If you’ve ever been stuck in a rut of inertia before, you probably know the sense of helpless futility that can take over your life. You want your life to change, but you feel powerless to do anything about it yourself. You may find yourself constantly making plans to improve your life, but never quite getting around to taking action because it seems too difficult.
Though taking action can intimidate and frighten you, it can also empower you! If you learn to use it effectively, it can provide the fuel to keep you moving forward toward more fulfilling life circumstances. When you do this, you realise that there was never anything to fear in the first place!
Below are three simple steps that show you how to get started:
1) First, be sure you understand that your life is the way it is right now because of your hesitation in taking action! FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. This is important, because you’ll understand the importance of moving forward no matter how anxious it makes you feel at first.
Then, decide on one action to take to get the ball rolling. Think about your life right now, and ask yourself which situations you want to change first. You might choose your career, relationships, health, financial situation, or anything else that makes you feel powerless and stuck. Then choose ONE simple action you can take to inspire some positive change. If we think too big we can become overwhelmed. So take one step forward, just SOMETHING to start building momentum.
2) Once you’ve decided on your action step, take the step no matter what! This may seem incredibly difficult or even scary, but remember that most often the things you fear are not going to happen. In fact, more often than not people are just afraid of the “unknown”. Give yourself a pep talk or get the support of someone you respect. After you take that first step, allow yourself to feel great simply because you did something about it! There is never any failure in trying. However having regrets many years down the track is not fun when we realise we let a good opportunity pass us by.
3) Repeat with the same step, and/or others. Once you’ve taken one step forward, you’ll gain some confidence to take another step. Consider this: Even if you take a few small steps in a month, you’ll be putting forth positive effort to make changes in your life, which cannot help but bring about better circumstances! As Lao-Tzu said ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’
The good news is that taking action is normally always easier than we imagine. Just as chronic non-action can create a cycle of fear and negativity over time, being proactive can create a positive cycle that continues to grow! It gets easier the more you do it, like a snow ball building pace and getting bigger once it rolls faster down the hill. Eventually makes it seem almost effortless – you continue to empower and strengthen yourself with every step you take and you may enjoy it so much you find it difficult to stop!
Sharon Craig is a Psychologist, writer and speaker who is passionate about empowering people to realise their true potential so life is lived with authenticity, purpose and inner peace www.bestspiritualcoaching.com