Figuring out what we care about is a great place to start- what is truly important to us? What do we even like? Connecting to our self-awareness and giving ourselves the time is to do this can be important too. The relationship with have with ourselves can become a driving force for action.
I like to encourage curiosity to lead me down the path of action. Say I have a spark- this thing that has hooked me and got me to care- I allow curiosity to encourage me to explore, learn, research. Once I feel like my curiosity has put some fuel in my tank then action feels far more accessible. If you are feeling at all stuck thinking about this have a look at VIA Institute on Character- Strengths survey – it can be a really nice to be asked some questions and have your strengths and values reflected back to you!
Honestly, action is work and it does takes fuel, so before I put anything into action I try to be mindful of where I’m at and how resourced I am. I have definitely have a personal understanding that sometimes we carry the heavy load of fluctuating mental health- this can mean that there are times that speaking up feels near impossible. I want you to know that you are not alone in this feeling.
If I am ever feeling limited by my capacity I always like to come back to these actions:
- Communication- Language is one of the most powerful tools we have as humans for self-expression and connection. It is how we share our consciousness beyond our internal experience and give it life in our external environment. I always come back to the saying: ‘the best way to get what you want is to tell people what you want.’ There is immense power in the language we use to communicate.
- Choice- reconnecting to my sense of agency is important when it comes to action. Being able to make decisions, choosing how I want to show up helps me feel empowered to take action.
- Connection- to ourselves, to our bodies, to our environment, to personal relationships and to community. Connection is an action.
- Compassion- caring about others and the fight for equality and justice is something that I value that will always recalibrate my actions. It is the core component of what has drawn me to activism and fighting for change. Compassion for me shifts the focus away from me to others and is an utmost act of care.
- Creativity- Move and express and imagine and create- lean into the methods that becomes the vessels of what we value-I think creativity is a really special way that we can used a new form of language to express our values and
If this is something you are interested in reflecting on more this is an amazing resource to have a look at- Living Into Our Values - Brené Brown
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