What’s so great about Free Will? We think we have freedom but we actually are following a map of a foreign country. It’s much better to learn how to follow our Soul’s Will. It’s unique to us and flawless.
Check out page 77 in Go With Your Gut
Your Turn:
Share your thoughts about the difference between your Soul’s will and free will.
P.S. Struggling? Try Gut Check Coaching. It’s all about making decisions you can trust!
When I coach individuals or present Go With Your Gut to audiences, I like to share my car analogy. It’s a pretty simple visual that helps us remember who’s really driving and guiding us throughout our day.
Picture a red convertible with the top down with your Ego, your Heart and your Gut as the passengers. Your Ego says, “I’m driving” and your Heart jumps in the backseat saying, “I’m in charge of the radio.” Your Gut gets in the passenger seat and says, “Okay, Ego, you can drive and Heart you can listen to any music you like but, I’m the GPS. Go where I tell you and I promise you’ll like it.
Now, our Ego wants to be in charge by taking the wheel and our Heart just wants to go along for the ride and feel happy. Along the journey, our Ego will think it knows where our Gut is taking us and wants to take over the directions, but not so fast.
As in life, just when we think we know where we’re headed the course changes.
You see, our Ego can only take us where we think we want to go not where we really want to be.
If we would follow our Gut exactly, every day we’d be happier and where we ought to be.
What do you do each day to listen to your Gut? How has your Gut been a good GPS system for you, taking you exactly where you want to go?
Are you stuck in life? I understand – been there, done that. No fun.
Here’s a real quick post to get you unstuck.
1. We don’t want to do something we know we’re supposed to do
2. We’re not willing to let go of something we should let go of
3. We’re afraid of what’s around the corner and we have no faith in what our Gut is telling us to do
Take the leap and trust your Gut!
During your times of “stuckness” what have you done to get unstuck? What does your Gut tell you about the reasons you get stuck?
Let’s chat below!
This is an excellent example of how to listen to your Gut in the moment, or not, as in my case.
I learned something really eye-opening last week. I was at a long meeting last Thursday morning, about 2 1/2 hours. There was an optional meeting I could have attended afterward that sounded worthwhile but by the time the first meeting ended I was antsy and wanted to get some work done before I picked up my girls from school.
My phone was turned off during the meeting so I checked for calls and emails. Lo and behold, I saw an ominous email, the kind that puts a pit in your stomach, so that elevated my feeling of antsy to a sufficient level of anxiety. I was debating on whether to attend the meeting for a little bit for I knew it would be beneficial but, I felt stressed.
Not only was my body tense and I felt anxious I also heard my Head saying,”You’ve already spent enough time here.” “You have to get some work done.” “Maybe, this wasn’t a good idea after all.” “You have to answer that email.”
Doesn’t sound like my calm, trusting Gut now does it?
In fact, I was debating and I actually walked to the meeting room twice and turned around and ended up heading to my car to leave - thinking that was the wisest thing to do.
So there I am in my car re-reading the email and becoming even more anxious and so I decided to leave. I pulled out of the parking lot and up to the stop sign. I had to inch forward a bit to see around other cars to make sure no one was coming before I pulled out. I saw a vehicle approaching so, I stopped.
The driver behind me thought I was going to continue so she “gunned it” as she said. She dented my bumper. I have to go to the chiropractor for a bit and deal with insurance and a rental car but there were no major damages to either of us.
Except my pride. You see, I should have known better.
The right choice would have been for me to:
(Note to self): Never answer an email when you’re stressed, fearful, and anxious, it comes out through your writing. And, rarely does an angry email sent make one feel good even if you get what you “think” you want.
I should have written out how I felt or spoke it out loud to dissipate the feelings so I could have been more objective. I was totally in my Head and my Heart and it put me be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Was the accident my fault? Well, no not technically but, I probably could have avoided it if I would have taken the time to get back to listening to my Gut.
Have you ever had a situation like this where you “knew” you should have done one thing, but did another?
which are you?
I know a lot of us want what we want in life, and that’s fair and fine.
There’s nothing wrong in creating life the way you want it to be, the key is knowing you’re creating it from your Soul not your Ego.
Because it has the path, the connections (you know, being in the right place at the right time), and it’s fulfilling, satisfying, gratifying and a lot more fun. Our Ego thinks it knows what we want but, in reality our Ego can’t imagine what could make us truly happy and peaceful inside, let alone begin to bring that forth.
Our Ego is fear-based so how can it create anything sustainable when it’s building it on a false sense of security? From fear comes more fear.
Well, for starters we have to be willing to trust our Gut/Soul and blindly follow the breadcrumbs it lays out in front of us.
Actually, let’s back up, we have to know how to recognize our Gut because:
I always picture the Tortoise and the Hare when I imagine my Gut/Soul vs. my Head/Ego.
We act like the Hare running in circles thinking we know how to make things happen when in reality we’re usually making big and small messes every day.
Our Soul has the master plan and if we’d tap into that we’d have patience like the tortoise to do what it says.
It’s not a secret, we just like being in control.
If you’re in any sort of drama right now, step back and be an observer. That will help you detach from where your Ego is trying to lead you so you can change course. Willingness is a key element of learning to trust yourself, without it you’ll always default to your Ego and your Heart in your choices. That’s a slippery slope.
We stall progress in our life by being stubborn and unwilling to let go of something that’s not working – or refusing to do what will work.
How does this whole go with your Gut and Soul thing make you feel?
Does it make sense or, if not, how could I help?
Share your thoughts below.
image: poetry foundation
We’ve all heard the expression, “Don’t sell your Soul” and we know better but, we still do it.
Most every single person has sold their Soul for something; money, career, house, investments or a relationship.
Let’s cover a few things regarding this because when we sell our Soul for something or someone we will have to eventually reap the consequences. Always. Period.
Either monetarily, reputation-wise, financially and the ultimate; our self-esteem and dignity – we will reap the consequences.
That’s selling your Soul.
If you go back to my book, Go With Your Gut, I make the case that our Gut is the voice and visceral feeling of our Soul, so they’re synonymous. Our Gut/Soul speaks in five words or less, every time, all the time. If it’s more than five words it’s most likely your Head/Ego making the decision.
We hear our Gut/Soul all throughout the day we just choose not to listen to it because our Head/Ego thinks it knows better how to get us what we think we want. (Think about that tongue twister)
Because inherent in a Head or Heart decision is an agenda and emotional attachment to an outcome and with that one has to manipulate events, people and circumstances to attain the goal.
Also, our Head is fear-based which forces us to go against what our Soul would do. Our Heart is emotion-based and as we know our emotions can, and do, change about eights times a day.
Take the high road. It might be lonely at first but, eventually you’ll see more Soul travelers along your path.
Share your thoughts, questions, agreements and disagreements below – I love to hear all of them.
What are your intentions?
As I’m sitting here musing what to write about my nine-year old daughter suggested that I post a prayer and then ask you what your specials intentions are and that made me think.
Are we aware of our intentions?
Do we really know, on a Gut level, what we want in life?
How do we know if what we want is from our Gut and not our Head or Heart?
Often we think we know what we want, only to realize after attaining it, we really didn’t want it after all.
That reminds me of a story about a former neighbor of mine. He went to law school with visions of how much he would enjoy being a lawyer, all the money he would make and the good work he would do – only to realize he hates it. He hates arguing with people, working with people who lie and the endless paperwork he has to file, then trying to collect his fee. He’s still a lawyer but suffers from migraines and resigned about his life’s work.
Now, he certainly didn’t intend to choose a career he doesn’t enjoy and none of us did either.
The best thing to do is to be aware of how we make our decisions and ask: Do I have an agenda or am I emotionally attached to an outcome? (Read about that on page 54 in Go With Your Gut, 2nd Edition)
So often we’re jockeying for position in our own lives that we take a knee jerk approach to success. We react to life before we really know if we’re going after what we really want.
Why do we do that? Because we’re operating from fear and we don’t trust ourselves and the choices we make.
Take inventory of your life, personally and professionally, and see if you’re living an authentic life. If not, awareness of the fact will help guide the next steps to making your life the way you want it.
(This sentence is from my nine-year old daughter, Portia)
Life is like a flower it grows to flourish not to die. On that note life should be lived to it’s fullest. ~Portia
How do your intentions play a role in the decisions you make. Do you have a story to share about: Often we think we know what we want, only to realize after attaining it, we really didn’t want it after all? What did you do to make a better choice?
I’ve really enjoyed your comments and the conversation lately – you guys make my day!