Take Action That Matters

Take Action! Just Do It! Action is the Key to All Success!

I was once part of a corporate training group. We were leaders in the organization, real action-takers who were rewarded in that setting because of our ability to 'git 'er done'. We had just spent the first morning of a 2-day retreat completing one exercise after another, and we were energized, almost drunk on our ability to complete and excel in what was put before us.

The facilitator started to explain the next exercise, and we just tore into it. Before she had even finished the outline, we were organizing ourselves, collaborating, and we completed the task in record time. Except that wasn't the task.

We hadn't even listened to the facilitator's instructions to the end. We just assumed that we knew, based on our past experience, what was expected of us. We were so focused on the doing, that we didn't even wait to listen to what the goal was.

We just looked at each other, chastened. Our overachieving natures had been doused with a cold bucket of water. That experience was the only thing I remembered from the 2-day retreat.

When you're running your own business, you can get so caught up in the doing. The completion of items on your get-to-do list. The small wins of 'git 'er done'. These small wins pale in comparison to the big win of staying true to your bigger vision, to what really matters.

The succinct sayings at the beginning of this article distill an idea down into one aspect of its essence. Yes, action matters. What matters more is aligned action.

When you're creating a business that is authentic, true to you, to your Pull Priorities, you are taking aligned action. Everything you do, every choice you make, is in alignment with that authenticity.

There are really two aspects to this. First, listen to yourself, to your inner voice, to determine what really feels in alignment with your priorities. Is there anything in this action that is not embraced by your Pull Priorities?

It can be challenging to do this inner listening when you are in the energy of action. That's why it's important to have a daily practice of tapping in to your own self. That regular practice makes it easier to access your inner voice.

The second aspect is to ask yourself, is this action in alignment with my goals?

A worthwhile goal can be determined by the feeling it evokes. To use a term from my African bush experience, this can be called the 'hot track'. My experience of a 'hot track' is a feeling of expansion, opening. Anything that shuts down your inner energy is unlikely to be in alignment with you, your Pull Priorities, or your goals. Choose what opens you.

Nobody does this perfectly. We're all finding our way with getting to know our deepest selves and how we can express that in our outer world, our work. The closer you get, the more you aim for it, the more powerful the manifestation of your vision.

Action expresses priorities, Gandhi said. That wise dude knew what he was talking about.

It's easy to get distracted.

Follow your priorities, what opens you, and you'll always be on the 'hot track', taking aligned action.