The Sacred Difference Between Action & Inspired Action

Last updated: Jul 29, 2020

“Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.” Benjamin Franklin

I was in marketing for nearly 20 years. I worked for some small, niche companies as well as some of the largest, global corporations in the world.

One thing remained constant: I worked hard; really hard.

I used to tell people who would interview with me that they needed to be prepared to do the work of 3 people at any other company if they wanted to work here, because the expectations were high and there was always so much to do.

Because this mantra of working hard was all I knew (and frankly, how I proved my worth to myself and others), I brought that same energy to my business when I became an entrepreneur, life coach, author and speaker. I worked long hours, was aggressive in my marketing, enrolled in numerous classes to expand my knowledge and pushed myself each day to move my business forward.

The difference now was that it was fun, it was mine and the work fed my soul.

My life works a lot better when I practice what I teach…

We come into this world as perfect. We eat when we’re hungry. We sleep when we’re tired. We never have to stop and ask ourselves if we’re deserving of that afternoon of playtime at the park, that toy or of someone’s love.

But along the way, we pick-up these ideas and accept them as truth. We think the thought over and over again until it becomes a belief that we carry with us unconsciously impacting and guiding our lives, our relationships, our careers and our self-worth.

  • We think that if we work really hard, we will eventually be successful, we will have all the things we want and then we’ll be happy.
  • We think that there is no gain without at least a little bit of pain.
  • We think that the busier we are and the harder we work, the more important or more valuable we must be.
  • We think that if we suppress our feeling or desires, ignoring the whispers of our lives, they will eventually go away.

But not one of those things are actually true. They’re just lies we’ve never challenged.

Most of my life’s work now is unlearning some of the lies I’ve picked up along the way and help my coaching clients do the same. I shine a light on the beliefs we carry around with us that actually hold us back from everything it is that we really want:

  • Love in our lives,
  • Joy in our relationships,
  • Abundance in our careers and businesses.

One of my greatest lessons came to me recently from one of my mentors and advisors, Dr. Deb Kern. I was speaking to her about my coaching practice and how I hard I was working and she said to me something I’ll never forget: “Sharon, does a flower work hard to bloom?”

There is a subtle but sacred difference between action and inspired action.

Action for the purpose of just simply getting more done creates distance, detachment and to some degree, inauthenticity.

But when we wait for the inspiration to come – sometimes waiting an hour, sometimes waiting a day or even a week – the result is truth, connection, authenticity, passion and nothing short of – well, inspired.

a flower doesn't work hard to bloom

Tell the Truth. Show up in Love. Live in Freedom.

 

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