Trust your instincts, kiddo, that’s the fastest path to getting what you truly want.
Believe me, I see you! You want a big, bold life. That doesn’t mean dancing on a yacht with Jay-Z (unless it does), it means doing the thing you were put on this planet to do. And that life may not look big and bold to the outside world, but you’ll know in your heart you’re living exactly the right life for you.
But how the heck do you get there?? How do you go from wherever you are right now to living a life that feels like it’s meant for you, programmed by your own sweet soul?
By listening to what’s inside, my darling.
why you should trust your instincts instead of your heAD
Oh, my dear. Your mind. It’s trying so, so hard. But it’s been conditioned by years and years of familial and cultural stories.
“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
“You have to work hard to get where you want to go.”
“No pain, no gain,”
“Don’t disappoint us.”
“Never say no to an opportunity.”
“Be polite! Smile!”
I think you get the idea. Everything from table manners to whether or not we feel it’s okay to say no to a social engagement comes from the way our minds have been trained over the years.
Unfortunately, most minds have been taught that there’s no magic in the world, that you have to hustle, that pro and con lists are the best way to find answers.
Your mind means well, but it simply can’t compete with your soul.
Inside of you there is a spark. A voice. A spirit. It wants to communicate with you. It loves you. I bet you’ve felt it before. It has better, clearer answers for you than your mind ever will.
HOW TO TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
#1 think about a time in your past when you heard your intuition
You probably wouldn’t be reading this article if you hadn’t had at least one encounter with that little voice inside you.
Perhaps you accepted a job and then immediately felt a weight pressing down on you, as some part of you knew it wasn’t the right move.
Maybe you heard a clear “it’s time to go” after a bad fight with a boyfriend.
Or you may have felt an actual physical pull or yearning toward something, and you just knew, without being able to explain it, that you were supposed to go do this thing next.
If you went against your instinct, well, I bet it didn’t turn out well. Perhaps your whole world didn’t collapse in front of you, but I bet you realized later that you hadn’t made the best choice.
And if you went with your gut, I’m guessing something good happened. You met your partner, you had a beautiful experience, you started a new career, you found a beautiful garden that you never would have if you’d listened to your head.
When you remind yourself that you have an intuition and that it’s led you the right way in the past, it’s that much easier for you to start trusting it now.
The form you have selected does not exist.
#2 START WRITING TO YOUR INNER VOICE
I’ve given this advice before. If you want to start hearing from the real you, it helps to make talking to it a conscious practice.
In the morning when all is still, or right before bed when the day is done, get out a notebook. Get silent, get still. Breathe out. Relax. Ask your intuition the question that you have. Let the answer bubble up. Trust whatever you get, ask follow up questions if you need to.
You have to start somewhere with this stuff, and I promise you everyone has this inner voice. You don’t have to be clairvoyant or be religious, we all have this inside.
(Another INCREDIBLE way to start hearing from your intuition is to do an inner voice session. I trained under Jess Lively and love facilitating these. If this is right for you, you’ll feel it.)
#3 PRACTICE TAKING LITTLE STEPS
What your instincts tell you to do may scare the hell out of you. You are most definitely not going to feel like telling your dad you don’t want to work for him anymore or ending your long term relationship out of the blue, but sometimes that’s what your intuition will nudge you toward.
Here’s some advice: Breathe. Do it again. Now just take the next (teeny, tiny) step.
Your inner voice may be letting you know that being a lawyer is NOT the way to set your soul on fire, but that doesn’t mean the time to take action is right now. In fact, when you’re writing to your inner voice, you can even ask, “Do I need to quit my job right now? This very moment?” Unless the answer is yes, just check in and see what the next small step is.
Update your resume? Take a class? Follow that nudge to post your artwork on Instagram? If you feel the pull, do it!
You’ve got this
I have faith in you. You’ve been given instincts for a reason, now you can learn to trust them. And if you want to hear me talk even more about this subject, check out this video.