It is often difficult to know exactly what to do. This is especially true when you decide to stop being a creature of habit and circumstance and decide instead to live a life of purpose and meaning. It may sound strange that deciding to live purposefully can leave you without a sense of direction. But it often does. Imagine that you always take the same route to work and then one day, you wake up and decide that you are going to take another road. Ah, but which one? And does it actually go where you want to end up. That's the quandary.
Indecision. Procrastination. Doubt. Fear. All rear up whenever you are at a choice point. All serve to frustrate and impede your ability to know what to do and then actually do it. And just like that, you are back doing the habitual, back in the comfort zone, back with the known, even when you know it does not work to produce the results you desire to have in your life. Yet another opportunity to change has come and gone. All because you think you don't know what to do.
So, here is my suggestion for what to do when you don't know what to do...
Stop thinking about it. Get out of your mind. Let your heart make the decision. Or your gut. Instead of just trying to think your way through the decision making process; feel your way through it. What feels right? What is your gut instinct?
Sure, it often makes sense to use the old Ben Franklin method-- list the pros on one side of a piece of paper and the cons on the other side and then go with the majority. That may help you to think about some possible course of action a little more clearly. But thinking something through doesn't always supply the right answer, or even supply the way to your best answer.
It's been my experience that many people will actually think themselves right out of making the right decision. They know in their hearts that they should go a certain way, but they allow their mind to tell them otherwise.
Listen up all you mindful people... How do you create a life that is both successful and fulfilling? Simple. You already know the answer. It is... FOLLOW YOUR PASSION. Passion is not a mental attribute; it is an emotional one. You don't think passion, you feel it.
So, whenever you don't know what to do, here's what you do -- check in with how you feel about it. If it feels right, do it. If it doesn't feel right - don't.
Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't use your mind. I am not suggesting that you stop using your critical thinking. I am saying that when your mind is not giving you a quick and definitive answer, then go with your gut instincts. Ask any winner in any field and most times, they'll tell you that:
- they trusted their intuition; or
- it just felt right, so they did it; or
- they had a gut feeling; or
- they had this burning desire to do it, despite the evidence; or
- they somehow just knew what to do, without knowing how they knew.
In other words, they were out of their mind :-) and into their heart.
Trust your heart. It is wiser than your head. It knows what to do when you don't know what to do.
© Leslie Fieger. All rights reserved worldwide.
Leslie is the author of The DELFIN Knowledge System Trilogy: The Initiation, The Journey and The Quest plus many more success publications. He also the co-author of The End of the World with Hugh Jeffries and Alexandra's DragonFire with his daughter Ashley. Subscribe to his free and ad-free eZine at http://www.ProsperityParadigm.com or http://www.LeslieFieger.com..
Reprinting and republishing of this article is granted only with the above credit included. Permission to reprint or republish does not waive any copyright.
Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 6,... Read More
The story of the three bricklayers has been around for... Read More
Have you come to a point in your life and... Read More
She was just over knee-high standing next to me in... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 22,... Read More
Ever read a book that's changed your life? Most of... Read More
In Berlin a restaurant opens for anorexics and in Buffalo... Read More
I write and talk a lot about dreams. Primarily because... Read More
I have no idea how it started or who launched... Read More
The tiny dogwood sapling was only a twig when my... Read More
Have you thought about what you want people to say... Read More
As year 2004 winds up and professionals and corporate bodies... Read More
It is fun to watch movies of those with super... Read More
Have you ever sat down to watch the evening news... Read More
CELEBRATE YOUR LIFE!"If there is light in the soul, there... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 9,... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 3,... Read More
"Happiness can be as elusive as a fluttering butterlfy but... Read More
"Some people call the still, small voice insight or intuition?Our... Read More
Over the years as I've sought out ideas, principles and... Read More
Before we are able to use the Universal Thought System... Read More
Perhaps I should ask my doctor if there is a... Read More
All you want is a little more.More money, more love,... Read More
Everyday I meet people who have a chronic upset that... Read More
To every life, there is a purpose; a purpose of... Read More
What has become of your fondest dreams?If you were guaranteed... Read More
There are discoveries all around ussmall gifts of joy that... Read More
First, let me share a quote from Ashlee Simpson's latest... Read More
When in 1996 a local Secondary School opened, the staff... Read More
I feel rather foolish writing this letter, but I need... Read More
The eyes are the portals of the inner self; the... Read More
All of us are resistant to change, whether it's in... Read More
Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. -... Read More
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and... Read More
"How are you doing?" you ask. There's a pause before... Read More
Your Spirit is continuously beaming communications to you. As long... Read More
The other night I was watching a documentary on that... Read More
Wisdom and knowledge come from the same family but are... Read More
Do you ever need to have your batteries "re-charged", or... Read More
This is a message from an Angel. Can you relate?... Read More
In today's fast paced society, we've become accustomed to filling... Read More
You, my friend, are going to die.What? What kind of... Read More
When disorder comes into our lives, we obviously aren't paying... Read More
Huh? You're probably wondering when this article was written, and... Read More
The bedrock of the Christian faith is the good news... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 4,... Read More
Why do so many of us end up frustrated when... Read More
The following is a true story about a young friend... Read More
All the ingredients to make 12 loaves of bread already... Read More
"We come equipped with everything we need to experience a... Read More
Inspirational Inspirational |