This week’s edition of The Lonely Walk letters is all about MAPPS pillar 2, and that is Action.

Because all the mindset work in the world means nothing if you don’t actually do something.

Action is what turns ideas into results.

I meet so many people each and every week who are drifting.

Waiting.
 

Waiting to be good enough.

Waiting to be motivated.

Waiting for the right time - that never arrives.

Does this sound familiar?

You can read every book, listen to every podcast and watch every video.

But if you don’t take action then nothing changes.

Because you can’t think your way into better action.

It’s the doing that then leads to better thinking.

The truth is that most people aren’t lazy.

But maybe you’re scared of failing?

Maybe you’re scared of what happens if you give it everything and it still isn’t enough.

So instead of doing, you wait.

Talk a good game.

Drift.

Inaction takes over, and dreams quietly die.

Here’s some of the science for you….

Your brain’s anterior mid-cingulate cortex (aMCC), the part linked to effort, drive, and persistence is like a muscle.

And like any muscle, if you don’t train it, it weakens.

It’s the bit that decides whether you take the hard path or the easy one.

And it grows when you do the things you don’t want to do.

That’s why action matters.

Not just for results, but for wiring your brain to handle discomfort.

Every time you push through something you’d rather avoid - the run in the rain, the hard phone call, the workout when you’re tired, you’re strengthening the circuit that makes you resilient.

That’s neuroplasticity at work.

You’re training your brain to act, rather than flinch (The Flinch by Julien Smith is a classic, but a great read, free to download on Google).

And once you move, something magic happens.

You create a positive loop for your brain.

Action - Reward - Repeat.

You take a step, dopamine fires, you feel progress, not perfection, and your brain says, “let’s do that again.”
 

It’s the chemistry of momentum.

That’s why small wins matter.
 

They’re rewiring who you are.

You don’t need motivation to start.

Instead, you need your personal code.

Because motivation is a bi product, not a prerequisite.

So this week, instead of waiting for the right time or the perfect plan.

Stick to your personal code.

Pick one thing that matters, especially if it’s uncomfortable, and get it done.

 Earn your self-confidence.

That’s how you become someone who acts, rather than talks.

You can’t think your way out of a rut; it’s action that moves your way out.

Remember that short term pain = long term pleasure.

Follow your personal code, and build:

A strong body.
A sharp mind.
And an unbreakable code.

Have a great week

Ric