We all struggle with something. You could be doing really well in life but you’re not taking action in another area. This becomes increasingly distressing when you start to really give yourself a hard time for not taking action and you just get stuck while watching others doing really well.

So this begs the Question, Why Do I not Take action ? and how Can I start to take action so I can get the best of out of life ? In short I have seen in my coaching and counselling that fear is often one of the major culprits. It’s not the only culprit though, sometimes people struggle with motivation, a lack of energy or just plain procrastination. We will delve deeper in this article to look at what is really going on behind your inaction, or lack of drive to take action.

So what is Action anyway?

Action is the thing that creates life, it’s the cooking part of making a cake. It isn’t the cake itself. It’s just the you putting together the ingredients. You don’t even need to create the ingredients. You just bring them together in a sequence, one after the other and mix it as it needs. That’s all you have to do. As for the cake and how that turns out, you’re not going to know until you finish baking. The truth is you can’t control it. For sure you can try and control the conditions in which it is cooked, the temperature, but that’s it. That’s all you have power over.

In the end the results will be whatever it will be. Sometimes it will be amazing, everyone will love, and other times it may not rise, it may not turn out how you want it. That doesn’t mean anything, you may just need to change the ingredients a little or time it a little different. Sometimes it’s just how much of one ingredient you put in, or it was just not enough time to rise and become what you want. Sometimes, you just have to experiment till it happens exactly as you want it.

Just like the cake, all end results and outcomes in life are unpredictable. However, you can do the action part, you can adjust and learn and eventually it will become exactly what you want. That’s the power of taking action. It’s the power of taking sequential steps, one step at a time, and not overdoing it or rushing it. The action is what will produce the end result, the cake in your life.

Thinking about making things or creating things in life are just good ideas. You can think and think, but if you do not follow up with taking the next step then you won’t ever produce anything. It’s important. You are the cook in your life. You are the chef and what your cake looks like is not going to be known until you do the cooking and wait for the outcome. If you do not cook for any reason, you failed right at the beginning and you end up with no cake. It’s better you go through a learning process and end up with something instead of nothing at all.

Its all about the action.

So what stops me from taking action?

It is not uncommon that fear is one of the biggest obstacles in the way of action. Sometimes, it’s procrastination and usually there are reasons behind that as well.

Fear is a big one that stops most people. What if I fail? what if it isn’t enough and it turns out badly? what will my family think? what will others think?

Fear is debilitating and it can stop you from living. It has done for so many people. In my coaching and teaching I see this all of the time. I’ve experienced it myself for many years. Fear can be the biggest obstacle and it’s totally unreal.

Yes, it’s not even real. Sometimes it’s so intense you can’t understand the difference between your fears and what’s really happening in your life right now. Other times it’s less of a problem but enough of a problem to stop you from taking action. And don’t forget if you don’t put the ingredients together you won’t have anything in the end. After years goes by you’ll be wondering where the time went and why you didn’t get anything out of your life.

You may even realise that you chose not to, and stood in your own way.

How to Take Action

You have a God given power of mind and thought. It’s very powerful as you can see. Think about this, your involuntary thoughts about ‘what’s if things don’t turn out the way you want it’, or whatever ‘Fearful thought you have’, is so powerful even thought it’s only a thought, that it stops you in your tracks. It has the power to shape your future, because you choose to act upon it.

You may think think you’re not an action taker, BUT let me tell you that’s a false belief.

You are absolutely an action taker. In this case you are acting upon Fear and of course you  will take the steps towards realising and actualising your fears. You make your fears come true, by acting as thought your fears are true. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy.

But here’s the good news. You can absolutely change that.

Wooo hooo !

Yes you can change it an become the action taker that builds your life and not the demolisher of life. It’s a simple choice. You have the ability to realise that this fearful thought of yours is just not real. I mean look around, is it here in your presence now? can you see it, touch it and feel it?

My guess is that you can’t and that’s great news. That means you can just ignore it and take the next step and start putting together the ingredients for whatever you want to create in your life. You will absolutely create something amazing if you just take the next step towards your dreams.

Nothing can stop you because you have a powerful support that has always been there. A power far beyond your own abilities. If you start to fear, then just ask and you’ll be given. It’s never all about you being alone in the world. Allah is always there to support you.

He says:

I answer the call of the caller whenever they ask me

Surat Al Baqarah 186

You will never find yourself alone. He, the Most loving and the Most Compassionate and Merciful is always looking out for you.

So what stops you?

Is it a fear that can do nothing to you?

Or is it your choice to follow that fear into the darkness?

You can change your mind at any point, it’s never too late. Sounds cliché but it’s absolutely the truth.

Fear is like a shadow that doesn’t exists. You on the other hand do exist. You do matter, and you can always create the life that you want. All that is required is that you experiment and take steps to explore and try things out.

Life is always up for grabs for whoever is willing to play at life. Everything is within your reach and you don’t have to be a spectator. As much as it seems fun to watch a movie, it’s much more fun actually being in it. That’s life, the doing.

Don’t forget you are an action taker. You just need to decide do you take action for yourself or against yourself, it’s absolutely your choice.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST