The only relationship between work and chatter is that one kills the other.
Let the others slap each other on the back while you’re back in the lab or the gym or pounding the pavement.

If you often talk about what you’re going to do instead of doing it, you’re not only wasting time you could have spent working on your goal, but also run the risk of not doing anything at all.

Self-congratulatory chatter carries with it the danger that you confuse it with what actually matters: work. Merely talking about your goals doesn’t turn you into a person who is working on them.

This phenomenon is most visible in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs who talk the most are usually the ones doing the least. They attend every seminar, meet-up, workshop, and are heavy social media users, but when it comes to making actual progress with their business, somehow it slips between the cracks. Some of them don’t even have an actual business. They’re in a never-ending “research phase.”

But don’t worry, everybody thinks you’re taking a lot of action based on how much you talk about business and that’s what matters, right? Sadly, while it can gain you points for popularity among the gullible, it isn’t a substitute for work and achievement.

To ensure that you actually do the work and get the results, be cautious talking about your goals with others. Use a simple rule of thumb: if you’re talking merely to show off, save it. If you’re talking to gather valuable feedback or get support, do it, but what’s more important, actually act on the advice you receive.

Fun is at the core of the way I like to do business and it has been key to everything I’ve done from the outset. More than any other element, fun is the secret of Virgin’s success. I am aware that the idea of business as being fun and creative goes right against the grain of convention, and it’s certainly not how they teach it at some of those business schools, where business means hard grind and lots of “discounted cash flows” and “net present values”.

Building self-discipline and working on your long-term goals doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, if it is, you’ll have a hard time reaching success because if something bores you to tears or doesn’t produce much excitement, it’s difficult to stick to it in the long term.

Probably the most common area in which I see most people struggling because of lack of fun is exercise. If you succumb to the popular notion that exercise has to be repetitive, painful, and boring, guess what… A few weeks from now, you’ll be back in front of your TV, wondering what motivated you to do such a stupid thing as attending those torturous fitness classes.

The only way to develop a permanent habit of regular physical activity is to find an exercise you enjoy. Without the fun factor, exercise will always feel like a chore, and you probably already have enough obligations in your life.

The same applies to virtually any other endeavor. I treat my business seriously, but at the same time I’m trying to make it a bit more fun, either by throwing in a joke here and there while writing a book, coming up with a fun writing challenge, or testing new exciting ideas.

Do you consider working on your goals enjoyable and fun or is it mostly a chore? If it’s the latter, time to grab a notepad and make a list of things you can do to introduce more fun and excitement.