Here at COR, the month of May is all about taking action. We’ll take an in-depth dive into this topic, as we believe it is an important element of transformation and growth!
Last week, Britta discussed how taking action, specifically “right action,” is an important part of the spiritual journey. She describes how taking action aligned with our highest good rewires our brains to strengthen healthier habits instead of trauma responses.
This week, I’d like to build on this theme. I’ll discuss how taking action allows us to be the hero or heroine in our own lives since it moves us from blame and victimhood to ownership and power.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that it always seems to be fear that prevents me from taking action—fear I’ll make the wrong decision, fear I won’t be good enough, fear I’ll get hurt in the process, among others.
For example, I always intend to go to yoga three times a week, but many weeks I prioritize work instead. I prioritize all my obligations and my to-do lists over my own well-being. Even though I mentally know that my self-care allows me to give more to others, to do a better job, to feel rejuvenated, I still struggle with taking action.
Recently, I realized I unconsciously put everyone else’s needs before my own as a survival strategy to protect myself. I fear if I don’t prioritize work over self-care that I’ll let others down and they’ll reject me. I’m afraid that if I don’t work enough then I won’t be “good enough,” and people won’t approve of me. Underneath my resistance to self-care, I am afraid. As a result, similar to what Britta mentioned last week, when my fear is activated I revert to my typical response and pattern to try to protect myself.
This week, I invite you to inquire. Underneath the stories, does fear hold you back from taking action? If so, what are you afraid of? What pattern do you fall back on as a result?
When we simply notice and name our fears and patterns, we take a huge first step toward the possibility of a new action. But we most do so with compassion instead of self-criticism or harsh judgment. “I’m so bad” tends to keep the pattern in place. From there, we make a new choice. We ask ourselves: “What new action do I want to take?” We often are rewarded and relieved when we take a new, risky action and realize that our made up fear was far worse than the real consequences of our actions.
Now you’ve left the victim role and have become the hero or heroine. You get to decide what action to take rather than waiting to be saved. You are no longer acting out of fear. You own your patterns and choices instead of blaming everything around you and believing your own rational excuses.
Many of you in our COR community have been taking huge steps recently, from announcing new businesses, to writing vulnerable and powerful articles, to daily practices of the “right action.” It’s been incredibly powerful to witness!
If you’re feeling stuck, however, I again invite you to notice if there is an underlying well of fear that is contributing. What is it that you are afraid of? Once you see the fear, you can see how you avoid it. Do you over-analyze? Are you apathetic? Do you tell yourself that you’ll figure it out tomorrow? Once you see this pattern, you can break it and take a conscious step forward.
Does any of this resonate with you? Share your fears, patterns, and a conscious action you will take this week on our Facebook page! When we bring our fear and our intentions to the light and reveal them, much of the transformational work is already done.
Much love,
Shandra
