Tom Redmayne: The power of imperfect action

I spend too much time pondering my existence. From philosophical questions, to how best to spend my time, I go down mental rabbit holes attempting to find the answers.

It turns out, thinking too much isn’t helpful. It rarely gets you anywhere useful.

Life is what you make it, and our thoughts help to form our reality. The most important lesson I’ve learned in life is that the world is malleable. It can be moulded and shaped to meet our ends. But it cannot be shaped through thought alone; it takes action to shape our experience.

Ambition is a powerful fuel for growth but, like any fuel, it can be dangerous when handled incorrectly

American self-help author (and conman) Napoleon Hill famously professed, “think and grow rich”. But a better phrase would be, “act and grow rich”. Knowledge and thought are worthless without sufficient follow-through.

One thought that’s been marinating in my mind for a while is: what’s the one action I can take that will yield the highest return on my time? Unsurprisingly, ‘think some more’ isn’t the answer. The answer is simply show up. Take action and persist.

From my experiences thus far and speaking to others in the profession, the name of the game when building a client base is activity. Activity breeds opportunity. So, I’m attempting to take regular imperfect action, rather than endlessly debating the single best action.

What does imperfect action look like in practice? It’s attending networking events without the perfect elevator pitch when I’d rather stay at home. It’s calling professional connections without pre-scripting the conversation when I don’t feel like talking. It’s posting content online that I’d rather spend more time refining (preferably indefinitely).

The ideal is to be professionally ambitious and personally content. Holding these two opposing emotions in my mind can be a struggle

I’ve submitted to the fact there is no magic formula. Instead, I must continually embrace the discomfort of putting myself out there and taking imperfect action.

The purpose of all this is to meet and connect with people. As American writer James Clear highlights, “opportunities in life come through people”. After all, businesses are run by people. Ideal clients are people. And even accountants are people.

So, the best action one can take is to show up and speak to other humans.

I have a prospective client who will hopefully come on board next year, based on something I said about excessive costs being a drag on returns. It wasn’t meant as a pitch, I was just chatting about my investment philosophy. I left that conversation feeling I hadn’t said anything of value.

We are often the worst judge as to how our words impact others. It’s hard to know what will stick and a throwaway comment could have a meaningful impact on someone else.

I am aware there’ll never be the ‘I made it’ moment ambition strives for. There will always be another mountain to climb

It seems a fair assessment to conclude that the growth rate of my client base can be measured against the amount of time I spend in situations speaking to others.

While it’s a simple metric to success, it isn’t easy, and I often struggle to feel I’m doing enough.

Whatever the level of activity, there is always more I could’ve done. If I speak to two people in a week, why not four? And I know if I’d spoken to four, I’d ask myself why I hadn’t spoken to six.

This ambition is both a help and a hinderance. It drives me forward, urging me to improve and build a meaningful life for myself. It’s a powerful fuel for growth, but, like any fuel, it can be dangerous when handled incorrectly. Petrol will get you from A to B, but the fumes will also kill you.

The problem arises when there is no off switch, leading to feelings of dissatisfaction seeping through. I have no right or need to be dissatisfied. Unchecked or impatient ambition pulls focus away from the present moment and keeps one planted in the future.

What one imperfect action can you take today that will add value to your tomorrow?

The ideal is to be professionally ambitious and personally content. Holding these two opposing emotions in my mind can be a struggle and I find practicing gratitude helps.

Ambition should be controlled and utilised, while remembering to celebrate the wins along the way. Not too long ago I would’ve been thrilled to be where I am now!

I am fully aware that there’ll never be the ‘I made it’ moment ambition strives for. There will always be another mountain to climb once I’ve reached the summit of the current challenge.

Upon being the first person to summit Everest, Edward Hilary didn’t feel like he’d reached his final mountaineering destination. Instead, as he stood atop the world, he gazed across the horizon and saw other peaks he was yet to climb and began looking for a route to their summit.

I’ll leave you with a question: what one imperfect action can you take today that will add value to your tomorrow?

Tom Redmayne is a financial planner at Rockwealth