain amount of caution.  You don’t want to take unnecessary risks, or make costly missteps.

We often think in terms of what we don’t want to do; how we’ll avoid things that might hurt us later.

But there is no other attitude that leads more directly to mediocrity.

In so many of life’s endeavors,  it’s not what you do, but what you fail to do that hurts you the most.

It’s not mistakes from moves we make, but moves we fail to make that lead to the most serious problems.

What we don’t do puts us in ruts.  It’s inactivity where there should be fitness.  The quick junk food fix where there should be healthy choices.  Watching TV repeats instead of engaging with family and neighbors.  Playing video games instead of practicing art or music.

It’s procrastination.  It’s the disorganized house.  The ill planned finances.  The important, difficult conversation you must have before it’s too late.

It’s the chance you didn’t take.  The exotic but risky trip.  The job you wanted but were unsure about.  The love you so desperately felt, but never revealed.

It’s what you don’t do that enables depression.  Think about it.  How often are you depressed because of the list of things you know you should be doing – but aren’t?  Compared to when you took a risk that didn’t work out – but at least you tried?

We see this a lot with small business digital marketing.  One of the biggest fears business owners have is to invest in marketing and have it not pay-off.

But the reality is, of course, if you don’t make the investment you can never get the return.  If you don’t network for the connection you’ll never make it.  If you don’t run the advertising campaign you’ll never know if it would have worked.

Business is for doers.  It’s for people who take calculated risks.

If you’re not decisive and resilient, then there is one thing you should choose not to do:  run your own business.  Keep your day job.  Work for somebody else who will take action.

Businesses that fail sometimes look back at a move they made that cost them too much.

But far more often, it’s the ones that stood-pat too often and too long that fail.  Stories about failed businesses mostly start with We should have…

What should you be doing – right now – to move your business towards success?