The Case for Inspired Action

Life Coaching Tip: Tired of pushing yourself through life with guilt and shame? There’s a better way—and it feels a whole lot lighter. This article is all about trading forced action for inspired action, so you can stay motivated, energized, and proud of your progress. With the right mindset shifts (and a little self-compassion), you’ll move forward with clarity, confidence, and joy.

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Over the years, it is not unusual for my clients to tell me that they’ve “forced” or “pushed”  themselves into action.  It might sound something like this:

“I didn’t feel like going for a run yesterday, but I forced myself to do it.”  Or “I was super anxious about going to that networking event, but I pushed myself to go.”

And this is when I talk with them about inspired action.

When we act from a place of inspiration, it feels light, playful, and “enough.”  We’re in the flow, and we delight in the adventure.

But when we act from a place of force, it feels heavy, hard, and shamey. Scarcity rules our mindset as we fearfully forge ahead.

Obviously, this matters for our overall sense of happiness and fulfillment.  Pushing our way through life, constantly worried about it not being “enough,” is no way to live.

But for many of us, we’ve been taught that success requires sacrifice, struggle, and suffering.  If there was no pain involved, then we didn’t truly earn the accomplishment.

Yikes!  What a shitty perspective to live by. And yet, many of us carry this hidden (or not so hidden) belief. 

The good news? It’s optional. If this is you, then I encourage you to start loosening its grip on your mindset and allow yourself to feel proud and happy for all of your success—even when it’s fun and comes easy.

Another reason to let go of forced action is because it’s usually fueled by shamey self-talk, and it doesn’t work!  Sure, you might be able to get yourself to the gym a few times by shaming yourself there. But it’s not sustainable.

Why? Because shame is paralyzing, not empowering. It traps you in a negative identity that keeps you stuck:

• “You’re lazy.”
• “You’re broken.”
• “You’re a hot mess.”

These labels make it feel pointless to take steps toward change. You might want to improve, but shame convinces you that you’re fundamentally incapable or unworthy of doing so.

And that kills motivation.

Shame confuses self-worth with performance. When you believe you must succeed in order to be “enough,” failure becomes a crisis of identity.  Every self-improvement quest involves setbacks, but instead of learning from mistakes, you’ll beat yourself up. 

Instead of growing, you’ll shrink.

Shame drains energy instead of fueling it.  You might think, “If I hate this part of myself enough, I’ll change it.” But shame instead leads to avoidance, burnout (because it’s never “good enough”) and self-sabotage (“why bother?”).

So, how do you generate inspired action instead?

THIS is what works:

1. When you begin to feel the old familiar feeling of shame creeping into your body, shift your thoughts to self-compassion.  Remind yourself: it’s human nature to have setbacks whenever we level up.  Mistakes are part of the process! AND simply by having goals, you are ahead of the game.  Did you know that only 3% of the population actually writes down their goals and visits them regularly? WHAAAT? You are a freaking rockstar, my friend!
2. From that place of self-compassion, take responsibility for your results.  Step into your power and commit to being the strategic person who figures it out and gets the job done!
3. Remind yourself of your WHY—often. Why do you want to launch your new business? Why do you want to improve your health? Why do you want to explore a new career path?
4. Direct your mind to Power Up Thoughts that fuel your energy and kick-start your heart!  (I’ve shared some examples in the PS line—borrow the ones that speak to you.)

My friend, you deserve a life of inspiration not obligation.

You deserve to swim in the flow of creativity and innovation—and to feel the exhilaration that comes from fully activating your gifts, talents, and interests.

And you deserve to feel proud, worthy, and enough—forever and for always!

Be kind to yourself, sister. Move forward with your aspirations because you want to—not because you have to.

I am rooting for you!
xo Tracy

PS – Here are the Power Up Thoughts I promised you:

• I have the power to accomplish incredible things today!
• I was born for this!
• I know exactly how to handle this.
• I am strong, capable, and committed to my goals!
• This challenge energizes me—bring it on!
• I am grounded in faith, confidence, and badassery!
• I have what it takes!
• I am a fast learner.
• I always have more gas in the tank!
• I am fierce, focused and fired up!
• All the knowledge and information I need is at the forefront of my mind.
• I am built for every dream in my heart!
• Every cell in my body is alive with desire, passion, and promise!

PPS – You’ve got this!