Action!: Nothing Happens Until Something Moves

by Robert J. Ringer

Book Overview

Robert Ringer's books have created a revolution in the self-development genre and shown millions the way to personal and professional achievement. Filled with humorous and enriching anecdotes Action , exhorts the reader when you close the book, get up out of your chair and take action now. Action is life, and life is meant to be lived.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590770587
• ISBN13: 9781590770580
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: M. Evans and Company
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Get out your yellow marker for this one.

This book removed every excuse I've ever thought of for not taking action. It would have been nice if it had been written 10 years ago, but I'm sure glad it's finally arrived. I discovered "Action!" through a friend of mine who was raving about it as being an end-all, be-all for anyone interested in getting ahead in life. I was a bit skeptical, but now that I've read it (twice), I can tell you that he was right. Part of my skepticism stemmed from the fact that I had never read anything by Robert Ringer before, so I feel as though I've just crawled out of a cave. This guy is one great writer. He's also a great thinker and an original thinker. And he somehow manages to be super funny on top of all that. What really resonated with me was how he zeroes in on the basics. He grabbed me in the very first chapter with his incredible analysis of the phenomenon of action. Everyone talks about action, but it wasn't until I read this chapter that I realized that few people have really thought through what it's all about. Ringer discusses action from a scientific perspective, from a spiritual perspective, from the perspective of how it relates to the law of averages, and from the perspective of what he alludes to as "genius, magic, and power." This chapter held so many revelations for me that I had to go back and reread it several times before moving on to chapter 2. I was also pleased to find that, unlike most books in the success/motivation genre, it doesn't tail off. "Action!" is strong from start to finish. I especially like the author's emphasis on such basics as truth, virtue, and creating value for others. If your actions aren't based on truth, you're destined to fail. If your actions aren't based on virtue, you're destined to fail. If your actions aren't based on value creation, you're destined to fail. It opened my eyes to so many aspects of action I had never thought about before. But maybe the most important area that the book covers is how action is the key to overcoming adversity. Robert Ringer's examples of handicapped people who have accomplished great things is truly inspiring. Anyone who reads these stories and anecdotes will never feel sorry for himself again. So, again, I have to admit it -- this book really is an end-all, be-all. I feel like I just got a Ph.D. in Insights Into Life. I have three young children, and this is the one book I'm going to make sure they read before they graduate from high school. It deserves 10 stars, but unfortunately the limit is only five.

Ringer outdoes himself again.

I've experienced a great deal of success over the past 20 years, in no small part due to what I've learned from Robert Ringer's incredible books. Once you've read anything written by Ringer, you have difficulty reading any other authors' books on motivation, self-improvement, or success. I've read, or tried to read, many other books in these fields, and they all have several things in common. First of all, most of them -- especially some of the most well-known self-improvement and business books -- bore me to death. Secondly, the authors almost always take the safe, conventional path and say the same old tired things that they apparently believe will make them look like Boy Scouts in the public's eye. In other words, they don't write about the way things are in the real world. Finally, none of them has a sense of humor -- certainly not anything close to Robert Ringer's unique sense of humor. But what amazes me most about Robert Ringer is that each book he writes somehow manages to outdo his previous classics...and, make no mistake about it, they are all classics. Now, Ringer has done it again with Action! Nothing Happens Until Something Moves. The scope of this book is breathtaking. It ranges from spirituality to value creation to happiness -- and everything in between. I believe Ringer is the only author alive who could write about spirituality in such a way that it can be embraced by people of all religions -- or even atheists. And that's exactly what he does in the very first chapter of the book with his awesome job of explaining the link between spirituality and action. He got me to think about things I had never thought about before, which is vintage Ringer: getting the reader to think! What I appreciate perhaps more than anything else is that Ringer has a remarkable knack for addressing simple things that we all take for granted, and helping the reader to see them in a whole new light. For example, in Action! he does this brilliantly with the law of averages. Most people have a reasonable understanding of how the law of averages works, but I don't think they really give this universal principle much conscious thought. Action! explains the law of averages in a way that makes you realize that its power is literally unlimited. In conjunction with the law of averages, what really hit home with me was Ringer's explanation of why the mere act of asking is the simplest and most rewarding action a person can take. All you need to do is ask, and ask, and ask again, and your success is virtually guaranteed by the law of averages. This unique discussion of the law of averages is worth the price of the book alone. However, it's only the tip of the iceberg. The book's broad range is like nothing I've ever read before, including Ringer's past books. There's something here for everybody -- how to handle problem people, how to free yourself from the things that prevent you from taking action, how to use action to overcome advers

Action is the antidote to fear

Action! Nothing Happens Until Something Moves marks the first time in my life I've taken a highlighter to the pages of a new book. Twelve days ago, I had no idea how I was going to motivate myself to even begin what I considered to be the single most discouraging task a person can undertake: look for work. The next day I stumbled on Robert Ringer's latest self-improvement book Action! during a random bookstore search, and today I have a job. Mr. Ringer describes the very real principles which take effect once you begin to move toward your goals. Since most of us have a fairly accurate idea of where we want to be (in contrast to where we actually are), and are able, with the expenditure of sufficient time, energy and honesty, to determine the "cost" of getting there, the missing ingredient tends to be the ability to take action. I discovered, as I read Action! in between job interviews, that my mistake had been a paralysis based on my fear of making mistakes, which is precisely why taking immediate action is such a lifesaver. I did make mistakes, which led me to be much more confident and prepared once I found myself in the right place and time, interviewing for the position I wanted the most. Action! is much more than a Nike advertisement ("Just Do It"). The author brings a lifetime of experiences to the discussion, detailing both his successes and failures. It was the latter that inspired me the most, as his humble, self-depreciating tone gradually won me over. Second only to Mr. Ringer's ability to communicate clearly and effectively is his ability to use his personal experiences and narrative style to make the reader like him (which, of course, goes a long way toward inspiring the discouraged or apathetic reader, as it's much easier to take advice from a friend than it is from an instruction manual). The further I read, the easier it was to digest and apply these principals, primarily because I felt a sense of trust toward the author. I also found it interesting that Mr. Ringer, with a lifetime of success as an entrepreneur, author and public speaker, avoids the mistake made by so many financially successful self-help authors: that of too often addressing those on the higher rungs of the socioeconomic ladder. Action! is written for the clerk, the assembly line worker, the student, the parent, and anyone else who desires a better life, but finds the day-to-day complications of living to be overwhelming to his or her ability to overcome inertia. The author's counsel on making oneself as valuable as possible to an employer was of particular value to me, as I "sold" myself to prospective employers during my job interviews, and the same advice will continue to benefit me now that I've reentered the work force. Of course, the end of the journey should not simply be a higher paying, more complex version of the rat race you're now running, and Action! addresses this as well. Conversely, reaching one's goals does not mean finding a pot of gold a

Lots of New with a little of the Old - ONE EXCELLENT BOOK!

I've been reading Ringer since his first infamous book "Winning Through Intimidation". I just recently reread "Looking Out for Number One" and was astonished at how it had influenced me in the last 15 years. That book is a real lesson in how to get a reality based viewpoint on life and how to recognize that most of the social engineering and the propaganda we are subjected to daily is a negative influence. Which leads to the review of this book. Some have said that it covers no new ground. That be hogwash, in my opinion. The first 70 or so pages is virtually all new material, created from Robert"s investigation into the value of action and the amazing things action will bring into your life. He explains why action always works - even if it doesn't lead you the direction you thought it would. He offers many new and original insights and will get your brain working on steroids as he shatters so many of your pre conceptions about everything from wealth to spirituality. After the first third of the book, he does do a bit of rehashing of much of his previous writing, although in many cases he puts a new slant on it based on the action concepts. This is not really a critisism as any book must be written for a first time reader, an author can't work from the assumption that a reader knows their previous material. I give this boook 5 stars because of the power of his analysis and the inherant truth in all he says. You should buy it and read it, that is for sure. That said I do have a minor critisism. You can almost feel 2 Robert Ringers in this book. He has, whether he really wants to admit it, gown kinder, gentler wiser and more spiritual as he gets older, like many of us. That is a good thing and you can hear the more spiritual side in most all of his new material. He does a brilliant fable about the state of the world (Two Tribes Story) that perfectly demonstrates the folly of our violent ways. I will be using a version of that fable in my story telling. When he bases parts on his old material, his older more abrasive Ringer comes out, including his statements such as "all lawyers aren't bad, only 97% of them" and pointing fingers and denigrating "long haired, ring in the nose" young folks. Which, in my opionion is pointless judging and actually doesn't agree with the voice that wrote the first part of the book, which advocates a "live and let live" attitude towards those different from you. That said, buy it (even if you are a long haired, ring in the nose youth). This is one book purchase that I cannot imagine NOT improving anyone's life tremendously.

A life changing experience!

This is the first book I have ever reviewed. It's also the first book I've ever read in one sitting. I simply could put it down because every sentence set off flashing bulbs in my head. Once you read the first chapter -- perhaps the best insight into life I've ever read -- you're hooked. Everyone pays lip service to action, but Robert Ringer makes you see action in ways that are new and powerful. What I thought was especially remarkable though is how he explained the relationship between action and so many basic principles and problems we experience in our day-to-day lives...things like truth, creating value for others, virtues, self-discipline, and more. The killer chapter is the one on "people taxes" where the author explains how problem people rob you of time, energy and other personal resources and get in the way of your taking action. That one really hit home with me. People with serious physical handicaps will especially appreciate the chapter on adversity and action. Ringer gives a unique perspective in that he makes the point that everyone has many handicaps, because a handicap is really anything that makes achievement more difficult. And since so many people with serious physical handicaps have found ways to overcome them and lead meaningful lives, the minor handicaps that most of us have to deal with are relatively easy to handle. Again, this one really got to me. It made me realize that I have to stop thinking in terms of "problems" and start focusing on taking the kind of action that will assure that things will come out right. Don't miss this book! It has everything you need to get where you want to go in life. Ringer even ties in some key material from his other books to show their relationship to the phenomenon of action. I'm going to reread it this weekend...and probably many more times after that.