Ten years ago, I sent out a broadcast inviting readers of The Jackrabbit Factor—those who had seen amazing things happen as a result—to share their success stories with Oprah. The majority of responses were enthusiastic and supportive. But a few, including some who admitted they hadn’t even read the book, posed this question:

"If you practice what you preach, shouldn’t you just put the intention ‘out to the Universe’ and let it deliver what you're asking for, without asking your readers to help you?"

It’s a fair question. But here’s the thing—putting these principles to work isn’t just about wishing for something and waiting for it to appear. Once you know what you want, you must see it in your mind as though you already have it, feel the victory now, and when an idea comes to take action, you must act.

That’s why I sent out the invitation. Not because being on Oprah was the goal, but because I believed it might be a step toward the goal. In truth, Oprah was never the endgame—it was just one possible path. My real goal was the vision I had for my family and the positive impact I wanted to make for families around the world. I knew there were countless ways to reach that goal, but when the idea to reach out to my readers came to me, I acted on it.

Taking Action Can Be Scary

Asking my readers to share their experiences and recommend my book wasn’t easy. I risked ridicule, judgment, and a possible flood of unsubscribes. But I’ve learned that action, while intimidating, is necessary—and fear is normal.

(I’ve also come to realize that people unsubscribing is not a bad thing. If something I say turns someone away, I trust they’ll find what they’re looking for elsewhere, and I genuinely wish them well.)

So, let me emphasize this: When you set a goal, you must act.

Act Where You Are

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that no matter where I am or where I want to go, I can only take action from my current circumstances. Like the acorn in the ground.

The acorn doesn’t need to reach nutrients three feet away—it starts with what’s already in contact with its roots. As it grows, it connects with more and more of what it needs, but only because it first took action where it was.

Wallace Wattles explains this beautifully in Chapter 11 of The Science of Getting Rich:

"Whatever your action is to be, it is evident that you must act NOW. You cannot act in the past, and it is essential to the clearness of your mental vision that you dismiss the past from your mind. You cannot act in the future, for the future is not here yet. And you cannot tell how you will want to act in any future contingency until that contingency has arrived.

"Because you are not in the right business, or the right environment now, do not think that you must postpone action until you get into the right business or environment. And do not spend time in the present taking thought as to the best course in possible future emergencies; have faith in your ability to meet any emergency when it arrives.

"If you act in the present with your mind on the future, your present action will be with a divided mind, and will not be effective.

"Put your whole mind into present action.

"...Act now. There is never any time but now, and there never will be any time but now. If you are ever to begin to make ready for the reception of what you want, you must begin now. And your action, whatever it is, must most likely be in your present business or employment, and must be upon the persons and things in your present environment. You cannot act where you are not; you cannot act where you have been, and you cannot act where you are going to be; you can act only where you are.

"...Do not wait for a change of environment, before you act; get a change of environment by action. You can so act upon the environment in which you are now, as to cause yourself to be transferred to a better environment. Hold with faith and purpose the vision of yourself in the better environment, but act upon your present environment with all your heart, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.

"...Do not feel discouraged, or sit down and lament because you are misplaced. No man was ever so misplaced but that he could not find the right place, and no man ever became so involved in the wrong business but that he could get into the right business.

"Hold the vision of yourself in the right business, with the purpose to get into it, and the faith that you will get into it, and are getting into it; but ACT in your present business. Use your present business as the means of getting a better one, and use your present environment as the means of getting into a better one. Your vision of the right business, if held with faith and purpose, will cause the Supreme to move the right business toward you; and your action, if performed in the Certain Way, will cause you to move toward the business."

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The invitation I sent to my readers that day? It was simply me acting on my present surroundings.

You Don’t Have to Act on Every Idea

Some of my readers did reach out to Oprah’s team. Others had different ideas—some suggested I send a book directly to her producers, while others encouraged me to travel to New York to meet with media reps.

While those ideas may have had merit, they didn’t feel right to me at the time. And honestly, a decade later, being on Oprah doesn’t hold the same appeal it once did. I’ve found many other ways to reach my ultimate goals simply by continuing to act where I am.

So, what was the outcome of my decision to act back then? Who knows? Maybe someone on her staff came across the book and it helped them. I never got a phone call, and that’s okay. At the very least, it gave me the chance to practice and write about the principle of acting where you are.

I’ve learned that if something is truly aligned with my highest goals, it will come together at the right time. If it doesn’t happen when I expect it to, that doesn’t mean I stop moving forward. I still hold a clear vision of the life I’m building and continue acting on the right ideas as they come.

Understand This:

God knows best how to bring your vision to life—but He still expects you to move your feet.

After all, you can’t steer a parked car.

So, what about you? What are your goals? Are you at least moving, even if you’re not entirely sure of the direction?

Do your best to take action where you are in pursuit of your goals, and keep this thought in the back of your mind: “Please nudge me in another direction if I’m wrong.”

As long as you’re moving, God can steer you.

And if you realize you need to turn a corner—or even make a U-turn—it’s not the end of the world. We all make mistakes along the way, but staying stuck is the greatest mistake of all.

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