What's the difference between doing and dabbling?
Seems a bit silly to ask that, doesn't it? After all, everybody knows the difference, right?
Well, perhaps not so much...
Dabblers are people who "try" something out. They think about it, maybe take a teeny bit of action, but always have a reason they don't fully commit. They don't have time, they don't have money, they aren't sure, they aren't sure if it will work...
Doers, on the other hand, well...Do. They make a decision and then take action. They may not get exactly what they want, but by DOING, they are at least moving in the direction they want, and can make course corrections along the way.
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of places where it makes sense to dabble to your heart's content - hobbies, entertainment, maybe even gardening (depending on your penchant for beautiful flowers or healthy vegetables), etc. I'm sure you can think of many places in your life where it makes sense to dabble.
But the question is, are you dabbling where you ought to be doing?
If you don't like the word "ought", ask yourself if you are getting the results you want in a particular area. If not, are you dabbling there, or have you truly committed, past the "trying" stage? Are you taking consistent action toward what you want?
For me, the distinction between doer and dabbler was a mind-altering one. It led me to take a clear look at various projects I'm involved in, and gave me a whole new way of evaluating the progress with each one. It was clear that where I was most frustrated, I was also dabbling. Where I felt most fulfilled, I was doing.
There were certainly areas where I wasn't making the progress I had hoped for, but I wasn't frustrated by it. That tells me that dabbling in those areas was OK with me. Obviously they weren't priorities.
But, where something was a priority in my mind, but only worth dabbling in my actions, I experience monster-sized levels of frustration.
As a result of this, I have shifted how I think about my business and my personal life. It has given me great relief to stop beating myself up when I dabble in dabble-appropriate areas and a new sense of focus and mission in the areas which are my highest priorities.