"Actions to be taken and money to be exchanged are by-products of your focus on joy. On your deliberately joyous journey, your actions will be inspired, your resources will be abundant - and you will know by the way you feel that you are fulfilling your reason for life. (Most have this one backwards, therefore most feel little joy in their actions or their possessions.)"

- Abraham-Hicks, 1996

Have you ever taken on a task in which everything just flows and every action you take seems easy, effortless and joyful? And, in contrast, have you experienced situations in which you're working towards a goal and every action you take feels hard, joyless...fraught with a sense of struggle and effort? If you're like me, you've experienced both scenarios.

When I started learning about energy alignment, I came to understand why I had these contrasting experiences. Although I had both types of experiences in all areas of my life, they seemed more noticeable when it came to "work", i.e. my business. That's why aligning my energy before and as I take action has become an essential business practice for me. Honing this ability also will be essential for you as you create the prosperous, fulfilling wellness business you desire.

The Integration of Being and Doing

Being relates to your inner state. Doing involves external techniques, processes and actions. The integration of being and doing hinges on mindfulness (conscious awareness). It's easy to lose yourself in action, with little or no awareness of your inner state as you take that action. We all experience this. Yet, it's our inner focus that really creates the results in our lives, not solely the actions we take.

For example, you can implement the same marketing plan that someone else has used successfully to expand his or her business, but your results may be disappointing. If your being state is not aligned with love-based thoughts that make you feel joyful while implementing this plan, your results will reflect this. So aligning your energy will require clearing fear-based thoughts and beliefs that feel bad and aligning with love-based thoughts and beliefs that feel good.

Inspired Rather than Motivated Action

From that place of feeling good, you can more clearly discern your inner guidance and your actions become joyful and inspired. The word inspiration comes from the Latin root, "spirare", which means spirit. The dictionary defines inspiration as "to infuse with an encouraging or exalting influence; to animate; stimulation by Divinity, genius, an idea or a passion; a Divine influence upon human beings." Inspired action comes from love, from your sense of Divine connection; it feels light, joyful, trusting.

Motivated action, in contrast, comes from fear -- you feel disconnected from your Divine self. Your actions feel heavy, distrusting, anxious, like you're pushing against something. An example is when you take an action because you think you "should" or you fear that if you don't, something "bad" will happen to you. When you're motivated, your emotions and actions are determined by external powers. When you're inspired, your emotions and actions are determined by powers within you.

The Be, Do, Have Exercise

While there are many fear-based beliefs and thoughts that can cause you to take motivated action or, even, to procrastinate on taking action, one major perceptual error that can delay you from achieving the results you desire is to focus on having and doing instead of being. For example, you may tell yourself, "if I had more time and money, I could create a successful wellness business and then I would be happy, fulfilled and prosperous." However, in reality, if you focus on being happy, fulfilled and prosperous, then more time and money will come into your experience and the creation of a successful wellness business will unfold easily and naturally for you.

So the questions to ask yourself are:

- How can I begin to BE in this space now (of feeling happy, fulfilled and prosperous or whatever feeling state the thought of a successful wellness business evokes for you)?

- How can I integrate this state of being into my current life experience?

- How can I go straight to feeling what I long to feel without it being conditional on having more time and money or a successful wellness business?

Once you're grounded in the deep and rich context of this powerful state of being, your actions to build your business will become inspired and joyful. They'll be poetry in motion.

Copyright 2008 Mary C. Davis