Confessions of A Recovering Doer

My favorite definition of the word "belief" is:

A belief is simply a thought you keep thinking.

I also Googled the definition of belief, and this is what came up:

My favorite definition is more or less the same as the first definition in the image above (an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists).

I highlighted the second one because that's where inspired action comes in.

Before diving head first into shifting my beliefs (through reading, working with my therapist, and choosing an entirely different way to move through the world), it never even dawned on me that I could change my beliefs.

In fact, I don't know that I ever really thought about my beliefs.

I just believed what I believed and thought that was it.

It was a little mind-blowing to realize I could choose different beliefs. 🤯

And by choosing different beliefs, I could change my life.

Whaaaaat?

Again. Mind-blown.

It was only through changing my beliefs that I realized I didn't have to be "doing constantly"... I could focus more on "being.'

Having always been commended for how much I did and accomplished (in terms of productivity), I believed I was hard-wired to be a "doer" (to a certain extent, I think I came into the world as a productive person).

I remember one night when my kids were little, one of them had been in my room lying on my bed with me because they weren't feeling well. Before I knew it, they were throwing up on the bed and the carpet.

Not a big deal, everything could be cleaned.

I got them back to their bed and to sleep, and instead of just changing my sheets and getting the bedding into the wash, I decided I might as well shampoo the carpet too.

It was after 10 pm.

And it absolutely could have waited until the next day... but no, I had to do it that night. 🤪

I'm still a little particular about things around the house (i.e., I like putting things away, going to bed with nothing in the sink, etc.) because I have difficulty focusing or relaxing if things feel cluttered.

But I can promise you'll never see me shampooing carpets after 10 pm (ideally, I'll call someone to come and shampoo the carpets).

I have no doubt some of these changes in beliefs and behavior come from life experience and age, but most come from consciously choosing something different.

For me, the process has been to choose a different belief and to lean into inspired action.

This doesn't mean I'm sitting around waiting to be inspired before taking action.

It means I focus on getting my mind right and getting into alignment first.

Sometimes that means I just need to get started... or as author Steven Pressfield says, "Put your ass where your heart wants to be."

I do this a lot in my business.

Even loving what I do, there are specific tasks I don't enjoy doing. But until I've hired for those tasks (coming this year!), it's up to me to get them done.

Simple, but not always easy.

My head gets in the way and finds all kinds of other things to do until, finally, the task has to get done.

And most of the time, it took less time to do than I thought, and I always... and I mean ALWAYS... feel better that I did it.

Here's the kicker...

Sometimes, doing what needs to be done is what creates inspired action.

Cue Newton and the law of productivity (in my next life, I'm coming back with the ability to understand physics):"An object in motion stays in motion."

The Beauty of Inspired Action

The beauty of inspired action is that it leads to a life of ease and, more often than not, wonder. ✨

I let go of how long it takes to create or do the work, especially when I find myself in that delicious space where I'm not even paying attention to the time. Initially, I thought I'd "knock it out" in an hour, and the next thing I know 2+ hours had passed.

Trust is the foundation of inspired action.

I've learned to trust what feels right instead of searching outside myself for productivity hacks or learning how to create a second brain (an actual course on productivity).

For me, it's creating a gentle structure about what "needs" to be done and trusting myself to meet my own deadline.

As example: I have two newsletters I write (this one and my #FtheHUSTLE newsletter) and meet my own deadline every week. I schedule in a reminder in Google calendar as well as write it into my weekly plans.

Every week.

I haven't missed one yet. I've published 114 issues of #FtheHUSTLE, and this is my 7th issue of Imperfect.

It's easy to stick with because I love doing it.

One of my favorite ways of shifting a belief is something I came up with a couple of years ago called the "What If" exercise.

Our brains naturally go to the "what if this doesn't work out" (or insert your own variation of doom and gloom, worry, and wasted energy 😉), but what if we went the other way?

• What if it were easy? (one of my favorites)

• What if it were fun?

• What if I could do work I love?

• What if the right partner is waiting for me too?

• What if people were waiting for me to make an offer to solve their problem? (for all my entrepreneurs out there)

• What if I trusted my body?

• What if I allowed myself the rest when I wanted it?

• What if I stopped judging myself?

• What if I said no, without explanation?

• What if I tried something new?

• What if I treated myself like I treat those I love?

• What if I believed I had everything I need?

• What if I owned my strengths & let myself shine?

You get the picture.

And bonus... science supports asking better questions:

This week, I challenge you to play the "What if" game.

Free write ALL the 'what ifs' you can come up with (or focus on 'what if' for a specific area of your life, whatever inspires you).

No limits, no expectations... simply enjoy the process.

Pay attention to how you feel when you're done.

You might just feel like taking inspired action 😉.