How many times have you not followed your instincts and realised with hindsight that you really should have done? We’ve all been there haven’t we, our inner wisdom is gently whispering ‘do this’, and we let fear, logic, or over-thinking stop us. Take my monthly newsletter for example. I know that a change needs to be made. I instinctively know that I need to go back to doing weekly newsletters…and yet. There are so many reasons for me not to do so.
There’s the fact I do so many other weekly things, there’s the fact that for a couple of years, I only wrote the weekly newsletter sporadically because I lost my writing mojo, there’s the faff involved with putting it into HTML, scheduling it and sending it, there’s the concern I might change my mind again (gasp with horror!). But the simple underlying fact is, my intuition is calling me to move back to doing weekly newsletters. I miss writing regularly. (which is ironic, because every day I write 3 pages of longhand in my morning pages…!)
Your inner wisdom will whisper gently to you, and if you just do as you’re told, it makes life a lot easier! I could fight this decision, but I know it’s a decision that’s been coming for a few months. I also know that if I do what my instincts tell me to do, I’ll be happier! My instincts have never led me wrong. Sometimes I don’t end up where I think I will, but it is always right in some way. Sometimes you need to switch off your expectations for why you should be doing something or where it will lead you, and just trust that it is right for you in some way.
Following your instincts can be really scary. What if your instincts are telling you to leave a job or change the way you do business or leave a relationship? Big, Scary, Bold Actions. What do you do then? Well, you could just follow your instincts and jump. But if you are not going to do that, if logic and fear, and even common sense, are getting in the way, then you could just start to explore your options. Consider the Big, Scary, Bold Action you are being called to take and just get used to it.
After you’ve considered it for a while, and got used to the idea, it may seem less daunting. Your inner wisdom (inspiration, intuition, instinct) will keep whispering. If you keep the channel of communication open, at some point, it may whisper the ‘how’ of the Big, Scary, Bold Action. Just because your instincts tell you to take a Big, Scary, Bold Action doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do it tomorrow, you may just need to start taking steps towards that Big, Scary, Bold Action.
The other alternative, which I like because it’s easy, is to just ‘park’ the Big, Scary, Bold Actions suggested by your inner wisdom, and follow the smaller whispers. Your instincts may tell you to do yoga, or write, or get outside more, or have some fun, or take a class, or clean up an area of your life. Follow those instincts. The more you follow your instincts, the easier it becomes to trust them. So, when your inner wisdom whispers ‘move to the other side of the world’, it won’t seem quite so scary!
We all have an instinctive knowledge of how to improve our lives, but most of us have it trained out of us to some extent to be replaced with ‘logic’, ‘common sense’ and the idea that the right thing to do is the sensible thing (it’s not by the way, that’s a crazy way to make a decision!). By now, you’ve probably noticed that being sensible and logical doesn’t make you happier. Following your instincts will. Your instincts will guide you to the most joyful path, they will help you to start trusting yourself, they will help you understand yourself and your life, and they will challenge you to be more than you thought you could.
So follow your instincts. Follow them now, today. What do you instinctively know about your life? What do you instinctively know you need right now? What instinct feels easy to follow? Go do it!
And as ever, I’d love to hear from you about your instincts – what are they telling you to do? What makes it more difficult or easier for you to follow your instincts? Leave me a comment below.
Love
Donna.x