Rise Above Inaction

The moment is now.

You've got 2 seconds.

Tick. Tock.

That's how long the human mind finds itself in 'the present moment'.
And if you don't seize it now and pay it the attention it deserves…
The silent thief of inaction will rob you of your future.

I should know…

I've lost a decade to it. Moment by moment.

I can only imagine where I would've been had I not avoided unease.

You, however, can save your future right now. You just have to listen.

So listen. Relax. Get yourself comfortable.

Breathe in, breathe out. Gently…

It feels good, right?

But you gotta be careful. It's easy to fall into inaction's snare.

Contentment is quicksand for the soul…
comfortable until it swallows you whole.

If you saw the prior post: Why Actionsmithing?
You may have already tasted its sweet alluring temptation.

Rest. Comfort. Love. Victory… Death.

There are many forms this temptress may take.
And the baubles it may lure you with are very real. Very valuable.

But a thief only offers you something so it may steal more in return.

Do not let inaction trick you.

You must stay in control. Choose the best moment to stop…
The right time to wait. The healthiest amount to rest.

Be mindful and deliberate about it.
Because it only takes one moment of inattention…
To lose track of your most valuable asset.

Your will.

And once you lose your will, all future action shall become difficult.
At times impossible. Enough for your future to become unattainable.

Are you comfortable with that?

Because the most painful and long-lasting regrets…
Are not the mistakes and failures along our path…
They're the things we've left undone.

They hurt the most. Forever.

So let's take a moment for a quick breath and a quick exercise:

Great. Welcome back.

So… How are you feeling? Still comfortable?

Have we learned anything?

What we've identified so far is a key aspect of human action.
The gap between the current reality and the desired state…

Ludwig von Mises calls it 'uneasiness'.

So we must learn to appreciate our discontent and cherish it.

Unease, discomfort, and dissatisfaction are not flaws…
They're evolutionary alarms that give us power.

Our unique ability to shape the world around us.

But there is one more requirement.

In his magnum opus, Human Action,
Mises points out another aspect: conviction.

The belief that purposeful behavior has the power to ease some of that uneasiness.
The assurance that you can do something to enact change.

Without this expectation, no matter how painful the suffering,
a person is incapable of acting.

And, thus, they become forever enchanted by the allure of inaction.

Doomed to wallow in an endless pool of the undone.

We must not allow this state to take root.
Because complacency is the destroyer of legacy.
And even the greatest of men and the grandest civilizations…

Fall victim to the heavy costs of inaction.

You see, The Roman Empire did not collapse due to external threats.
It was internal decadence and bureaucratic indolence that did it.
And the human body and mind faces similar threats.

But you can make a change. All it takes is one second.
Individual moments of attention, chained together into mail armor.

Your purposeful awareness will protect and carry you victorious.
Your focus shall be your blade, cutting through uncertainty.

Snap!

That's all it takes to turn things around.
The silent thief turned on their back, begging for your mercy.

And finally!

With this creature of entropic decay under our foot…
We gain the power to choose.

To act or not to act. Deliberately. Purposefully.

No longer threatened by fate's siren song…
We can now enact our will.

Like a tiger, preparing to pounce, so too must we anticipate the future.
And we must play the long game, with patience and precision.
Actively readying ourselves for the right moment.

If you wish to succeed, you must replace passive waiting with preparation.

And choose the things that must be done carefully.

Because, you see…

A sword is forged not through a single strike of the hammer…
But through the hundred strikes that came before.

In the same way, great acts culminate from tiny choices.
Invisible deeds, both done and undone.
Compounding into who you are.

That's why you must stay aware.

Because your future won't just end up happening.
It's already happening. From this one moment.
Crafted by the choice you're making now.

And that's perfect.

You can stay in this moment for a while…

2 seconds is longer than you may think.

So think. Deliberate. And then...

In the end, we are all faced with the same choice.

We may let comfort siphon our potential…
Our will and legacy robbed in broad daylight…
Until our unlived life is silenced by our final moment.

Or we may face the terrors ahead, with courage.
And carve our path to victory into stone…
Whether it's straight or roundabout.

Because when the actionfaker dies with potential unmet…

The Actionsmith dies mid-swing,
hammer in hand, legacy eternal.

So where will you be?
Years from now…

Still consorting with inaction?

Or partway to achieving your own greatness?

You have the option to choose.
Both your path and your destination.
As long as you intend to start living your life…

So look.

Focus on this one moment.

And choose.