Taking Inspired Action

November 5, 2021

How often have you heard “inspirational” quotes about picking yourself up when you don’t want to, doing things you don’t want to do, pressuring yourself to work harder? I’ve personally heard so many teachers and coaches telling their students to do things even if they aren’t in the mood. Guess what? Forcing yourself to do things you don’t feel inspired to do is 1-not fun, 2- an inefficient use of time, 3- counterproductive. As a professional organizer and productivity coach, I’m not here to try to motivate you to do things you don’t want to do. That’s pointless! I’m here to help you get to a point of following your joy and taking inspired action. When you can tune into your intuition and take inspired action, things will fall into place almost effortlessly. Why is that?

Let’s say it’s a beautiful rainy fall day here in Seattle. Your intuition is telling you to put on your raincoat and galoshes to go outside so that you can jump in puddles. Your adult brain is like “what?? It’s a Sunday. I should be inside cleaning, cooking, and prepping for the week.” But instead of following your intuition and jumping in puddles, you decide to force yourself to stay in so that you can clean. But before you do that, you decide to play a few more rounds of Candy Crush on your phone. 20 rounds later, it’s 4pm, it’s almost dark outside, and you feel awful for wasting the day messing around on your phone. Let’s rewind. Let’s say you actually did follow your intuition. You put on your rain gear, went outside, got fresh air and sunlight, elevated your heart rate with some fun cardio, smiled, laughed, played with some kids and dogs, connected with your neighbors, and had a grand time outdoors. You come inside feeling energized and refreshed, although your clothes are soaked. You decide to throw in a load of laundry, hop in the shower, clean the bathroom afterwards, and make a nice healthy warm lunch for yourself. That nutritious meal fueled you up to clean the kitchen after lunch. You’re feeling so good about the day you decide to pull out an art project you’d previously been procrastinating on. Things are going well! Your vibe is elevated and your day has turned out super productive, all because you decided to follow your joy and have a little fun in some puddles.

When you follow your joy, you’re able to hear your intuition. The universe communicates through high vibration energy. When you raise your vibration (do things that bring you joy), you will be led to more and more experiences that match what you’re wanting to bring into your life. You’ll have more energy to do the things you really want to do. Plus, when you’re engaging in inspired action, your mind is able to help you make more mental connections to help you going forward.

Here’s another example. About 4 years ago, Alan Regala, owner of Shelf Genie of Seattle, invited me to his networking group. I had known Alan for about 2 years before that through my Professional Organizers network. I deeply respect and admire Alan, so I knew if he was doing something, it was probably something very worthwhile. As soon as I got to the group, I knew why he was a member. Everyone was so kind, professional, knowledgeable, and welcoming. By accepting his invite, I was taking inspired action. I felt a pull to join the group, so I decided to take more inspired action. Since joining the group, my business has expanded exponentially. I have gotten to know so many wonderful business owners that I can refer my clients to. Being part of the group has been a great education from the combination of what I learn from other members (graphic designers, interior designers, contractors, architects, naturopathic physicians, etc…). I have even been able to develop strong personal relationships with people I’ve met through this group. We’ve gone to several concerts together over the years, gone hiking all over the beautiful PNW, gone to parties, taken vacations together, the list goes on. When you take inspired action, more and more good things will come. When you force yourself to do things that don’t inspire you, you’ll experience lots of roadblocks and a sense of heaviness. It will be very difficult to feel productive.

It’s important to learn the difference between taking inspired action and engaging in avoidant activities. For example- let’s take bubble blowing. It’s a beautiful summer day and you feel like blowing bubbles outside. Is this inspired action, or are you choosing to blow bubbles to avoid your responsibilities? Only you can determine where that line is. Notice how you feel when you feel the urge to blow bubbles. Then blow the bubbles. Afterwards, do you feel inspired to do something else, or do you feel like procrastinating? If you’ve taken inspired action, you’ll feel energized and motivated. If you’ve just done something out of avoidance, you’ll probably want to sink back on the couch and continue procrastinating.

Inspired action is not logical. It will probably feel very silly. Once you do it, you’ll realize the value in taking this type of action. It will lead you to your bigger goals, like getting your home organized, meeting a great romantic partner, or building a career you love. It may not all make sense in the moment, but you’ll be able to look back and connect the dots. Strengthening your intuitive muscle to know when to take inspired action is an incredibly valuable productivity tool.

What type of inspired action did you take today? What did that give you energy to do later?