Why Taking Action Matters
A couple of weeks ago, I had a very difficult conversation with my boss. “I’m leaving,” I told her. Well I didn’t actually have a chance to say those words because the instant we sat down in the conference room, she asked me how I was and I proceeded to sob uncontrollably. The stress from weeks of anticipating this very conversation had built up to incredible proportions to where my body shifted into release mode. And that’s what I did; I released. The actual conversation went something like this:
She: You’re leaving aren’t you?
Me: I look up and nod.
She: Can you give me time to find a replacement?
Me: Yes.
She: Will you be able to train them?
Me: Yea.
After she gave me a very long hug, I was able to talk. I told her I was sorry, that I realized the job was not right for me and I wanted her to know that my intention was to be integrous in my decision, which is why I told her before I found a new job. She said she’s always known me to be integrous, but more so courageous. She expressed her appreciation for me coming to her about this. She also made a point to tell me that if it takes me 3–4months to find a job, then I should take that time to I find a job that I love. “There’s always work at the firm,” she said.
A huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Finally, the burden was gone but there was one small problem: I wasn’t sure about my next steps. Don’t get me wrong, I had ideas but somewhere along the line I lost my focus. While I had intentions of looking for a job after some rest over the weekend, that time extended into almost two weeks of being idle — watching Hulu, staring at the ceiling, sleeping, then staring at the ceiling again.
My body had been taxed for too long to where it finally stopped. I stopped. Now I am all for taking care of my body, especially when it’s been overrun by stress, but stopping also meant that my mind took over. My goals for finding a new job, in addition to keeping up with my writing and speaking goals, got pushed off. Each day that I sat on the sidelines the less impetus I had to take action.
There is no doubt that when big changes occur, disruption is inevitable. The unknowns are endless and it’s easy to get turned around when Pandora’s box is opened wide. The most effective way to keep the momentum going, however, is to take action. Knowing this why would anyone stop taking action? Here are a few reasons you might find relatable:
Dropping the Ball
Fatigue is a huge interference in keeping the momentum going. You lose steam so the ball gets dropped. Let’s use the situation I experienced with my boss. The result of the conversation ended up being empowering and positive but the aftermath is where things fell flat. Instead of utilizing the energy to propel me forward into my goal, I spent a good week and a half inactive. I spent a great deal of time in my head thinking about all the possibilities, which muddied my focus. This resulted in temporary paralysis.
The challenge is if you really want something to move forward, you have to do the work to get there on a daily basis. In Ryan Holiday’s book, The Obstacle is the way: The Timeless Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage, he writes “if you want momentum, you’ll have to create it yourself, right now, by getting up and getting started.”[1] It’s that easy. Momentum requires action. The power then grows as you accomplish one small thing after another.
Blurry Vision
Another thing that happens with a big shift is your vision can blur. I liken this to a wide lens camera; in an effort to get a clear shot you open the aperture wide, in order to capture the vast landscape. As you widen it takes time to find a sharp image. You spend time making subtle adjustments to the lens until the blurred image is brought into focus. Eventually, the image becomes clear.
Similarly, coming into focus on an idea or a goal is a process that will start out blurry before it becomes clear. This is an inevitable part of the growth process. As you embark on a new and unknown direction you will encounter things that don’t make sense, things that are confusing and sometimes things that don’t feel that great. When you open wide, you open up to ALL possibilities until you are able to reign in your focus.
Clarity will come and go, even when you are on the path that you know is right, which is why it’s much easier if you are inspired by your idea. In his article in Harvard Business Review, Scott Barry Kaufman, says that inspiration is “transcendent of our more animalistic and self-serving concerns and limitations,” which subsequently involves a moment of clarity and awareness of new possibilities. He goes onto explain that when an individual is inspired they strive to “transmit, express, or actualize a new idea or vision.” Inspiration is evocative of action, and therefore promotes sustained momentum.
Fear
Fear is king over all other momentum killing characteristics. It can easily distort vision and clarity by getting you to stop everything altogether. Fear breeds incredibly debilitating thoughts like doubt, to where you question your ability to execute. Fear is the ultimate form of resistance to momentum.
In his book, The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks refers to these fears as “upper limits.” Often times we limit ourselves because we are afraid to expand, intentionally sabotaging our potential by placing limits on what we believe we deserve. We actually place restrictions on how much money we make, how much love we receive and what kind of life we feel we are worthy of living.[2] Limiting ourselves can make us feel comfortable but is it pushing us to our fullest potential? No way.
No matter how much you experience growth and change, you will have to work through your fears in relation your upper limits. Each time you expand into a new realm you will face challenges. Obstacles are a given, according Ryan Holiday. In fact, they are “the way.” Obstacles are there to help us triumph over our fear and doubts.[3] He states that there is opportunity within a given obstacle to challenge our current perspective on life. Once we face the obstacle, the learning begins to where we find new ways to communicate and achieve our goals.
Now What?
You can be assured that there will be bumps, diversions, and obstacles on the way toward your goals and there is no way around that. You will experience fears, doubts and upper limit issues as you grow. Do not be alarmed. This is part of the process. It’s not always like this, nor is it altogether as scary as your mind thinks.
The beauty of knowing this is that it keeps you on the straight and narrow. Yes, some things will trip you up. Sometimes a hard conversation with your boss will knock you back for a bit; there will be challenges. But the euphoria that you will feel when you’ve transcended your fears is inexplicable. The more you lock into an inspired life, building momentum towards your goals will excite you. Move through the obstacles one day at a time and feel the power of your process exceed all expectations. I promise you, it works!
[1] Holiday, Ryan. The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trail into Triumph. Narrated by Ryan Holiday, Audible, 2014. Audiobook.
[2] Hendricks, Gay. The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level. Narrated by Gay Hendricks, Audible, 2010. Audiobook.
[3] Holiday, Ryan. The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trail into Triumph. Narrated by Ryan Holiday, Audible, 2014. Audiobook.
