Inspired Action - WTF??

[TheColonel]

Lately I've seen several threads touch on the fact that you must do something after you've set your intention.

As a guy who spent decades taking action based on combinations of anxiety, fear and the feeling that 'by God, I should be doing something,' I can tell that some people will be utterly confused by the idea of 'taking action.'

My first 18 months of LoA was a boot camp of learning when to do something and when to NOT do something.

I know that performing activity - just for the sake of 'doing something' - is -usually counter-productive. Likewise, taking action out of fear, loathing or anxiety usually creates the need for even more CORRECTIVE actions.

So how do you tell the difference between Inspired Action and Anxiety-Based Action?

First off, cut back on caffeine. Seriously.

The most concise description of Inspired Action that I can give, is: It feels effortless, or near-effortless. Or fun.

Now you can't just stop doing your job, chores or anything that isn't fun. But you can analyze and consider your actions from this perspective. Over time, you gain perspective on what IS and what ISN"T an action you should take.

Occasionally, I have to tell myself: "Don't just do something...Sit there!"

[Frans]

I noticed the same pattern in recent threads.
It's a fact that there are conflicting point of views amongst I-M believers.
Some say you don't need to do anything, others say "you have to pay a price"...
Interesting....

[Athena]

So how do you tell the difference between Inspired Action and Anxiety-Based Action?

First off, cut back on caffeine. Seriously.

The most concise description of Inspired Action that I can give, is: It feels effortless, or near-effortless. Or fun.

hahaha!

this is very true-- inspired action feels like magnetism, from within, to a higher goal or objective.

At the same time, I think that sometimes at the beginning, when you're breaking out of your comfort zone, a bit of an initial catalyst is important as a kick to action- that may not feel like fun at first, but the fun should pick up soon afterwards when that is the right path.

[alexb5784]

I agree. Just because we're taking action, doesn't mean that we're taking focused action. If you're a stressed work-a-holic, whose only intention is to climb up the success ladder just for money, then you'll do nothing but create more stress and anxiety. While it's true that action is better than no action, I believe that action has to be focused on what we really want and not on some vague outcome.

If the work-a-holic executive took a step back and said What I really want is to make more money, spend more time with my family and enjoy my career, then he/she needs to take new actions, based on these exact requirements. Too often people just say Well I want more money, so I'll just work more hours. Big mistake.

The biggest problem people have with setting goals, is that they set goals in the wrong way. They set them without a real focus. They want more money. They want love. They want success. But what's love? What's success? What's being rich? We must define the what, so we can attract the how. If you say I want more money and that's it, then the universe will send you two pennies laying on the ground or a coupon for 50 cents in the Sunday paper. But you made an intention for more money, right? We'll ya got it!

In the beginning, I used to be vague about what I wanted, but it did condition me to believe I could have what I wanted. However, nothing change in my life, until I started taking focused action. Without focused action, I would still be walking around saying I wanna be rich, while at the same time finding pennies on the ground.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Athena

At the same time, I think that sometimes at the beginning, when you're breaking out of your comfort zone, a bit of an initial catalyst is important as a kick to action- that may not feel like fun at first, but the fun should pick up soon afterwards when that is the right path.

Also, action strengthens intention. If you manage to keep doing it regularly, it becomes a habit. And a habit is, after all, an intention in repeat mode.

For example - exercise may seem like a pain or a chore, when you first start trying to do it regularly. But if as the Nike ad says, you "just do it" again and again, and it becomes a habit, then it becomes easy. In fact, you would feel slightly unwell & ill-at-ease, if you skipped a workout.

What has happened here is that action has strengthened the intention. You have been taking action (doing your exercise) so regularly that the intention (to exercise regularly) has grown proportionately. And so there is no more mental resistance, when it's time to go to the gym.

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by Frans

I noticed the same pattern in recent threads.
It's a fact that there are conflicting point of views amongst I-M believers.
Some say you don't need to do anything, others say "you have to pay a price"...
Interesting....

I think the disagreement between IM believers hasn't really been so much about action, but rather whether the results come strictly from the action.

Meaning, non-believers think that IM is just a motivating tool and if someone spends 3 weeks focusing on their intention for 1 hour a day by meditating and visualizing etc. nothing has yet happened in the world to manifest that intention besides that person's level of motivation going up. Then, after 3 weeks if that person now begins to take action, that is really the first step towards there being any change in the universe in terms of making that intention happen.

Believers, at least the way I see it, believe that during that 3 week period the universe is arranging things, making things happen, in order for that person's intention to arrive to them, so that by the time the 3 weeks is done, YES the person has to take personal action to "receive" the intention but the MAJORITY of the work has already been done at that point.

As Steve has put it, IM is like a marketing campaign or an AD in the newspaper telling people there is a sale on at your business. Yes, your sales people still have to process the clients lined up outside the door, but that's only a little bit of work compared to how much work they would have to do in order to cold-call everybody in town to tell them about the sale if the marketing campaign wasn't there.

This is the tricky point, because non-believers begin to now say "So what, are you remote controlling the people?" etc.