“Speed” is my word for 2025: How I’m Getting Comfortable with Taking Fast Action and Making More Mistakes

In business, the reward often goes to the person who acts fast . . . not the person with the best plan of execution or even the best idea.

I’m great at generating ideas.

I’m even better at doing really in-depth research and having a plan.

I don’t lack the courage to take risks or bet on myself.

And I’m fiercely proud and committed to my team, my clients, and my purpose.

(Think geeky, courageous, and loyal girl lost for hours with glasses in dusty library stacks. Hello, Hermione Granger . . . Harry and Ron would never have made it without you.)

Gathering More Data Delays Momentum

I’ve discovered the biggest downside to spending too much time planning or gathering more intel:

I often don’t take action fast enough on my best ideas.

My default can be to fall down Alice’s rabbit hole of curiosity in endless fascination and discovery.

As an entrepreneur, this can be a death trap for your business.

So I’ve decided that in 2025, my new word is Speed.

(Photo is from Annie's desk)

I'm channeling Top Gun Maverick and Goose energy and declaring daily, “I feel the need . . . the need for speed!”

I know my material. The research has paid off. My clients get amazing results with the methods I’ve developed.

Maybe you can relate to being in this place in your job or business.

You’re great at what you do. It’s comfortable and doing well. But it’s not acceleration.

Your business or project is missing the shift towards momentum that it needs to get to the next level.

My Next Breakthrough Requires Fast Action

If I want to grow my business and reach bigger goals, it’s time to kick the volume up on my action-taking.

Way up.

My new default is a bias for action.

For 2025, this speed is out for me:

(Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash)

And this speed is my new MO:

(Photo by Goh Rhy Yan on Unsplash)

Speed to Implementation Is a Superpower

Bill Perkins, multimillionaire and the author of Die with Zero, shared with Codie Sanchez that he attributes his success to this one quality: speed. He’s rich because he’s just faster than everyone else at trying an idea, finding what doesn’t work, what does work, and implementing to capitalize on it.

Change Your Thinking to Change Your Behavior

To change our behaviors, we have to change our thoughts first.

My old thought as I was building my expertise and developing the best methods was not a bad one. It was actually really beneficial. And it got results for my clients.

Old Thought:

“I will become one of the best at what I do, and my offers will be based on accurate science and evidence-based approaches that I’ve spent a lot of time researching and implementing.”

This thought has served me well up to this point in my journey.

The methods I’ve developed get such great results for people that it blows even my mind.

I’m constantly amazed by the transformations I get to witness.

That’s been a huge affirmation of the hours and money I’ve put in and has really boosted my competence-confidence loop. The more competent I become, the more confident I am. Both in myself and in my training system.

But now it’s time for bigger growth . . . which requires new thinking and a shift in my identity as a business owner.

New Thought: 

“I have all the knowledge and skills I need. Now it’s time to take fast, deliberate actions that will result in the growth of my business to multiple six and then seven figures.”

10 Ways I Am Going to Develop a “Fast Action” Identity

1. Write my New Thought down in my journal daily. (Multiple times if necessary.)
2. Declare it out loud to myself in the mirror every morning when I wake up.
3. Keep Post-It Notes around with reminders to have a bias for action.
4. Implement and get ruthless about the same 24 Hour Rule that Codie Sanchez uses at her company, Contrarian Thinking: “I’ll get back to you or execute on that today or in 24 hours. Not next week.”
5. Use my personal favorite goal achievement framework, 90 Day Sprints. (I learned about this concept from entrepreneurs like Brian P. Moran, Ali Abdaal, Michael Hyatt, and others. After experimenting with all kinds of systems, 90 Day goals have, by far, been the most effective for me. )
6. Create milestones and checkpoints for big goals so I can measure my progress.
7. Go after goals that are a little crazy. They push me to think bigger and put the pressure on to move faster.
8. Track my metrics. Numbers never lie. “What gets measured gets managed”. (Peter Drucker)
9. Use a SMART Goal framework. Love it or hate it, it works. It tells your brain exactly what you’re working towards and when it needs to be achieved. And your brain loves really specific, clear, and time bound directions.
10. Track how many failures I’m racking up. Yep. Failures. If I’m failing a lot and finding ways things don’t work, then this is a clear and measurable way of tracking the actions I’m taking. “Failures” are just experiments that lead us closer to success.

Be Fiercely Committed to Taking Action As Soon As You Set Your Goal

There’s so much talk about goal-setting.

Setting the goal is actually the easiest part.

But the actions we take, and how fast we take them, are the most important parts.

People rarely talk about the speed of implementation for the actions.

But it’s a game changer. The faster you move with precision and focus once you make the goal, the more likely you are to gain momentum quickly. And early momentum and forward movement gives you a little dopamine hit, which encourages you to keep going and even accelerates your progress.

Don’t just set the goal.

Set the goal, define your specific action plan, and then don’t delay for even one minute in getting started.

"Do in one day what other people would accomplish in a week. Do in one week what others would do in a month. Do in one quarter what others would complete in a year."

I’m leaning into this, and so far it’s pretty exhilarating to see just how fast I can really move when I set my mind to it.