Chapter 2

Take Action.
Life expands through risk.

“Come to the edge, Life said. They said, We are afraid.
Come to the edge, Life said. They came.
It pushed Them…
And they flew.”—Apollinaire

What do you really, really want in your life? What are you willing to do today to make that happen? Many of us say that we want to live our best life. We want to make changes, but we don’t know where to begin, what to do, or how to change our circumstances. Yet, it is not our circumstances that create our lives; it is our thoughts, actions, and responses to those circumstances that determine the quality of our lives. If we are unhappy with any circumstance in our life, how do we respond? Do we just believe that we have no choice? Do we sit and fret about all of the inequities in the world? Do we let fear control our thinking and our actions? Or do we set out to make changes? Fear and love are the driving forces in our lives. We have a choice to live in our fears or master them by embracing love, life, and authenticity.

The Law of Action

The Law of Action states that we only gain true understanding of our possibilities in life when we decide to take action, despite any fears or roadblocks. We gain skill, trust, and wisdom when we choose to take action and choose to move toward our dreams. We have no way of knowing the true depths of our knowledge, our gifts, or capabilities unless we decide to take action in our lives. We have no way of knowing the extent of our potential until we put effort into learning about ourselves. Our lives expand when we take action and our lives remain stagnant with inaction. We can have all of the knowledge in the world, but is meaningless until it is applied. We can have the most creative and inspiring dream, but it is merely a dream until we decide to act on our idea. We can be surrounded by the most brilliant mentors, but we stand motionless until we are open to learning from them. We may wish for respect, but until we are willing to set boundaries and command respect, our lives will not change. We may desire peace of mind, but until we take action to create peace, we will not initiate change. Only action is action.
Each time we take action, we learn more about ourselves and our capabilities. We grow as human beings. It is like turning a light on in a dark room. The light shines and reveals what is inside. As the poem by Apollinaire at the beginning of this chapter infers, when we decide to take action in spite of roadblocks or fears, we learn that we can reach beyond our current perceived limitations. Action brings our potential to life. It unveils aspects of our true self that we may not have been aware of. Think about it, until we apply effort, we have no way of knowing what we are capable of achieving and we have no way of knowing how blissful life can feel when we attempt to “fly”.

I talked with a client recently who readily acknowledged that she had many fears. She was afraid to go too far away from home; she was afraid to drive long distances alone; and she was afraid of heights. She knew that her fears were holding her back in every aspect of her life and she decided to start facing them. She decided to drive twelve hours from home to visit friends who lived in the mountains. While there, she climbed a mountain path to the top of a ridge and looked down over the gorgeous countryside, looking at the emerald green tree tops, the textured rocks and boulders, and the clear blue pools of water. She had never seen such beauty before. It was a significant turning point in her life, not only because she had witnessed such a beautiful sight, but because she learned that she capable of so much more than she had ever thought possible. She gained knowledge about her own inner gifts and strengths. She had more self-pride and self-confidence than she ever had before. She learned that only those of us, who take action, break free of fear, and make the climb, can enjoy the riches of the summit. As I listened to her describe the experience, I got goose bumps because I knew she was on the cusp of creating her best life.

Expecting others to act for us does not support our growth because it is only from our own action that we learn we can rise above our fears and depend on ourselves. As a parent, I am very cognizant of this concept with my children. It is my nature to want to see my children happy, to want to spare them from hurt, and to want to help them when they face a challenge. Yet, I know in my heart that if I rescue them from every challenge and every potential hurt, that they will not learn the inner skills they need to live a fulfilling life. I can actually hurt them in the long run if I continuously fix their problems for them. I must be willing to be a guide and a loving supporter as they work through their challenges. Only when they learn that they can handle any challenge or fear that they face, will they have true freedom in life. It is what we all strive for. The only time we ever really need courage is when we face fear. Each of us grows stronger when we can be courageous to act on our commitments despite our fear.