By Shelly Webb

There’s a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that says, “Do the thing, and you will have the power.”
Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’ll do this when that happens”? Maybe it’s getting your hair done, learning a new skill, or taking your family on a road trip. Maybe it’s something bigger—traveling the world or buying a new home. Whatever it is, we often want the results without taking the action that will get us there.

For me, the thing I really wanted was to be physically fit—to run and dance again. But according to my doctor, I wasn’t supposed to run or jump until I had lost a significant amount of weight. Those movements just weren’t safe for my joints in the condition I was in. I used that as part of my excuse to avoid doing the very exercises I loved—dancing, kickboxing, running. I was absolutely miserable with where I was physically.

So the first thing I did was work on my thinking. I started by trying to think like a physically fit person. Not long after that shift, I made a decision: I was going to move my body in the ways I loved, no matter how out of shape I felt. I chose to hold off on running, but I knew I could modify my dancing and kickboxing to be low impact and skip the jumping.

It was hard at first—especially when I compared myself to the “me” from four years earlier who was stronger and leaner. But I kept going. And over time, the workouts became fun again. I actually started looking forward to them. Even better? I lost my first 40 pounds.

One morning, I woke up early to do my personal development and exercise, and something clicked. I felt inside like the person I wanted to become. I hadn’t reached my final goal yet, but I was already becoming that person—because I changed my thoughts and took aligned action before I had the results.

That’s where Emerson’s quote really comes to life: “Do the thing, and you will have the power.” The power doesn’t show up first—it comes after you move. Often, the inspired actions you need most won’t reveal themselves until your thinking is aligned with your vision.

Think. Do. Be.
Those are the first steps. The outcome—the possession, the experience, the ability—comes after.

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