Elevation: Essays on Personal Growth and Philosophy

Motivated Action vs Inspired Action

In the world of personal development, there are tons of life coaches, authors and speakers  who motivate us to do massive actions to achieve success. We are motivated by them to incorporate performance enhancing habits in our lives but often times the motivation serves only in the short-term and is not life-lasting. It fails to stick with us and consistency becomes challenging. Sooner or later, we end up losing sight and go astray.

Overall, we engage in two kinds of actions: motivated actions and inspired actions. With motivated actions, we rely on an external source to help us in taking action. But in an inspired action, the willingness is natural and intrinsic. The distinction between motivated action and inspired action can be known by two factors. First is that we feel good when we do the actions that we feel inspired to do. The second thing is that we are fueled by the right reason, by the Why. Sure there are some actions that we have to do that are difficult for us in the beginning but the Why behind those actions makes the difficulty tolerable. All the motivated actions can be  transformed into inspired actions if the two requirements are satisfied.

The first step is building a foundation and that means getting our thoughts on our side. We have to believe that the Universe has our back.  All we have to do is enjoy the juiciness of life, take it easy and focus on effortlessness. That brings the focus inside us, what we are about, and we refine the interests that make us feel good. When we perform inspired actions because we're already feeling good, by the Law of Attraction we feel better as we do more and more of that work.  It takes us in the upward spiral.  But when we do motivated actions we may feel good in the short-term, however, over time, our motivation wanes. Unless we have the right reasons, actions seem difficult and we end up 'struggling'.

It is up to us to light the fire of inspiration within us. Our best bet is to do inspired actions because we are more willing to stick to them. We embrace and enjoy all the highs and lows that come with it. Priorities change with life and so do our inspired actions as well. But the habits that we have cultivated over time via inspiration always stay with us. We have to constantly be vigilant about the actions we take and the reasons behind them because that will keep us on the right track. When we know why we are taking actions, the struggle, the drudgery, and the pain don't bother us. The momentary defeats are shrouded by the magnificent glory that our work will bring to us. When Michelangelo was painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel he had to go through countless pains and miseries but it was his vision that dictated his actions. Today, it's deemed as a masterpiece and one of the most important paintings in the world. 

When we act by external motivation, we are driven by the results we want, but an inspired action is about taking action in the moment without worrying about the results. There's a feeling of lack lurking around when we take motivated action. Sometimes our feelings of envy, jealousy, and resentment drive our actions and intentions, but inspired action is all about abundance, patience and going with the flow.

Motivated actions are forceful and depleting, whereas inspired actions are easy and expansive. In my experience, a motivated action has always made me anxious and guilty whenever I don't do what I was supposed to, but inspired actions have always made me comfortable. There's a feeling of happiness, joy, growth, and awesomeness when we take inspired actions. It's relaxing and rejuvenating when we do what we really want to do.

When we're aligned with our true selves, we take inspired action effortlessly and automatically.  We know what is right for us and how we want to design our lives.  Work seems like play, and life is all about having fun and embracing every moment. We enjoy the deliciousness of life and the human experience. We start appreciating small things and admire the beauty of the fabric of life. The foundation changes when our thoughts change. When we are in alignment with our true interests, we take action that inspires us. Inspired action is easy and effortless, but motivated action on the other side is doing something that we are told to do that we may or may not enjoy doing.

If you have a gift or talent you would like to share with this world, then inspired action is your best bet.  Because only through inspired action your ideas will become reality. You'll be on course to living the life that you really want to live and it'll be sooner than you think.  So, get inspired and get started.

The 3 Foundational Principles for Success

If we want to have extraordinary success in all aspects of our lives, then it is important that we establish few key foundational principles to guide us and light our paths, especially in the midst of dark times when we encounter difficult situations and uncertain circumstances. In those moments of chaos and confusion, these principles keep us grounded and help us in making the right choices and decisions without losing sight of our goals.

Here are the three foundational principles that are crucial to having everlasting success:

●  Always Be Prepared

We need to be prepared for anything and everything in our lives. The 6P formula given by Brian Tracy: 'Proper prior preparation prevents poor performance', is a game changer. Preparation plays an important role in determining our outcomes.

We need to train ourselves to be able to face any adversity or challenge so that when the situation arises, we are better equipped to handle and overcome it. We should be ready to invest our time, energy and sometimes money to protect our downside. As a great Spartan saying goes: The one who sweats more in training bleeds less in war.

Whether it be preparing and planning for your day the prior evening or preparing for an event or a talk, failure in preparation can lead to costly mistakes. Coach John Wooden has summarized this truth perfectly in these words: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

One of my shortcomings has always been of being the 'last moment' person, but once I realized how my lack of discipline was affecting my well-being and my results, I started working hard to improve this behavior.

Not only preparation helps in achieving the results that we want, but it also reduces a great amount of anxiety and stress. It helps you in becoming calmer and having a clearer mindset when the situation demands.

Make preparation a habit, and I guarantee that your life will go smoothly and the peace of your mind will stay intact.

●  Always Be Giving

Giving is living. The way to a superior life is the way of service and contribution. We can never aim for an abundant life if we are not givers. Some people are natural givers, while some are not. And if you belong to the latter category, the giving is one of the essential behaviors that you can cultivate. Even if it seems counterintuitive, we need to learn to give away our talents, energy and our money freely to others to attract abundance. A great reference to follow is 'The Canvas Strategy' by Ryan Holiday. He beautifully explains how generosity and giving up the short-term gain for long-term success is a great way to go.

When we think about what we are getting out of something instead of how we can serve and contribute, not only do we limit our growth and flow of abundance, but we can also get in the unproductive habit of complaining. Whether you are an intern who has just started, a person who hates his day job and is undergoing a career crisis, a budding entrepreneur, or a leader in your field of work, when we adopt giving as our go-to strategy, we always win.

We should always strive to find more meaningful ways to give. And understand that it doesn't matter what our position or status is, we always have opportunities around us to add value to other people's lives. In words of Robin Sharma, we need to lead without a title.

●  Always Be Kind and Compassionate

We need to be able to detach ourselves from the rude remarks and the negative criticism that comes our way and not hold on to them. Irrespective of what's going on outside, we should always be kind and compassionate inside. There is no point in letting other people's emotions and their behaviors affect our inner calm and tranquility.

To paraphrase Epictetus, it's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. The moment we start letting other people disturb our mental peace, we let them dictate our lives. We need to surrender, let go and embrace the flow of life.

A great way to align back to the calmness inside us is to meditate daily. Life is short and we are wasting our precious time if we let the negativity around us affect our thoughts and emotions. Instead of resisting, all we need to do is to accept the current situation and move on.

We need to work on improving our environment and what kind of people surround us, but we should always be detached by how other people perceive us and even if they show us lack of respect. As Don Miguel Ruiz writes in his book The Four Agreements, Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally... Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. Instead of reacting instantly, we should be kind and compassionate. We are doing this not for others but for ourselves, our sanity and our mental well-being.

When we are kind and compassionate, we have better access to the happiness inside us. We need to start with a blank slate every day and try to do the best that we can and do the best that we can do.

Even if other people are wrong, we can state our opinions in a respectful manner but we should never participate in arguments. We need to control ourselves in those heated moments because the truth is that arguments don't lead to solutions and are futile in every respect.

So, no matter how other people treat us, we should always treat them with kindness, compassion, and respect. We should respond rather than react, and change our focus when we observe negative emotions and thought patterns beginning to develop.

When in doubt, we need to choose wisely and ask ourselves one simple question:  What will my bigger self do?

The following words of Marcus Aurelius can be a great reference point for us when we are faced with interpersonal challenges and conflicts:

When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can't tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own - not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.

The key to living a great life is self-mastery and when we practice the above-mentioned principles, we become more productive, happy, relaxed and peaceful.

We need to live by the golden words of Lao Tzu: Mastering others is strength. Mastering oneself makes you fearless.

These principles are not only important for our personal well-being but also for the well-being of the people around us. The best way to bring a positive change and inspire others is to start changing ourselves. The ripple effect not only makes our lives better but also adds value to other people's lives. We should always remember this as we go through the journey of our lives.

Are You a Drama Queen?

We all want drama in our lives, whether we accept this truth or not. But some of us thrive on drama. It's akin to a need. We need drama to relieve us from boredom and monotony, but what we don't understand is that it has the potential to cause us a serious harm psychologically as well as negatively influence the people around us.

Detach from the drama within you and choose calm. Due to the influence of TV, news and other media, being dramatic has become intertwined in the threads of our thoughts. It's time we take control of our psyche.

Look in the mirror today and ask yourself 'Am I drama king/queen?'. And if the answer is yes, you know some change is in order.

Drama makes a chat an argument and a discussion a conflict. Lower your voice, open your ears and raise your vibration. We need to talk less and listen more. Putting ourselves in