To prompt yourself into action you need to have a strong enough intent. You need to make sure that your effort is mutually nourishing and is essentially beneficial to others. You need to know that you’re capable of putting in constant effort and preferably have this effort be inspired over a long period, and then you will see the results of your effort.
A further metaphor helps to explain this concept:
There is a boy with a dream to be a doctor. He became a great student, but failed three exams for universities out of his fear and nervousness at the last moment in the examination room. He and his father were on a train to the last university, the fourth university, where he was going to sit for his fourth exam and he was worried. There was a man sitting in the carriage of the train and they got talking. The man found out all about the boy’s desire to become a doctor and how good he was as a student and that he just had nerves in the exam. The next day, when the boy and the father went to the interview, the boy was very nervous. As he opened the door to go into the room to meet the headmaster, he looked up to see that the headmaster was the man that was on the train. As a result, the exam went well because he felt comfortable and relaxed and he received an entrance into the university. This boy went on to become one of the country’s greatest physicians and helped countless people.
Another story describes how a child was on the beach building sandcastles. He’d gotten almost to the end of his constructions and found himself coming across a giant rock, which he tried moving and tried building around until he knew he needed to move the rock. After many attempts to move the rock he collapsed onto the ground and cried. The father noticed the boy crying and went over to him and said, “What’s wrong son?” and the boy said, “I can’t move the rock” and the father asked, “Did you use all your strength?” And the boy said, “Yes I did.” The father said “No you didn’t, son, you didn’t ask me to help.” Then the father ended up helping the boy move the rock together and the boy was able to complete his project.
You can use that story as a metaphor about tapping into the higher consciousness. You’re not using all your strength unless you use the higher consciousness. It is important not to lose your path, whether you are a gardener a soldier, a businessman or an artist. Whatever it is you do, you need to discover the inner nourishment that brings fulfilment to your life.