“It’s not just about doing more and procrastinating less. It’s about your dreams, your passion, the risks you need to take and the opportunity to forget yourself and simply disappear into the moment as it unfolds. It’s about less talk and more action. It’s about less blaming and more appreciation. It’s about less mindlessness and more presence. …
You just need to figure out how to work with your life — with your circumstances, your feelings, your family members, your challenges, your dreams and your disappointments. You have to figure out what you need to do, when you need to do it, and how to do it to your best ability. There’s nobody whipping you from behind. Your life is in front of you, waiting . . . for your next move.”
~ Gregg Krech from The Art of Taking Action
Gregg Krech is one of the world’s leading teachers of Japanese psychology.
This book integrates three core facets of the work he has done for the last 25+ years: Morita Therapy + kaizen + Naikan.
The essence of Morita’s work is the fact that we have way more control over our behaviors than we do our thoughts and feelings; therefore, if we want to live effectively, that’s where we should focus our energy. Kaizen, of course, is the practice of small, consistent, incremental improvement. And, Naikan is all about cultivating our self-awareness.
Gregg brings the wisdom from each of these traditions to life throughout the book. I really enjoyed it. (Get a copy here.)
We touch on similar ideas in our Notes on David Reynolds’s Constructive Living, Dan Millman’s Everyday Enlightenment and Patricia Ryan Madson’s Improv Wisdom plus Steven Pressfield’s War of Art, Robert Maurer’s One Small Step, and Stephen Guise’s Mini Habits.
The book is written in mini-chapter form and is packed with Big Ideas. I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!
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