What is Inspired Action? (A Manifestation Guide)

In this post, learn what inspired action really is, how to tell the difference between action vs. inspired action, and how inspired action will aid you in manifesting your dreams. Plus, get journal prompts to guide you to listen to your inner knowing and take inspired action with faith and trust (even when it doesn’t always make sense).

The Law of Attraction and Manifestation

Inspired action.

If you follow the Law of Attraction, you’ve likely heard the phrase inspired action throughout your manifestation journey. One of the key components of manifesting your dreams is to take inspired action towards your dreams and desires.

But what exactly does this mean? What is inspired action? And how is it different than any other kind of action you might take?

Inspired action is often the missing link when it comes to manifesting your dream life. Popular media will sometimes make fun of the Law of Attraction, depicting it as simply staring at a vision board and hoping really hard that your dreams will come true. And when someone tries to manifest their dreams and claims that manifestation doesn’t work for them, it’s often because they’re missing one of the most important steps in manifestation: taking inspired action.

Manifestation is so much more than simply looking at a vision board and wishing that everything you’ve put on that board will come true. Manifestation takes believing in yourself, setting intentions, vibrating at the frequency of your desires, following your intuition, taking inspired action when your inner knowing calls, and trusting the Universe to guide you.

Today, we’re going to focus specifically on the “inspired action” part of the manifestation journey. What is inspired action, and how do you know if your actions are inspired or not?

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What is Inspired Action?

Inspired action is a phrase often used in the Law of Attraction space, but what many don’t know is that “inspired action” is actually a law itself. The Law of Inspired Action is one of the 12 Laws of the Universe, and it’s inextricably intertwined with the Law of Attraction, as well as the other universal laws.

So what exactly is it?

The Law of Inspired Action states that you must take real, actionable, inspired steps in order to achieve your goals and allow your dreams to manifest in your life.

So let’s break that down:

First, it says that you must take “real, actionable, inspired steps.” “Real” and “actionable” aren’t too complicated. A real step means you take action instead of simply imagining it in your head. Actionable means it’s something that can be acted upon. All of this simply means you are doing something, not sitting around waiting for things to happen.

It’s the “inspired” part that makes it a little more complicated.

Have you ever felt a deep inner knowing about something? An inspired step is action derived from your inner knowing. It’s when something deep within calls you to take action, even when it doesn’t make sense. Inspired action is based on surrendering to the guidance of the Universe and listening to the call of your inner knowing.

By not taking that inspired step, you may be blocking your manifestations from fully forming in your reality. That’s what the second half of the bolded definition above means: “in order to achieve your goals and allow your dreams to manifest in your life.”

When you follow your intuition and take inspired action, you allow your dreams to manifest, often in unexpected ways. It may not look exactly as you had thought it would, but if you trust the Universe’s guidance, there’s a good chance it’ll turn out even better than you believed.

At the heart of it, inspired action comes down to this: trust. Even when something doesn’t make logical sense, you trust the Universe to carry you to the place where all of your dreams and desires are waiting for you.

Action vs. Inspired Action

So how do you know if you’re taking inspired action vs. simply taking action toward your dreams?

This isn’t truly something that can be quantified or put in a spreadsheet. It’s also not for anyone else to tell you whether your actions are inspired or not. Only you know whether it’s inspired action from the way it feels.

I like to use dating as an example of action vs. inspired action.

Let’s say you’ve decided you want to manifest a really great, loving relationship. You know that it’s unlikely the love of your life will come knocking on your door, so you must take action to meet someone. Actions might include going out to a bar or coffee shop, asking one of your friends to play matchmaker, or joining an interleague soccer club where you might meet other singles.

You’re taking action, which is a good thing, but you still haven’t met someone special.

And to make it worse, something deep inside is telling you to make an online dating profile.

OkCupid, specifically.

But here’s the problem: you are completely resistant to meeting someone this way.

Your mind is set on meeting someone the “old-fashioned” way, and you refuse to budge. Even when you start seeing external signs (like articles about online dating success stories and random strangers talking about OkCupid behind you in the coffee line) you ignore the signs and insist that your path is the best way.

By going to bars and joining a soccer club, you’re taking action, but it isn’t inspired action.

Inspired action is when you finally sign up for that online dating service and create a profile, putting yourself out there in a way that feels both scary and exciting. You’ve released resistance and have finally allowed the Universe to take you exactly where you want to go. Finally, after months of lackluster results, you go on the best date of your life.

Inspired action isn’t always easy. It often requires going outside your comfort zone and even doing things that don’t always make sense. You may need to release stubborn resistance and admit that your way isn’t always the best way. However, just because it may not feel easy doesn’t mean it should feel bad.

In fact, it’s just the opposite.

Inspired action should feel good. It should feel right. It should feel like your entire body is breathing a sigh of relief as it quietly whispers, “Finally. This is where I’m meant to be.” Inspired action should feel like coming home.

I speak from personal experience when I say that when you finally let go of resistance and take inspired action, you’ll laugh at yourself for taking so long. And with each successful step, it’ll become easier and easier to trust the Universe’s plan for you.

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Examples of Inspired Action

I’m lucky to say that inspired action has never been something I’ve resisted in my life. Even before I knew what manifestation and the Law of Attraction were, I was constantly making decisions and taking action based on what I felt in my heart. The hardest part was trying to explain my decisions to family and friends. From their perspective, my actions might’ve seemed to come from nowhere.

But I always knew deep down that I was doing the right thing.

One of these moments came in my final months of high school, when I decided against going to some bigger universities in California and opted for a smaller college in rural Oregon. Here, I met my best friends, got one-on-one time with professors, had intimate classes with as little as five people, learned and grew in ways I never could’ve imagined, and graduated with almost no financial debt. Would one of those bigger universities worked out for me? Maybe, but I knew in my heart that the smaller college was what I needed.

And since I’m here, doing what I love in the career of my dreams, I’d say it worked out pretty well.

Big, Life-Changing Examples of Inspired Action

Two of the biggest examples of taking inspired action in my life both involved quitting well-paying jobs. The first time, I worked in a small office in rural Oregon. I was paid well, loved the people I worked with, and had a home I loved. But deep down, I knew there was something more out there for me. I decided to move to a new state that I had never lived in, but it felt like the next right place for me. I had no job or housing situation lined up, but I gave my notice at my job anyway. Every action I took was based simply on a feeling deep within that I was doing the right thing.

And you know what happened?

Within two weeks, I was offered the very first job I applied for, and my application for an apartment just minutes away from that job was accepted. I had taken inspired action, and the Universe did the rest, paving the way to my new life in this new state.

A few years later, my inner knowing called to me again. I was working another well-paying job with people I loved, but I wasn’t doing what I loved. I knew it was time to finally follow my passions and build a life for myself that I’d be excited to wake up to every morning. This time, I resisted for a few months. It sounded crazy. Was I really supposed to leave a secure income to follow my dreams, even though I had zero prospects and no guarantees of success?

And how was I supposed to pay the rent?

I was terrified to tell my family and friends. I just knew they’d think I was crazy.

But each day, my inner knowing called to me more and more. I couldn’t stay where I was much longer. Finally, I told my partner what I was thinking, and then my family, and then my best friend.

And you know what happened this time?

Everyone supported me. Without hesitation. Without blinking an eye. Unequivocally.

So I took the leap, and I can say now that it was absolutely the best decision of my life. Was it scary? Absolutely. But I let go, surrendered to the Universe’s guidance, and walked forward in faith and trust. And it felt exactly like inspired action should feel: it felt like coming home.

Smaller Examples of Inspired Action

One of my favorite personal examples of inspired action is the path that led me to learning about manifestation itself.

It started with a nudge to buy the book The Secret.

I hadn’t seen or read about the book recently. No one I knew was reading it. In fact, my only memory of it was back in high school, when a friend’s mom had been reading it. But even then, I didn’t even know what it was about.

But ten years later, I suddenly couldn’t get it out of my head.

It was a thought that kept coming back to me over and over again: I knew I needed to buy that book.

So I did. I can say now that The Secret didn’t teach me everything I needed to know about the Law of Attraction, and I learned some of my greatest lessons far after reading it. But it was the first step that led me on the path toward my dreams.

And in the end, that’s what inspired action is: a first step that leads you to something far greater than you can ever imagine.

Journal Prompts for Taking Inspired Action

Below are some journal prompts for connecting with your intuition and taking inspired action. As you answer these questions, be honest with yourself, and refrain from self-criticism and self-judgment. Even if there were times in your past when you didn’t follow your intuition or take inspired action, know that these experiences served and supported your growth.

• Do I consider myself intuitive? Why or why not?
• What are some past experiences in which I followed my intuition, and this led me to making the right choice?
• Have I ever not followed my intuition and wished I had? What can I learn from these experiences?
• Do I trust myself to make good decisions? Do I make decisions based on what’s logical or what feels right? 
• Describe what your inner knowing is telling you about your life right now. Are there any next steps you feel you should take? How does it feel when you think about taking these steps?
• If I could take a single step this week that leads me closer to my dreams, what does that step look like? What is my intuition telling me? Am I able to take that step?
• Fear is a normal experience when you take a leap and follow your inner knowing. Write at least ten affirmations about your strength, power, and courage to feel the fear and move forward anyway. Repeat each affirmation twice.
• What does inspired action mean to me?
• Is it worth it to me to take inspired action, even if it doesn’t always make sense? Why or why not?

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What does inspired action mean to you? In what ways has taking inspired action supported your manifestation journey? Leave your comments and questions in the comment box below!

And for more manifestation tips, plus a daily dose of positive affirmations and self-love, be sure to connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest!

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