Taking Action

Sonya is happy to report she has just completed her first core-strengthening work-out after a very very long hiatus.

I finally decided to take some action on the needs of my body, and scheduled exercise time into my daily planner for Thursday, Saturday, and Monday mornings. I am so excited and proud of myself. It was a little challenging doing a ball work-out with little people around, but we made it through. I feel energized and strong, and am looking forward to building on that.

What do you need to put into action? What's holding you back? I picked up two books on a little library date I went on the other night. The first I read in an hour or so. It's called "Passion" by Barbara De Angelis. One thing that really stuck out to me was this:

Passion is born of commitment. When you are committed to something, whether it's a dream, a cause, or a relationship, you feel passionate about it. And the deeper your commitment, the stronger your passion...It's very difficult to feel passionate about something when you aren't committed to it. In fact, it's nearly impossible...your lack of commitment doesn't allow your passion to flow toward [these projects]. You simply can't get motivated to care about them and take action on the outside, because you've never committed to them on the inside. Try this simple experiment: Choose one area of your life in which you'd like to feel more passion, perhaps your relationship, your job, or your emotional or spiritual growth. Then,for even one day, deepen your commitment to it. If it's your partnership or marriage, express more commitment through your words and your behavior. Focus on the best qualities of your mate, and remind yourself of how much you do love about him or her....You will be amazed how the act of committing more intently to one thing you care about for just one day can transform your experience of life and of yourself. People who seemed unexciting suddenly become interesting, fun, and attractive. Tasks that seemed mundane and boring became stimulating, and fill you with contentment. Personal challenges that seemed unattainable become opportunities for significant and lasting breakthroughs. Most of all, you will discover that your own passion has been just waiting for a chance to burst forth and express itself. pp. 15-17

I think in the modern world, we've often gotten it backwards. We expect passion to lead commitment rather than the other way around. But I think De Angelis has got it right. I'm going to commit to six week of core strengthening and see where that leads. Let me know if you embark on your own journey of renewed commitment to a dormant dream or goal. Let's see what happens!