Season 2: Episode 17 - On Inspired Action

(0:00)

Hello, and welcome back to graceful rule breakers. I'm your host, Kirsten Lee Hill,  and I'm really excited about today's episode. I have a lot of energy today, this week. And it's strange, because I've actually had a very full and stressful week, had some things going on with Calix's health, and I had like a four day migraine that like trickled into this week, and I've had, you know, back to back, to back, to back, to back, to back, ad nauseam meetings. But what I've found is that despite all of that, at night I'm like, super in the flow, I have ideas, I'm creating, I'm excited. I am just like, so much energy. I'm like, Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited. I am like, in the zone and it's amazing, and I love it. And I wanted to talk about it, because it relates to something I mentioned a lot in season one, but didn't really dig that deep into. And I think this will be a cool opportunity to unpack it a little bit more. And so that thing is inspired action. Wow. So excited, I need to take a deep breath.

(1:24)

So, what is inspired action? How do you take inspired action? Why is it awesome? These are the things I want to talk about today. So, let's dive in, right? Inspired action, so to me inspired action is when you are doing something basically because you feel like doing it, like you have this little nudge or something that pops into your brain and you're like, yeah, like, I want to do that thing. And it feels good. I think the key to knowing if something is Inspired action is if it feels good and flowy, and like gives you energy, or if it feels forced or pressure, or like I have to sit down and do this thing. If it feels forced, pressure, have to sit down and do this thing, that is not inspired action. That is you making yourself do something… not what we're talking about here. Inspired action is like, ooh, like have this little nudge, I think I should go like work on that thing, or do that thing or make that phone call and you do it, and the whole time of doing it you just feel this energy, like maybe you even like you know that you hear about people saying like you lose, you know, track of time, right? Like, that's how in it you are, you are in the zone, you are in the flow, and that is inspired action. And it's inspired because, again, it's coming to you like this spark like this nudge, nothing's being forced. And for me, that's the way I love to work.

(3:06)

Ideally, I would only like to work when it is inspired action, and practically as a business owner, there are times when you have to honor our commitments and meet deadlines, and it's not necessarily inspired action. It's like, I need to get this thing done now, I'm going to sit down and going to get this thing done, and sometimes I can still get in the flow in that sense, but for me, inspired action, like, I reserve that for my creative endeavors, I will not force myself to create. And so I wait for inspired action, and I trust that it will come at the right time. And sometimes that means that things, I don't want to say never happen because maybe they still could happen, but sometimes, I mean, things don't happen when I think they will or when I think they should, and that's okay, right? What it guarantees to me by taking inspired action is that I'm doing something that is super in alignment with where I'm at in my life and what I should be doing right now, and that's a good thing, and I'm feeling good. And so I want to give an example that's also, like, a how to, how does this work and this is how it works for me and it's something that I've learned to trust through experience, and so I really believe that's how you will also learn this and so you can try this out and see how it works.

(4:38)

For me, inspired action starts with setting an intention, planting a seed, if you will. I think about something like or feel inspired. Maybe I feel inspired, maybe I'm, you know, setting goals for the year or making a manifestation list for the new moon, or creating a vision board, I'm just thinking of things that I would like to happen or that I would like to do. And that to me is planting the seed. It's basically saying to the universe, God, to a higher power, here all the things that I think would be really awesome, these are all good things that I feel like in this moment would make me happy, and I want to put them out there, right? Like setting that intention. And then, people typically take one of two approaches. Some people, you know, like smart goals, that are measurable and time constraint and all that. I don't, I can't even remember what smart stands for, because I'm so anti-smart goals. But you can take that approach where it's like, okay, I need to make a plan for how I can make these things happen, I'm going to write down what I'm going to do every day, I'm going to really work towards this goal, and I'm just gonna make it happen. And that to me feels like pressure, and sometimes pressure can be good. But that feels like pressure, and like not flow. It's like me making myself do something, and I know that thing is good for me, and so maybe it's not bad that I'm making myself do it. But that leads to creating and going after things from this space of like, constraint and like restriction, like I have to do this thing, that energy is that like tense, clenching your fists tension, type of energy, and I don't believe we create authentic, amazing things from that space.

(6:43)

I want to be in the inspired action space 100%. And so the inspired action way to approach this would be, you set the intention, and you leave it, maybe you revisit it, like for me, there are intentions that I set years ago that I'm like, still setting and to me, like the seed has been planted, it's not time for it to grow, maybe it'll never be time for it to grow. But you can revisit the intention. But the key is, you don't take action unless you feel inspired to do so. How do you know when you feel inspired to take action? You know, you're gonna know it when you feel it. But as a basic, you know, rule of thumb guideline, it feels good, and you're excited. And so for me, this looks like maybe I'm on a walk, and suddenly I have this idea that relates to an intention I set and I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm so excited, and I get out my phone, and I record a voice memo and like words to spill out of me, and the idea like really comes to fruition and I'm like, oh, that was so good. It felt so good. And then, even then I still don't force, like, I leave it like that was my inspired action, and I got a little bit of an idea, I wrote it down and you just kind of let it simmer, right? And you just let it simmer, and then when another wave of inspiration comes, you  follow it, you tune in, you're like, okay, I feel like this is the action I should take and I take that action, and then you leave it.

(8:14)

It's like really mastering this art of patience for one, but also detachment, because you're taking, possibly a very small step, and you are letting it be, you're not taking a small step and then mapping out an intricate plan and like doing all these other things, you are taking the small step, and just letting it be until you receive that spark of what the next right step is. And so I want to give you an example. This is like an example of why I'm riding high this week. I'm really excited about it and here it is; I have wanted to write a book, I'm sure I've mentioned it on this podcast, I have wanted to write a book for a very long time. In fact, in high school, I won this writing award that was, like, everyone who has ever won it, allegedly, I don't know if this is true. But what they told me at the time was that everyone who would ever won it, went on to write a book. And I was like, wow, I want to write a book. It was like an intention that I set in high school. And then again, a couple years ago, I was working on a project for an organization, this was like 2018. I was like, I really want to write a book, I really want to write a book. And so whenever I made a vision board, or did a new moon manifestation list, I always put, you know, ideas to write a book, an idea for a book, I want to be on the New York Times bestseller list. I want to go on The Daily Show and talk about my book, and I would just put that out to the universe plant that seed that like hey, I would really like to write a book. And I have no idea what it would be about, and I don't know what it would look like, and I really I know nothing else but I really, like, I want to write a book that feels good to me.

(10:00)

So about, gosh, about not quite a year ago, probably like November, December holiday times last year, I was thinking about the book again, and I was talking to my assistant, who is like, so much more than an assistant that's like, we have to work on a better title. She's amazing, and she's an incredible fiction author, and I was like, I really want to write a book, like, can you just like, get on me to, like, keep talking about it, like, I just want it in the back of my mind that like, this is something I want to do, I want to, like, let the universe know, like, I'm still interested in that seed I planted. And so we would, like, talk occasionally about writing a book. And like, when I felt inspired, I would, like, do a little research on it, or ask her to do a little research on it. But it didn't feel right, and so I didn't start writing, I didn't force myself to sit down and you know, brainstorm or do anything like that, I just let it be. But like, repeatedly kept reminding myself and other people like, I would really like to write a book, I would really like to write a book. And so over the summer, so like, recently, in the past few months, I started to get these little nudges about, you know, looking into other books in my field and research, and other research books and like, what are research books look like? And what types of things are people talking about? And like, how might I contribute to this conversation? And so I would like to look at some books, I would, I would ask Sophie to look at some books for me, and we would chat a little bit about it. And, you know, I ended up on a call with this woman who was like, you would be a great author, and blah, blah, like, we can help you publish. And I was like, still, the time doesn't feel right. But like, this is a sign, right? That like, I think something's coming.

(11:53)

And I just took little tiny baby steps when I felt inspired. And otherwise, I literally just left it, I just let it sit and just let it be. And finally, about two weeks ago, I was on the phone with my assistant, Sophie, and let's just call her Sophie from now, on the phone with Sophie and I was like, I feel ready, like I want to write, I want to write the book, I want to write a book about making research accessible to everyone. And I'm not exactly sure what it's gonna look like. But I want to write it, and like, I'm ready. I think it's coming. And I said, like, because it just came to me at that moment. I was like, I'm gonna outline it next week. I was like, no, I don't know if like I had ideas, right? But like, no real conception of like, what the outline would look like or anything like that. But I was, I kind of knew that like next week. And for me, like, if I didn't do it, the next week wouldn't be a big deal. Again, like, no pressure, not forcing myself, I didn't schedule a specific time to do it. I just kind of set the intention, like, I think I'm gonna do an outline next week. And a few days went by, I hadn't done an outline, hadn't done outline. No big deal, right? I'm not stressing about it, I set the intention. I'm waiting for my inspired action. And then  one night, it was a Sunday night, I suddenly was just, like, flooded with all of these ideas for my book. And I sat down at my computer, and like a couple hours later, I had the entire outline of like 60 pages, a very extensive outline. And I had pulled all these old pieces of writing and transcriptions from YouTube videos that I had been teaching about research on and like, put everything together. And I was like, Oh my gosh, like, I almost have a book. Like I almost have a book, like a week ago, I had nothing. And like now, I almost have a book.

(14:13)

And to me it was because I waited for that inspired action. I didn't force, sit down and force myself to write that outline. I was like, I think I'd like to write an outline next week. Maybe it happens, maybe it won't. I'm like, practicing the art of detachment, whatever happens happens. And like magic, got in the flow, wrote an outline. And so then, that next week, I was like, I'd like to, I'd like to write one chapter. I'd like to write one chapter. Maybe it will happen. Maybe it doesn't like putting that intention out there. Yeah, I'd like to write the first chapter. Let's keep riding this momentum, right? And so again, a few days go by and I haven't written a chapter, just like, well, you know, maybe we'll do it. Maybe we won't do it. We'll see. We'll see. And then again, like, one night, after work, I think it was after work, I'm pretty sure it was, I'm pretty sure it was Monday of this week, I sat down, because I was like, I feel like writing. And I didn't stop writing for many hours, like I was so in the zone, I lost all track of time. And like, got in the flow. And not only did I write one chapter, I wrote the entire introduction and part one of my book, and it felt so freakin good. And I fell in the flow, and it just felt great.

(15:53)

And so, for next week, and like, maybe I'd like to write another chapter, I'd like to keep going. And I think the key to success here and I'll keep you updated on how it goes is that there is literally no pressure, I am not scheduling time to work on the book, I am not saying I have to do this by this certain day or like I'm a failure, or, you know, there is no, there is no pressure, there's just the intention that like, I would like to get this, I would like to do this thing, and I'm gonna wait and see when I feel inspired. And I love just capitalizing on that energy of being in the moment and being like, you know, what I'd really like to do right now, sit down and write. And it feels so good. And it's just a totally different space of creating, because believe me, I have created from the space of, I just need to create this thing right now. And it's such a battle for me, because there's this pressure to like, create content consistently, and to me, that doesn't really work with inspired action, because sometimes you may not be inspired to take action. And therefore it's hard to churn out content on a super regular schedule, like my YouTube channel, which is like a ghost town of research tips lately, because I haven't felt inspired to record another research video and I don't want to force myself to do it. I'm waiting to feel like the time is right. And I think it's awesome to do that. And I love creating from that space of like, my cup is full, I'm excited, I'm energized and ready to do that. And I think that whenever I end up creating, it will be so much better for the world because I am creating from an inspired action space of flow.

(17:45)

But it also means making peace with some inner critic things that are like you're just being lazy or just procrastinating, like you should just sit down and force yourself to do it. And that's hard to unlearn, right? And then there's the fear of like, if I always wait to be inspired, like, what if I'm never inspired? What if I'm never inspired? And then I never create or accomplish anything, right? I get it. Those are fears that cross my mind sometimes, but I like to say like, I don't live in that space. I'm like, Oh, I acknowledge that. That's a fear, okay, maybe maybe that will happen. I've said that for a while, like maybe I will never make another podcast episode again. That could be true. And you know what, I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that. Because then it's just, it's not meant to be and I think this piece of just trusting that you will be led to create and do what you were meant to do. I mean, gosh, it gives me a whole lot of solace. And, and I really enjoy that. And at the same time, I also take steps to get me in the space of inspired action. So like what are those steps, getting enough sleep, this is number one for me, and I actually was just telling my therapist the other week that like my number one priority in life is just getting enough sleep. I just want to get enough sleep like if that's all I accomplished in the day, that would be so great. I just want to get enough sleep. And to me, getting enough sleep means I'm so much more likely to take inspired action, getting enough sleep, getting outside on walks, moving my body, making sure that I'm not skipping a ton of meals, like I'm nourishing myself. These things get me and get you like mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually fit and so when you're in that space of health and calmness, and just being that's what inspired action comes, right? Like you're ready for it.

(19:51)

And again, it feels so good and I and I want to add this for myself and for you all is you don't cling to it, right? Like, I'm not right now clinging like, Oh my gosh, what if I fall out of the flow? That's gonna be terrible. And I have to, like, hold on to this flow and like, not like, oh, because if I lose it, I'll never get it back. No, right? We are having a mindset of abundance and just taking things as they come, taking things as they are, right? When you're in the flow, when you're in the zone, be in the flow, be in the zone, enjoy that. And when it's gone, don't judge it. Just trust that it will come back and take care of yourself and do the things that you need to do to take care of yourself and feel good and know that it will come back around. And know that if it doesn't come back around, like perhaps that project, it's just not it's time. I think about this course that I announced that I was going to do, because I was like so on the flow about doing a course, this was last fall, and I even announced to everyone, I'm doing a course it's gonna come out in January. And I absolutely did not. And it was because I never got the inspired action to finish creating the course, the energy just wasn't there. Maybe one day I'll do a course. But like, this wasn't the time for it. And instead of beating myself up about or feeling bad, or embarrassed or being like, I'm never gonna announce anything again, because then people are gonna think I'm a liar. It's like, I had every intention of like, I thought I could do a course. But I was forcing it a little bit and the energy wasn't there. And so I dropped it, dropped it without judgment. And now we're doing a book instead. So yeah, everything works out

(21:45)

I really, I believe it. And again, I think you learn by doing. So, practise the next week or month, or whatever feels good to you, set an intention for something that you would like to do, something that you would like to create. And then just let it be, just let it be. And, you know, be open to receiving guidance about how to make that thing happen. And when you feel inspired, capitalize on that inspiration, because I will say if you ignore that inspiration, sending a sign to the universe that you don't want it, and it's not that I don't think it'll ever come back, but it could take a longer time to come back. Like, don't miss the window of flow,  know, don't miss out on a flow. There's actually this great, like, story in Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Pig Magic and it's about like, story, idea for a story like floating through a field and like landing in our brain, and she ignored it. And then later she read like someone else had written a book like almost about that same thing. Because it's like these ideas come to us, and you can step into that inspired action and act on it, or you cannot and if you don't, like, it will leave and go somewhere else. So for me when it comes, embrace it, embrace it, enjoy it, and when it leaves, just chill out. It'll come back.