Scattered all about my place, I have all manner of questions, statements, and ideas written on index cards in black permanent marker. These are tools that help me when I am stuck, especially when I am in spiraling rumination or feeling defeated.
Last night, I remembered one that’s been especially helpful to me over the last few years. No idea where the card is, but one great thing about writing things down is that the act of writing often engraves the idea somewhere in your mind, ready for recall.
The statement is this:
Mood Follows Action
I first heard this in a podcast, an interview with Rich Roll on The Tim Ferriss Show.
His point was that you can’t sit around waiting for motivation. It might show up, sure, but unless you’re already dealing with a decent baseline of motivation or sense of purpose, it’s often loath to show itself.
If you’re dealing with conditions like depression or PTSD, it can be especially hard to get get the gumption flowing, and it can feel like your motivation has gone on permanent vacation, nowhere to be found.
So instead of waiting, you act. You begin to do the thing, even if it’s in a small way, and very often your mood will begin to shift.
Mood follows action.
Ages ago, I used to be a long-distance runner. Even as a teenager, capable of breezing through a 20k training run, rarely did I actually feel like putting on my running shoes and heading out the door. I knew from experience, though, that once I started moving, the desire to keep moving would naturally follow almost 100% of the time.
But in the context of today’s post, and in the context of Tuesday, November 19th, what does mood follows action look like?
Woke up, didn’t feel like doing my journaling or meditation. The internal resistance to it was massive, actually. But again, I know from experience that when I do these things, they help. So first I sat down and did my 20 minutes of mantra meditation, which often helps dissipate whatever anxiety is putting me on edge. Then I got out my notebook and did a few pages of brain-dumping, finishing it up with some gratitude practice. Finally, I tacked on doing a Yi Ching reading. This is another practice that often helps me get past whatever’s holding me back and see the way forward a little more clearly.
The result? I have a sense of purpose for the day and so far am absolutely tearing it up.
Of course, leading with action can look like a million different things. Putting away the clean laundry often gets me to clean the bedroom, for example. Or sending an email to someone I would like to work with but am intimidated by can get me over the hump of fear and open me up to a dozen more inquiries.
I know that I am prone to getting stuck in rumination and inaction, letting fear and uncertainty get the better of me. But I also know that, more often than not, if I force myself to get moving, to do something I know is aligned with improving my situation overall, that gets the ball rolling.
Mood follows action.
