We live in a world obsessed with doing. Do this, do that. Just do it. All the great successes and famous people stand as apparent proof of the principle that doing, specifically doing something really well, is the key to success and happiness in life. Of course, we praise these men and women by the external results they have created, which may not indicate their actual happiness. But let’s leave that topic for another day.
The point is, we often are focused on the notion that in order to get what we want, we primarily have to do something about it. Certainly this has a place in life. I’m sure this philosophy works for some people all of the time. And I’m sure that it works for all people some of the time. But if it worked for ALL people ALL of the time, I wouldn’t be writing this post.
Personally, there have been numerous times when I put a lot of effort into trying to make something happen but failed to achieve the result I said I wanted. When this happened, I usually assumed that I was to blame for my own lack of success. I had clearly not “done it right.”
Nowadays, I think I am wiser, or at least more obsessed with getting to the bottom of things in my life. What my reflections have taught me is that I was often focused so much on doing that I was missing some other key factors.
Our experience in life is not determined by what we do. Instead, it is determined by how we think as we do, and who we be as we do. It is determined by our expectations as we do. In other words, it is determined by the internal experience we are having as we are having the external experience of doing.
The problem with doing is that, if doing is all you do, you could just end up with a lot of doo-doo (cute pun not my invention).
If you take a look at the “great successes” out there, and if you really examine their mindset, you see that their results are correlated not so much with what they do as with how they think as they do. For one thing, every great success tends to have a lot of confidence. This confidence comes with them wherever they go. And so, they take on projects with a positive expectation of getting what they want.
For another thing, great successes tend to truly harmonize with the skills they so brilliantly cultivate. Often these skills result from childhood dreams they followed to become great in their field. Their success usually fits with their personality, interests, and natural talents.
Qualities like confidence and positive expectation, and the presence of a truly good fit, may stir one into action. But they are deeper than the level of action. They relate to the foundation that all inspired action rests upon: alignment.
It is common for us human beings to try to become human “doings” (No, I did not make that up either). Our focus on action, constant action, without considering our attitude, our expectations and beliefs, our thoughts and emotions, can lead to disappointment and failure if said attitudes, expectations, believes, thoughts, and emotions do not also support the success we desire. In other words, without alignment, all the action in the world may not be enough.
For example, let’s say decide you want to be a movie star. What actions can you take in the direction of accomplishing this result? You can move to L.A., hire and agent, and start going on auditions. Obviously, many people have done this with the same high hopes.
But what if, as take this action, you are secretly harboring doubts about your own ability to accomplish your goal? What if you are unsure that this is really the career you really want? What is likely to happen if you are actually not ready for the incredible success, fame, and glory that you say you desire? Could it be the movie star dream is premature or misplaced?
What if being a movie star is not your true calling? Maybe it looks fun and exciting and glamorous, and perhaps you get swept away in the fantasy of it. But does that mean that every cell of your body will be aligned with achieving that dream? Could it be that you are indulging in a nice-sounding fantasy instead of truly finding what works for you?
Some people are truly aligned with the movie star dream. We know their names, because they made it. But often times people think they want something, but they haven’t examined their own personality, preferences, and true heart’s desire to figure out if that something is a good fit for them.
There is nothing wrong with trying something and finding out it really doesn’t work for you. People do this all the time.
But some of us have knocked ours heads against enough walls to get tired of doing that. There must be another way, we exclaim, disheartened at the prospect of a life of barking up the wrong trees.
The other way is called finding our alignment, then taking inspired action.
Personally, for the last year or so I have taken a lot of time in my life just to “be.” Sure, there are things I have been doing: I have been teaching piano, I have been performing out some, I have been writing my blog, I have been loving my wife, and I have been going to the cafe for inspired writing sessions. But these have been inspired actions that line up with who I really am. You see the difference?
Action is critical in our lives. But instead of just doing for doing’s sake, I think it’s important to take actions that we are actually ready for, actions that align with who we are, and actions that we are inspired by. Then we can be sure that our actions will create positive results, and we can proceed down the road of manifesting our dreams and wishes.