Flip the Switch and Just Do It!

Everyone needs to look up to someone, even adults like me. My rabbi is incredibly erudite, articulate, and compassionate, and I admire him tremendously. Much of what he says makes sense and his sermons rock. He wrote something in his last sermon that's been on my mind lately:

A study was done not too long ago on the effectiveness of self-help groups. There are so many around and they have so many participants, but do they work? The answer: Sometimes. Who do they really help?

Participants in the survey of self-help groups essentially broke down into two distinct groups - Those who, after six months, said their lives had been changed and those who six months later felt they were the same person they were before the course. What made the difference? The people in the first group implemented the changes that they learned in the self-help course within 36 hours of first hearing the suggestions. Those who waited longer than that felt minimal long-term change, if any.

The message seems pretty straightforward: Everyone has moments of inspiration but if the inspiration is going to make a difference you must act on it right away. This may seem impulsive, but I prefer to see it as hearing Gd's call. If your inspiration is helping to bring out the best in you, run with it. (Conversely, if your inspiration is counter-productive or hurtful, you are mislabeling it as "inspiration".)

I have a number of students who spend a lot of time thinking about how to best improve their lives, but they spend lots of time spinning their proverbial wheels. If I can somehow convince them take the initiative and just act immediately after a "light bulb moment," perhaps they will encounter success. For example, many students do their homework erratically or not at all. What approach can I take to get them to Flip the Switch, and make the permanent change for the better?