How do YOU turn thought into action

[Stu]

So for awhile now I've wanted to be a creative writer. Writing a book is on my goal list and I've always felt intuitively that writing is something I would enjoy and even more, something I need to do, just to express myself.

Then, a few weeks ago, like a switch had been flipped I just started writing, and now it's all I think about, I can't stop. I've spent huge stretches of time just writing, not even stopping to eat. I couldn't be happier, but I'm also perplexed, because for the life of me I can't identify what the trigger was, what the thing was that got me started. I would love to know what it is so I can use it again, and it would be wonderful to be able to tell others about it, but I can't figure it out.

So, I'm wondering, what does it for everyone else? What turns a thought or a goal in to real action? How do you go from A to B?

[machoman]

Originally Posted by Stu

So for awhile now I've wanted to be a creative writer. Writing a book is on my goal list and I've always felt intuitively that writing is something I would enjoy and even more, something I need to do, just to express myself.

Then, a few weeks ago, like a switch had been flipped I just started writing, and now it's all I think about, I can't stop. I've spent huge stretches of time just writing, not even stopping to eat. I couldn't be happier, but I'm also perplexed, because for the life of me I can't identify what the trigger was, what the thing was that got me started. I would love to know what it is so I can use it again, and it would be wonderful to be able to tell others about it, but I can't figure it out.

So, I'm wondering, what does it for everyone else? What turns a thought or a goal in to real action? How do you go from A to B?

Well, I think that when a person's thoughts or goals turn into real action only when he is truly committed to do his work. When a person has an obsession in any of his goals or anything, that he want to truly achieve great in his life, then that person does not want to worry about his outcomes. He will definitely do it.

[jbsmith]

Stu - I'm also a writer, though my focus is on packaging information into training ebooks, books, courses, presentations and home study packages.

One potential trigger is simply getting started.

Writing is a funny thing - there is so much anxiety and emotion tied up in one's desire to write. We are taught from an early age in school that proper English is such a challenge and that every aspect must be mastered before we strike out and write.

Then, we put tremendous emotion into our desire to write, it's often a highly sought after alternative career path or a a path to emotional freedom from a creative point of view - big DEAL.

When you get started...much of that build-up is pushed to the back and you unleash the floodgates to realizing your dream.

Of course, there are other triggers which develop out of the pain threshold of NOT getting started is finally too great to ignore - this may come about by hitting a certain birthday, going through an especially challenging time or experience in your life, inspiration from someone who you have read about or talked to who has done the same.

Whatever the reason, you want to keep your momentum. Writing can be somewhat of a rollercoaster - you are up and then you are down, so keep writing through it all.

Jeff

[oldbiker]

I'm pretty happy for you
I love to write as well, and have written one unpublished book.
its very true that writing helps a lot in expressing ourselves and i think that alone could be the reason for why we love to write.
turning thoughts and ideas into real action is probably the most hard task in the whole process; but once you got started, you bigen to build up momentum and energy which will push you forwards all along the way, then it gets hard to stop and slack off. But that mostly applies for achieving a work that represents a truly deeply desired goal.
Steve pavlina has written a great article on this subject titled: How to
Take Action Consistently
if you haven't read it yet, you'd better do, its very inspiring.
good luck

[jtracy]

Although I am not a writer, I have had a fairly recent experience where I finally got to doing something I had wanted to do for a long time. I beleive that it starts with receiving some information that convinces you that it is really important that you get your goal accomplished. This kind of information could come from anywhere, and might not be obviously connected with your goal.

But you need more than motivation. You also need a plan of how to get started. Once you know how to get started and can stick with it long enough to develop the habits involved in doing it, then you are all set. A goal without a plan is just a wish. And a goal without motivation just isn't going anywhere.

[Dharma]

Originally Posted by Stu

So, I'm wondering, what does it for everyone else? What turns a thought or a goal in to real action? How do you go from A to B?

Sorry to be really technical here but I want to make an important distinction.
Action always comes about by its own accord. Thought is generally just the mind's comments about what is happening (or not happening if the thoughts are about the past/future) or a reasoning to do something or not do something.

Typically I believe we use thoughts to insert a lot of delay into our own natural volition. In my experience of myself, I throw lots of delay into my own fiery creative process, and my mind will come up with a bunch of reasons why I can't do xyz right now. It's sort of like I don't want to face my choice of not acting upon my own inner movement, so I make up a story (with the mind) to make my self-stifling ok.

So, if the mind is not involved in making things happen for me, what is? How do I make things happen when 'what happens' come about by it's own accord? Hmmmmm. Think on that.

I'm also perplexed, because for the life of me I can't identify what the trigger was, what the thing was that got me started. I would love to know what it is so I can use it again

The trigger is not in the mind. It is deeper than the mind. You could say the mind only acts like a brake in most cases. The 'you' that chooses to write is not the mind-based-self (by that I mean the person you think you are as having a name, address, job, friends, etc.), but the beingness that you are.

It does the choosing, not the self that is created in the mind.

The mind wants to know the formula to get things going, when there is no process or formula. As far as the mind is concerned, things happen of their own accord. You are either writing or you are not. That's the reality. You can go with the flow, or resist that. The mind likes to resist when it 'thinks' something different should be happening.

[Liara Covert]

When people start by saying, "I want to be (something)," then they are already doubting what they are. To believe that you are something from the soul-level is more convincing for yoruself and other people. This is not the same thing as conceit or arrogance. I refer to a humble confidence.

[hkalchemy]

I think the key is just to start. Don;t worry about exactly what you're doing or how it's going to work out, or even IF it's going to work out. Just start.

And the next thing is to keep going. Just keep on, and on, and on,... Many drips fill a bucket.

[Stu]

That's a really interesting take on it Dharma. I get the feeling you're talking about the conscious and unconscious mind. (I can't help it, I try to relate everything in to more scientific terms) The conscious mind being a blocker / rationalizer and the unconscious mind being more willfull and unrestrained.

[Jarrod]

When I have a thought I need 2 things: A reason and an actionable step.

If the reason is good enough then action flows.

[AlexG]

Passion. You got it. Don't analyze it, just experience it.

[z1freeride]

Hey Stu,

For me, whenever I'm so focused on the result of a certain desire, I tend to freeze up. The second that I let go and just do the desire for what it is and not worry about the result, things just flow.

For example, I've written a couple of articles about self development. When I first started, it took me forever to write an article because I was worried about what people would think of my writing style, word choice, etc.

So I switched my focus from the result of the action to the action itself. I then just starting writing to myself. I didn't care if I made mistakes in my writing, I just wrote. I wrote as if I were writing in my journal and I was the only one going to read it. Later, I would go back and edit it. But overall this was a much faster process and, ironically, not focusing on the result gave me better results.

Nick Pagan talks about this a lot. Here's an article that mentions this idea. I'm sure he has others but I can't find them at the moment.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by AlexG

Passion. You got it. Don't analyze it, just experience it.

But I need to know!! Maybe you're right though. Actually you're almost definitely right.