Art of Life/Donna Parker
Moving From Desire To Action
I have been noticing recently how much of our lives is spent wanting to do something, wishing we could do something … but struggling to move into action. What is the struggle to make this transition all about? Also, how can we more consciously make the transition into action?
Here are a few typical examples so we can see what we are dealing with.
- There is a task I know I want to do (or maybe I feel I should do), but I keep putting it off. Something about it brings me uncertainty, and that makes it uncomfortable, so I put it off over and over. When I finally do it, it is a lot easier than I feared it would be, and I wonder what took me so long.
- There is a project I have been wanting to do for some time, but I keep telling myself that it is not the right time. I am not ready, or things are too busy right now. Even when I find more space, I find other reasons not to do it, because I am not sure how to do it, and taking it on will be stepping outside of my comfort zone.
- I want to hire a coach or start a program that I know will give me the support I have been looking for, but I hesitate. I am not sure if I will do well enough, or if I will be right for the program, or if I will do what is needed to get the value out of it. So I stay in indecision and put off making the commitment.
By now you might be able to tell what it is stopping you: uncertainty, the unknown, and fear.
Fear and uncertainty about the unknown stop us from crossing the threshold into action. The ironic thing is that often the most powerful thing we can do in uncertainty is to step into action – it is in the realm of doing that we learn anything and that we receive the answers we are looking for.
So how do we cross from uncertainty and indecision and avoidance … into action? The following are steps you can use to get you on your path:
- Intention. Set an intention to be in action, rather than getting stuck. For example, see yourself completing the task and how good you feel.
- Turn towards. Notice the uncertainty and fear in your body, as sensation. Can you mindfully be with it when it shows up and bring it love?
- Ask for what you really want. Is this something you care deeply about? Is there a possibility this represents something that is meaningful to you? Do you really want this?
- Make the smallest movement. Often the smallest step can get the ball rolling, and we usually forget that.
- Find the joy. How can this action feel joyous, wondrous, sacred, alive for you?
The more we practice this, the better we get at it. Furthermore, being in action not only feels good, it starts to clear up a lot of the “stuck-ness” of our lives.
