Lights, Camera, Action – ElPropósito4 min de lectura

The three steps of a winning sequence

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

"Lights, camera, action" is a very common phrase, and it carries an important meaning for life. These three words leave me a big lesson, especially the last one: action. Every goal, habit, dream, idea or aspiration has, and must have, that gear of taking action. We’re often unaware of it, and it may play one of the most fundamental roles in achieving any vision. What can we do to become aware of each of the three and improve our course every day?

We’re all born with a light. However brightly we believe it shines, it stands for our mission. Anyone who discovers their life purpose radiates light, and that light shines on others too. Someone who knows where they’re going, or where they should be going, usually has a gift for lighting up any map in the dark, navigating through the fog and steering around all kinds of obstacles.

The light stands for the true north where mind and heart agree to move together. The challenge is knowing what our light is. What am I in this world for? Once we discover it, many things start to make sense, and life itself provides everything we need to clear the undergrowth from the path. What is your light?

The camera analogy is a very interesting one. It stands for the focus we can and should achieve: the concentration we need to think clearly, free of noise, with perfect lighting to solve any challenge. However hard or painful that challenge is, it’s in tune with our purpose (we were the ones who decided to enter this game), and once we’ve identified what we want, the challenge becomes keeping our focus until we reach the goal.

The third element, action, was the reason for this post. I say "was" because, as I write, I’m becoming even more aware of how important all three are together. Still, an idea without action is just that, an idea. Quality action happens largely when I stop, think and act; when I can see that my next action is aligned with my life purpose; when I can focus on a single task; and when I have the will to act regardless of the day, the hour or the perfect moment. Any moment is the best moment to act.

"Lights, camera, action": the three run at the same time. As long as there’s light (a firm purpose that gives meaning), there can be a camera (focus on one goal, task or habit at a time), and so the action will be headed toward immediate execution and, above all, carried out with will.

Warm regards,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. This week’s VELA:

• What I was Watching: Interview with Jordan Peterson. A great debate of ideas and a very clear conversation. Separating the truths from the interpretations, this interview leaves me with a special appreciation of what a great thinker Dr. Peterson is. I already follow and admire his work, and in my life he blends with Dr. Mario Alonso Puig, whom I follow and whose books and interviews I will always recommend.
• What I was Listening to: Why do we sleep? A short TED en Español podcast with a big message about sleep and why it matters. People who know me know I used to sleep very little (four hours on average). Today my average is up to seven hours, a significant change, and the results in my life have been remarkably powerful.
• What I was Reading: Atomic Habits. A great book to close out November 2020 with, and perhaps one of the best I’ve read this year. It came recommended by my close friend Otto Velásquez, whom I admire and with whom I’m lucky to share many articles, books and ideas week after week. This book complements, and clearly surpasses, others I’ve read on habits. It turned out to be the final piece I needed to understand how a habit is born and how existing ones evolve.
• What I was Learning: How to fight fear and anxiety. A great lecture worth watching, especially for becoming aware of the things that weaken our immune system and make us more likely to slide into a downward spiral for no reason.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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