A Guide to Being in Action
By Leo Babauta
I have a couple of clients who’ve been stuck in inaction for months now, and they’re desperate to get into action.So we’ve set up structure and training so they can train themselves to be in action much more of the time.It’s trainable, if you’re willing to commit yourself.In this short guide, I’ll talk about how to train.
Commit to Possibility
When we are not feeling motivated to take action, and we’re feeling burdened or bleh about a task … it’s because we aren’t connected to some possibility in our lives.What is it that you want to create in the world? What do you want to change in your life, or in the lives of others?If you get clear on that possibility, and feel connected to it, you’re going to feel much more energized and inspired to tackle your tasks.
Some examples of possibility:
- Create an income with my new business to support me and my family
- Help people overcome their feelings of inadequacy
- Help my team feel more energized and connected to meaning
- Help keep my family safe and happy
- Help 100 million people change their lives with uncertainty training (my mission)
There are lots of other possibilities, but the important thing is to connect to yours, before you even take on a task. And reconnect when you’re feeling like not doing it.Then commit to creating that possibility, even if it feels difficult or scary.
Create Daily Structure
Once you’re connected and committed to that possibility, it’s important to have some structure. Some examples:
- A schedule with blocks for your meaningful tasks
- Accountability with a group of people
- A session at 10am every day where you write for an hour
- A video call every day at 8am with an accountability partner, where you do 2 hours of focused work on the call together
- A commitment to check in with a coach, and a consequence for not doing your commitment
What structure will help you be in action? Create it for yourself, and then train.
Train Your Action Muscle
This is the important part: you can connect to possibility and be committed, create a structure … but then you have to actually put it into action. Nothing else matters but this.So train yourself for a week, and each day be in action. Be doing stuff. Get shit done.Take on the hard tasks, in small chunks. Check things off your list, while feeling the meaning and possibility you’re creating.Be in action, over and over, and you’ll train the action muscle.After a week, review: how did it go? What needs to be adjusted? What did you learn? How can you keep the training going?So with this in mind: what would you like to commit to today?
