Many manifestation techniques teach the idea that feeling is the portal to aligned action. So, there is a great emphasis on improving feelings through techniques like visualisation of the ‘living from the end’ that increase the frequency of current feelings to higher feelings.

However, I am beginning to realise that working on feelings is merely an attempt to feel okay to do the actions that you already know that you should do. It is about expanding yourself enough to take the action that you must take.

But the issue is that often, at least in my case, we end up creating a framework where we are waiting for the perfect expansion to allow us to follow through with the action. So, we wait and dont allow ourself to take the full action in hopes of one day feeling like we will wake up with the ability to take the full action.

That does not work.

My current feelings are a reflection of my past actions. My future feelings will come from the actions I take in the future.

The point of this is to say that: if you wait to feel a certain way before taking the action, you will wait a lifetime. Becuase the feeling is a natural by-product of taking that action in the first place. The feeling comes after the action so that you cannot feel the feeling until the action is taken. In fact, you can pick up a feeling of “okay-ness” on the way once you start the action, you don’t have to wait for “okay-ness” first.

This applies for many things. I cannot expect to wait to feel displined and determined enough to finish a project, unless I am already disciplined and determined that I can sit down and perservere despite adversity and lack of motivation/focus. There will never be a time where I will wake up with the perfect discipline. It has to be built in the perserverence of the project. Discipline (the feeling) comes after taking action of being disciplined.

Same with confidence. I cannot wait to wake up fearless. Fearlessness (the feeling) comes after taking action that a fearles person takes.

All of this is to say that:

1. Watch out for where you are delaying an action to feel a certain way. You may wait a lifetime. You just need to feel okay enough to take the first step and then build the remainder of the feeling to go all the way while in the process. You cannot get to the feeling without taking the action.
2. Discipline, confidence, healing come from perserverence in action, not perserverence in feeling. They are both the result and cause of the action – a disciplined person only can take disciplined action, and a non-disciplined person could not take discplined action. In a paradoxical way, you have to be disciplined enough to complete the action to look back and realise you were disciplined the whole time.
3. Taking action is a matter of persereverence and courage that require the ability to act expansively despite difficult emotions. You are not supposed to feel any different. You are supposed to act differently in response though. That is healing, discipline and confidence. Find a way to bring the difficult emotions along with you without changing them and they will change themselves at the end anyway. You just have to be expansive enough to allow the action to continue and be okay with the discomfort.