behavior and realize that he would have treated anyone as he had
treated her. She realized that her dependence had given him
more power than he was due, and she was able to stop taking his
attempts at manipulation personally. Accepting that her father
was, in fact, her least likely source of reliable financial support was
a tearful experience, but it was surely less painful than the
prospect of continued reliance on him.
Using the methods described in this book, Nancy was able to see
that she had a choice about how to perceive her father’s behavior.
She was able to accept the reality that she could not count on him
and able to accept the challenge of becoming the generator of her
own abundant income.Action
By “action” we refer to consistent, effective behavior that moves you
toward your goal. To learn the proper steps to take, you can seek
out advice from people who have done it before, or you can figure
it out yourself. Procrastination and struggle are energy drainers and
time wasters that will distract you from taking effective action. Pro-
crastination is caused by fear. It doesn’t matter what the fear is ex-
actly, but accepting the fear will relieve you of procrastination.
When we talk about action, many times people leap to the
conclusion that we are suggesting additional action. You may
be thinking “I don’t have time for any additional action.” As the
next example shows, we don’t necessarily mean moreaction, but
ratherdifferentaction. Doing more of what is not working for you
is foolishness.
Dorothy is a dedicated sales representative for a telephone ser-
vice provider. She worked part-time in her business several nights
per week to fit it into her schedule of a full-time job and family re-
sponsibilities. She was diligent about making her prospecting calls
during the time she scheduled for them, but the results were disap-
pointing. When I (PL) suggested that she change her action, she
immediately insisted that she didn’t have enough time due to her
full schedule. I pointed out that I thought she would benefit not
from more action, but from differentaction.
Instead of the two hours of prospecting phoning she had been
doing, I suggested she divide her scheduled work time in her part-
time business into two sections. In the first section, of 15 minutes,
she would use the affirmations and visualization methods that I had66 Three Ingredients to Effective Change: Awareness, Acceptance, and Action