I’m guilty of being one of these people who always ‘pushes on.’
If I’ve committed to something, I MUST complete it. There’s no backing out.
But last week I had a massive breakthrough.
I finally learned how to listen to my intuition and follow through.
I’ll set the scene for you…
Recently I had a fashion designer approach me to do some freelance marketing work.
Initially I was over the moon! Ecstatic even.
It meant I had a foot back in the fashion door, I would gain some international experience and I would be earning money of my own again (hooray!).
I got straight to work and promised I would have the proposal to my potential client the following week. I had so many ideas swimming around about how I could help grow the fashion label and how awesome it was all going to be.
But then I started to get this icky feeling.
When I started writing the proposal I was making everything much harder than it needed to be. Things weren’t sitting right.
I thought maybe I needed more information. So I called up the fashion designer and explained that I wanted more background info so I could tailor my proposal.
I got off the phone feeling even more confused! What was wrong with me?
In the end I turned the freelance opportunity down.
I got honest with myself. I realised I didn’t actually want to do it.
FINALLY I tuned into my intuition and I followed through!
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I’ll admit that tuning into your intuition when you most need it can be tough…especially if it doesn’t come naturally.
However, I have put together a few tips accompanied with my personal experience to help you listen and follow through on your gut instincts so you can make the best decision possible.
Often we get so caught up in our stressful situation we can’t think straight.
When this happens you just need to step away.
I encourage you to simply chill out and do something you love. Maybe you need to get outside and go for a run, grab a coffee at your local café, read a book or have a dance party in your lounge room.
To gain some clarity I actually left my home office, caught up with a friend and chatted whilst we had our nails done (tough life, I know!).
You need to create space to let your mind wander. This will help your intuition tell you what you need to hear, loud and clear.
More often than not, YOU hold all the answers, (surprising hey!).
But talking to a trusted friend or colleague about your situation can be of great assistance. Externalising your thoughts and feelings can help lift the weight that you’ve been carrying and as a result, clarity prevails.
I was lucky enough to ‘step away’ and ‘seek advice’ at the same time with my awesome friend Willo.
As we casually chatted about the freelancing role whilst having our nails attended to, it became so clear that this project wasn’t for me.
I could hear it in my voice; the words I was using and I could literally feel the tension in my body rise.
‘Wise Willo’ pointed out that taking on this project would not make me happy.
BINGO!
Which brings me to my next tip.
I understand that not knowing what to do in a certain situation is scary. But it’s all too easy to push your feelings aside and keep moving on…even if it doesn’t feel good.
I have now learned that it’s vital to be honest about how you feel.
The more I thought about this marketing gig the more dread filled my body. I felt anxious and I literally brought on a headache.
The list of negatives was slowly growing and the only thing that was motivating me in the slightest was the idea of cash coming in the door.
But I realised the cash benefit was only going to be minimal and it wouldn’t make up for the ill feeling I was experiencing.
Put simply, focus on what FEELS right for you and what will make YOU happy!
If you can’t talk to a friend or you simply don’t want to, turn to your journal.
Expressing your emotions on paper can be a powerful way to tune into your intuition and remove any blocks that are standing in your way.
Reflect on your situation and let your feelings pour out of you. Get it all out of your head and down in to the privacy of your journal.
As you put pen to paper and work through your thoughts and feelings you will be amazed at the self-discovery that occurs.
I answered these questions in my journal:
“How does the idea of working on this project make me feel?”
“What is this situation teaching me and why has is come up now?”
These two simple questions helped to uncover gold + my truth!
As expressed in the previous points, it was obvious that the idea of this project didn’t light me up and make me feel fantastic.
I also realised that this situation was teaching me to really focus on my priorities. I have just started my life coaching course and this is where I want to invest all my energy and attention. I think it was a test!
Stay tuned for next week’s blog, where I’ll share with you my personal journal practice and I’ll send you my Journal Guide – ‘30 Thought Provoking Prompts to Kick-Start Your Joy of Journalling.’
I’m guilty of having blinkers on when it comes to situations going down hill. Like I said earlier, I often march full steam ahead, ignoring any warning signs so I can make sh^t happen!
But it’s not uncommon to miss subtle signs or coincidences.
I believe that these little synchronicities are acting as a guide. They pop up to steer us towards making the best possible decision at the time.
For example, when I was trying to write my proposal I was having all types of issues with my Mac, I couldn’t find a marketing text book I wanted to refer to and the fashion designer didn’t really have any of the answers to the vital business questions I had asked….I saw these things as subtle warning signs.
You just have to stay aware and be willing to notice the signs!
I have countless examples of when I didn’t trust my gut (so many examples in business, it’s not funny). And as a result, often things didn’t work out so well.
It can be scary to change direction; say ‘no’ or ‘yes’ to something or to throw something in.
I was actually really scared to say ‘no’ to this freelance opportunity.
I was worried that I had wasted the fashion designer’s time and she would be disappointed. I was worried James would be annoyed that I said no to extra cash, which would support us. I was scared my friends and family would think I was a flake for backing out.
But guess what? It all worked out and none of that stuff happened.
Tuning into your intuition takes practice and it’s all a learning curve. Just remember to find your truth and really take note of how you feel within your body when you’re in doubt.
Our body is our wisest guide.
Do you have any other tips to help tune into your intuition? I would love to hear them in the comments.
If you’re keen to learn more about my journaling practice and you would like to receive my Journal Guide jump over here – ‘30 Thought Provoking Prompts to Kick-Start Your Journal Practice,’ and sign up!
Love,
