James Clear in his newsletter wrote, “A programmer and writer who goes by Loopy, on the difference between preparing to do it and actually doing it: 

“Things that aren’t doing the thing: 

• Preparing to do the thing isn’t doing the thing.
• Scheduling time to do the thing isn’t doing the thing.
• Making a to-do list for the thing isn’t doing the thing.
• Telling people you’re going to do the thing isn’t doing the thing.
• Messaging friends who may or may not be doing the thing isn’t doing the thing.
• Writing a  tweet about how you’re going to do the thing isn’t doing the thing.
• Hating on yourself for not doing the thing isn’t doing the thing. 
• Hating on other people who have done the thing isn’t doing the thing. 
• Hating on the obstacles in the way of doing the thing isn’t doing the thing.
• Fantasizing about all of the adoration you’ll receive once you do the thing isn’t doing the thing.
• Reading about how to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. 
• Reading about how other people did the thing isn’t doing the thing. 
• Reading this essay isn’t doing the thing.

The only thing that is doing the thing is doing the thing.” 

To this list, I add a few that I observe in our profession.

Attending a course about how to do it isn’t doing the thing.

Going through yet another financial certification isn’t doing the thing.

Asking me how to do something and then not doing the thing isn’t doing the thing.

You see, our profession is full of people who are forever preparing. Planning. Learning. Certifying. Talking. But rarely doing.

No one builds a great firm by thinking about it.

You build it by doing the work others avoid.

By acting when others hesitate. By executing while others are still preparing.

The world doesn’t reward intentions. It rewards action.

So just do the thing. That’s where the magic is.