What is the Magic of Taking Action?
Taking action creates magic in the most wonderful and unexpected of ways. For example, I’ve been working with a new accountability partner. JJ, a colleague, reached out for assistance with a procrastination business issue, and I realized I had my person. I was having the same issue. While our businesses are unique, the struggles to overcome resistance as a solo entrepreneur are sometimes more than we can tackle alone. We made a pact for 90 days.
Curiously, the minute I asked about working together, and he said yes, the magic started to happen. Suddenly I was creating crystal clear, 90 day goals. Soon, I had them broken down into three sets of 30 day goals. We both agreed we needed a clear, written vision for what we wanted to accomplish by the end of the 90 days. So I wrote a vision statement. Then I remembered I had started a vision movie a year ago. The movie was dusted off and updated and dropped to my desktop. Before I knew it I was in full-on action mode and the magic was everywhere. Things were getting done.
Action Creates Energy
Action is like its own feeding station. Once you make the first move in the direction of your goals, energy is created and the next move gets easier. And then the next one and the next one. It’s like swimming; with just one small stroke you start moving through the water. Another stroke and you move faster. Put the two together and suddenly you’re moving through the water like a fish.
Nothing is more stagnating than stagnation itself. Standing still is inertia and inertia is the hardest state to shake out of.
Action Reveals a Pathway
Have you ever renovated a room in your house or apartment? Then you know the expression “one thing leads to another”. Action is like that. Much like walking in the forest and following a path. One step, then another, then another and like magic the path reveals itself between the trees.
Often we just don’t know what the path looks like. Procrastination reinforces the unknown like “I just don’t know how to do this” or “I just don’t know how to make this happen or get it done”.
Taking just one small step forward can change all that.
Action is the Solution to Fear
Nothing feeds fear like fear itself. Fear makes us freeze or run away. Neither is helpful to managing clutter or trying to accomplish our goals and dreams.
Action is the antidote to fear, is a quote from Amy Porterfield course creator, podcaster, online content industry leader, author and speaker. We think our challenge looks like this rock climber. We think we will be hanging from the cliff edge with a few ropes and carabiners.
Often the reality is quite different than our fear-based perspective. Often the reality is more like that walk in the forest where a simple step forward reveals the next section of pathway.
How to Break out of Inertia
Earlier last year I wrote about self coaching your mindset when mindset is the reason for not taking action. Let’s look at three specific activities you can use to propel yourself in the direction of success.
- Review the outcome of what it is you are trying to do or accomplish. Get a really clear view in your mind of what the accomplishment will look like. Athletes who use visualization to support their success all know how strong this tool can be. Our brain doesn’t distinguish between what we actually did and what we think we did. When an Alpine downhill ski racer visualizes in minute detail streaking down the hill in perfect formation to successfully cross the finish line in 1st place, the brain believes this is what actually happened. Get clear on the outcome – in colour detail.
- Identify the smallest step forward – the smallest action – you could take in the direction of your goal you know you are guaranteed to be successful. It doesn’t matter how small the step is. Remember, just taking the step forward will generate energy, show you the path and help overcome fear.
- Celebrate your success when that first step has been accomplished. Reward yourself for facing your fear, tackling the inertia and getting a step done. Then immediately identify the next, small, guarantee-to-be-successful step. Commit to a date on when that next step will be taken. Repeat.
You got this. Go for it.
