Linda-Ann Stewart - Inspire Yourself to Take Action

When you want to create a change in your life, do you wait until it "feels right?" Or do you jump in and start stirring it up? How long do you wait until you get motivated to clean out the garage? If you're a writer or artist, do you wait for inspiration to fill you before you get started?

I know that many people say they wait until they are inspired to take action and to get into motion. The problem is that it can take a long time before the muse shows up. And in the meantime, they're waiting and postponing their lives.

Waiting for inspiration can be an excuse not to do anything. It can be another name for procrastination. Such as not waiting to make that call to a new customer until you feel inspired. Most people are afraid of stepping into new territory. Writers dread the empty page and artists avoid the blank canvas until they're impelled to create. The same is true of just about every new action you need to take.

Sometimes, inspired action is motivating yourself to take action whether you feel like it or not. It just means doing the next thing. There may be times you may not know what to do. In this case, you have to start moving, taking some action. Even if you're going in the wrong direction, you're building up momentum. It also keeps you from feeling helpless and stuck.

For instance, if you've moved, and have rooms full of boxes to unpack, you don't wait to be inspired to start, do you? You open the one in front of you, or the ones in the kitchen or bathroom, which are most important for function. And when you do, opportunities and the next step can show up.

Sometimes, you may just have to show up and be willing to take action to prime the pump of inspiration. A writing teacher in the 1930's, Dorothea Brande, taught a stream of consciousness type of writing called, "freewriting." It's also been called "rapid writing," "morning pages" by Julia Cameron, and "journaling" by other authors.

Ms. Brande suggested the writer make an appointment with herself to do a freewriting at a specific time. When the scheduled time came, the writer sat and did her freewriting no matter whether she felt like it or not or what distractions she might have at that particular moment.

Ms. Brande instructed the writer to change this time every day, to train her subconscious and creativity to show up on time and on command. This exercise trained the writer to set an intention to be present so that inspiration flowed when she wanted it to. The same can be true of taking action to teach your subconscious to help you when you need it to.

When you show up and do something, you put forth energy to fill the well of inspiration. For instance, Julia Cameron wrote "The Artists Way" as a workbook for blocked creatives. One of the exercises is the artist's date. The artist gives himself permission to spend some time playing and exploring art. It could be a visit to an art store or taking a sketchbook outside. It's designed to be something fun so it eliminates the stress of the blank page or canvas.

Get into motion, but with the purpose of stimulating your motivation. I don't mean busy work, or motion for motion's sake. But take some action that has the intention to incite inspiration, like the artist's date. Artists draw, writers write, businesses makes phone calls. Putting forth the energy will stir up creative juices, and inspiration will strike more often. Like with Dorothea Brande's writing exercise, it will train the subconscious and your inspiration to show up when it's needed.

You can take inspired action by learning how to cultivate it within yourself. By nurturing and encouraging it, you can help it to grow and show up when you want to move forward. Taking action can motivate your inspiration to appear and help you achieve your goals.

As a focus coach, hypnotherapist, and speaker, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, freedom, wellbeing and prosperity. Register for her FREE Design Your Best Day guide and guided meditation at www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/guide.html. You can contact her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com or 928-600-0452.

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