The sticky note message pictured above is on my office computer. It's been there for years. These days I hardly notice it, but recently it has been catching my attention because:

I’ve been feeling lax. Complacent. Stagnant.

I’ve been NOT-doing. Not the kind of non-doing that meditators aspire to because it instills calm and abiding bliss, the NOT-doing that involves flittering away time watching TV, doing all the To Dos that I think I should be doing and that feel like a burden, starting projects and never nearing completion, and ignoring my deeper wants.

I’ve been justifying my not-doing, citing my broken wrist (healed over a year ago), my erratic work schedule (it’s actually fairly consistent and not so busy right now), a training I was involved in (it ended), the election (also over). I finally reached a point in which the excuses no longer fit. I could no longer avoid my NOT-doing, aka procrastinating. It came time for me to DO. SOMETHING. 
 
My deeper wants are counting on me to
take steps towards them.

But what do I DO? How do I begin DOING? 

Shifting out of complacency from NOT-doing can feel difficult, but I know from experience that even the teeniest tiniest action can lead me to whatI truly desire. And when I'm complacent and lax, only the teeniest tiniest action is what feels remotely doable.

So I began. 

1. I got still and quiet. 
    

2. I redirected my mind from its meandering to focus on first on my body and breath, and then a question I wanted answered. This is what I asked:
   
   "What do I want?" 
   
   I waited for an answer to arise.
    

3. I noticed as the answers emerged from within: quiet, clear and precise. 
   
   Freedom
   Ease
   Inspiration
    

4. I then asked for more clarity. This is what emerged:
   
   I want to feel more ease and energy in my body.
   I want to be led by what inspires me.
    

5. I then drilled down for more details.
   
   I asked: "What can I do to feel more ease and energy in my body?
   An answer arose: Move it. Use it. 
   
   I considered various movements: yoga felt most doable. 
   
   I asked myself: "how much?”
   Answer: 10 minutes/day feels doable.
   
   I also asked: What can I do to be led by my inspiration? 
   Answer: Energy Activation is Required. Continue to take small steps.
   
   I asked: towards what?
   I allowed my mind to sift through some of my meandering wants, some of which came more into focus and to the forefront. I took a few teeny tiny steps towards those wants.
   

6. I wrote a workshop proposal some months ago and decided to email it to a friend to see if she can help me to present it to her people.
    

7. I gave some thought to some other future wants, and allowed my mind to imagine potential tiny steps.
    

8. I developed this newsletter.

This process of inquiring into my wants and discerning tiny actions took about 20 minutes.

And with just a few teeny tiny actions, I'm already beginning to feel subtle shifts in my body that denote movement towards my wants.

Your body never lies. 

There's a tiny bit more resolve, a smidge more enthusiasm, a sparkle of inspiration, a hint of ease. 

What do you want? What tiny action can you take to activate your energy towards it?

Once again, here are the steps I took:

1. Get still and quiet.

2. Then ask: what do you want? Notice the answer that arises. Jot it down.

3. Ask for more clarity, if required.

4. Drill down for more details by asking for more clarity, if required.

5. Discern the tiny actions.

6. Do the ones that feel easiest and resonate the most: you'll know via a felt sense in the body. 

7. One tiny action at a time.

Circle back, and inspire me with your story.

In tiny-step solidarity,
Mara