Power Tool: Action vs. Inaction

inaction |inˈakSHən|   noun

1. I.     lack of action where some is expected or appropriate: future generations will condemn us for our inaction

There is a (BIG) difference between delay and inaction. This power tool focuses on inaction, and it’s presence in our lives and it’s consequences.

Inaction – and our lives

Ever so often we have the best of plans, and intentions, to do things. To complete tasks, to reach our goals, to ‘ Check off’ things from our long TO DO lists.

The late Steven Covey in his book ‘First Things First’ wrote that the feeling of ‘Checking off’ a task from your TO DO list is often exhilarating’    –   and that is, often, a trap. But even being able to ‘Tick off’, or complete a task,  is often a challenge for many people.  Simply because they struggle to begin, and sometimes, never do.      This is Inaction.

People go through their life with hopes and aspirations often converting these hopes and aspirations, by themselves, into frustration and failure.

And soon your ‘To Do’ list , is now transformed into a ‘Regret’ list.

How often have we reached a stage in our lives when we wonder ‘WHAT have I done in my life?!’

How often have we compared ourselves to our friends, colleagues or ‘successful‘ family members and felt a pang of regret, jealousy or anger?

Yes it’s true, that circumstance or fate, sometimes play a part in providing, or not providing you, with an opportunity or a resource, to help you realize your dream.

But the BIG question is, ‘What did YOU not do?’

As the saying goes “We are EXACTLY were we are supposed to be in life” and we are a “product of our choices”. What we choose to do OR not do leads us to where we are now.

The world is a context for every individual to express their talents, realize dreams, achieve their goals and fulfill their potential. Every situation has a field of action choices, of which some choices lead to this fulfillment. Recognizing which choices lead to fulfillment and which lead to constriction and to act decisively on these choices, many believe, is really the key to success in life.

This calls for awareness or insight and trust in our own abilities. Unfortunately, many times, we don’t trust our own abilities. Our past experiences, our beliefs, our judgments about ourselves, and the world, all cloud our ability to think, and see, clearly and to act decisively. We tend to doubt our feelings, our vision and our convictions. We tend to fear the consequences of our actions and so fall into passivity, and sometimes, worse still, inaction.

Other people also play an important part in the inaction in our lives. The ‘Nay Sayers’, the doubters (this role is often played by ourselves too, when we become self doubters), the one’s who have a vested interest in us NOT taking action, are every present. It’s important we recognize and understand this.

Surround yourself with people who believe in your dreams. – Bobby Roncketti
Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will – Anonymous

Why inaction feels right

Some often lived truths, that hold us back are –