Are you familiar with the zen adage – Don’t just do something, sit there! It always makes me smile and I love the call to look within, and indeed, that is where we must start if our goal is a guided, rewarding journey. Yet, taking inspired action is exhilarating and where the juice really is! While accessing guidance is crucial, it must be balanced, as it can turn into malaise as we sit in suspended animation, awaiting the flaming spear to crash through our living room window with a note of direction attached. While it might be common to yearn for crystal clear, in your face sort of direction, it typically doesn’t show up in that way. Yet there are clear and distinct steps we can take to discern guidance and our best next step.
The following is the metaphysical method I use and recommend to my clients –
- Sit in stillness. This is the don’t skip this step piece of the instruction; key to living a purposeful life. When we go within on a regular basis, (even 5 minutes a day is a brilliant start!), our chattering mind quiets and recedes to the background and we drop into our connection with Source. To be able to tap into Divine guidance, we need to cultivate that connection regularly.
- Set your clear intention. In my years of coaching, I’ve often been astounded at how many people are not able to articulate specifically what they want in life. It’s hard to take inspired action if we’re not clear on what it is we’re going for. “A million dollars!” is frequently offered jokingly, but beyond that they often cannot zero in on what their heart is most calling for. Get clear and get specific – what is your goal? Creating wellness? A calm heart & mind? Financial abundance? A loving relationship?
- Get busy with your regular life and put your heart in it!! This might seem like it has nothing to do with getting inspired direction, but it absolutely does. We cannot receive Divine guidance by stressing and obsessing about it. We can’t *squeeze* an answer out of Life – believe me I’ve tried! Yet when we are contentedly and gratefully occupied with the life we have, we are in a receptive state to intuit our best next steps. Law of Attraction 101.
- Consider options and tune into your feelings. Just like a car’s navigation system can direct us to a desired destination, so can our internal guidance direct us toward our desired destinations. How do we sense this direction? Turn inward. How do you feel when you consider an option? Is it a “Yay!” or an “Oh crap, I guess I should.” That’s your guidance. It’s not a flaming spear, but every bit as reliable.
- Take action! Life likes to find us moving, even if it is just in baby steps. Those steps don’t need to be dramatic to be helpful. Do some online research, reach out to someone who has or is doing what you’re interested in. In my experience guidance finds us more easily if we are moving.
Please know that even as you apply these steps, Life still happens. Perhaps you do your best to take inspired action but it doesn’t work out – the plan falls through, yet know you are not back at Square 1. This may have queued you up for the next big thing. Don’t keep score too closely, relax into living this moment, and taking inspired action will be the most natural thing for you to do.
If you would like to explore life coaching, but aren’t quite ready to book a session, sign up for a free 30 minute call with me. There is no obligation and nothing to lose! Sign up here – Free Intro Session
