Why "Massive Action" Shouldn't Be a Temper Tantrum: You Don't Need to Just Unleash the Beast, You Also Need Patience
The real secret to success isn't just force; it's patience. An important key to success is creating patterns of movement that create confidence, strength, and flexibility.
The real secret to success isn’t just force; it’s patience. An important key to success is creating patterns of movement that create confidence, strength, and flexibility.
When you have a blueprint—a set of plans put together with the care of an architect—and you hit a wall, you don’t just keep banging your head against the brick until you have a concussion. You look at the map.
Unleashing the Beast or Your Monster — There’s More to it Than That
I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter lately on Substack and LinkedIn about “letting the monster out.” You’ve probably seen it too—the idea that inside all of us is this primal, aggressive beast that just needs to be unleashed to achieve our goals.
It’s cinematic. It’s high-octane. It makes for a great motivational poster.
But if we’re being honest, most people who try to run their lives on raw, unbridled “beast mode” end up in one of two places: burnt out or surrounded by wreckage.
In my talks with my clients I talk a lot about the necessity for moving with High-Impact Execution at a massive scale when needed. But I’m not suggesting you become a mindless wrecking ball.
It’s been my observation that most people jump into the river of life without ever deciding where they want to go or why. That river turns into what I call “The Drift”, a storm-swollen, madly rushing river. They get swept up in the current, directed by the environment instead of their own values, until one day they hear the roar of the falls and realize they’re five feet from the edge with no oars.
Opportunities passed by on the river bank, with no way to get back to them.
Taking “massive action” or “unleashing your beast” without a plan is just paddling like a maniac while you’re already heading over the falls.
Building the House, Not Just Breaking Bricks
Think of your life’s ambition like building a home. You wouldn’t just show up to a vacant lot and start throwing bricks into a pile because you’re “feeling the fire.” You’d be exhausted, and you still wouldn’t have a place to sleep.
First, you have to be the Architect. You have to decide exactly what kind of house you want and where it should be. Your destiny is shaped by your decisions about what to focus on and what you’re going to do to create the results you desire. You need a vision that is so clear you can see the grain in the wood of the front door.
Next, you have to be the Engineer. You need to understand why you want that particular floor plan. Is it to provide security for your family? Is it to create a space for your art? Without a compelling “Why,” you’ll stop digging the moment you hit hard rock.
Then comes the part the “monster” coaches usually skip: The Foundation.
You clear the ground. You level the dirt. You dig the basement and shore up the walls. You pour the concrete and wait for it to cure. This is the “massive action” that matters—the consistent, often unglamorous work of laying a solid base so that when the storms come, the house doesn’t fall apart.
High-Impact Execution + Flexibility = Success
The real secret to success isn’t just force; it’s flexibility. An important key to success is creating patterns of movement that create confidence, strength, and flexibility.
When you have a blueprint—a set of plans put together with the care of an architect—and you hit a wall, you don’t just keep banging your head against the brick until you have a concussion. You look at the map. You step to the left. You recalibrate. You take a different route to the same destination. It’s not about changing the goal; it’s about having the “profound knowledge” to change the strategy until you find the one that works.
Respect the Drive, But Use the Map
I’m not here to hurt the feelings of the “unleash the beast” crowd. That intensity is a gift; it’s the fuel in the tank. But most influencers are leaving an important part out.
Fuel without a steering wheel is just a fire waiting to happen.
If you want to reach your ultimate destiny, don’t just “go with the flow” or scream at the sky.
Put both oars in the water. Decide what you want, understand why you want it, and build a plan that can sustain your ambition. Take massive action to keep that plan rolling, and when you hit a snag, have the presence of mind to step to the side and go again.
Creating Your Roadmap or Action Plan
These are outlined steps to moving towards your dream.
Decide what you want, your ultimate goal — financial independence, to work and live overseas, publish a book, etc.
Make your goal measurable (SMART Goal) — Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound.
Get Clear about your Why — Sort out exactly why you want what you want. This stage is super important.
Create an Action Plan — Outline all of the sub-goals, the steps needed to accomplish them, possible distractions or roadblocks, possible solutions to those distractions and roadblocks, strengths and things in need of attention.
Be Prepared to Alter Your Action Plan
For instance, you want to work for the government as an Cybersecurity Analyst: decide the job you want, then where do you want to work, what do you have to do to get the job done (e.g. college classes, networking, etc.), why do you want this particular career and job, create a plan (where to take classes, how to arrange for someone to watch the children, do you have to get off from work early Tuesday and Thursday, how to pay for the courses and maybe the babysitter, etc.
Need a copy of an Action Plan or how to design one — drop me an email for a free, template... DrJimPolk@gmail.com
But there’s one more important key online coaches are touching on. One that if you don’t practice it, will bring anxiety, maybe anger and lowered self-esteem, and have you give up — the ability to be patient.
The Necessity for Patience
Rome wasn’t built in a day. What does that mean for you?
It means that big, meaningful things take time. You can’t expect major results—mastery, a great career, a strong business, a fit body—to happen instantly. It’s a reminder to be patient and persistent, and to judge progress over weeks and months, not hours and days.
“Well, what’s the secret to being patient, it’s always been a problem for me?”
Here are Three Ways to Develop Patience
1. Time-box the Win (train delayed gratification).
Pick one meaningful goal each day and commit to a small, non-negotiable action for 30–60 minutes—then stop. You’re teaching your nervous system: “I can move the needle without needing the whole payoff today.” Track it on a simple streak calendar.
2. Install a “pause protocol” under pressure.
When you feel urgency or irritation: exhale slowly for 6 seconds, twice, then ask: “What’s the next smallest effective step?” Patience isn’t passive—it’s controlled action. This builds cognitive control and prevents reactive decisions.
3. Shift the scoreboard from outcomes to process.
Define 2–3 weekly process metrics that you can actually control (e.g., deep-work hours, PRs merged, customer calls, learning reps). Review every Friday: What repeated? What improved? What needs one tweak?
Patience grows when progress is visible—even before the “big result” shows up.giant within isn’t a monster to be feared or a beast to be let off a leash—it’s the capacity to make conscious decisions and take directed, persistent action until the house is built.
The Biggest, Most Powerful Patience Developer — Mindful Meditation
Mindful meditation is strength training for your attention. It builds the ability to notice impulse, stress, and distraction without obeying them—which is the core of patience and persistence.
As focus stabilizes, mental noise drops, working memory improves, and the brain makes better connections—so creative insights show up more often and execution gets cleaner.
I’ll post more on how to get started with meditation later.
Wrapping It Up
Stop swinging the hammer at nothing. Start pouring the foundation.
Remember, you’re not limited by your circumstances, only by what you believe you can accomplish.
If you’d like a complimentary .pdf on “Creating Your Vision” that I’ve used with thousands, drop me an email at: DrJimPolk@gmail.com
Dr Jim Polk shapes individuals and organizations in a way that redefines their limits, and maximizes their performance, productivity, creativity and work quality ... While ensuring people enjoy their careers and lives away from work.
Jim is a Neuropsychologist and Executive & Peak Performance Coach with over 44 years experience working with such organizations as NASA, Fortune 50 and 500 tech companies, senior officials in federal government in AI and Cybersecurity, tech professionals and startups.
Dr Jim Polk lives and works in the Tech Hub of LATAM - Medellín Colombia and offers both Individual Coaching and Workshops, in-person and virtually, in LATAM and Globally. Contact him at: DrJimPolk@gmail.com or visit his website at: DrJimPolk.co