Soul Tonic Sunday: Listen to your life.

The reason most of us can’t follow our heart and succeed in work we love, is that we don’t know what our heart really wants. And we don’t know what our heart wants because we don’t shut up long enough to listen.

We often spend so much time questioning whether we measure up, what we "should" want and if it’s possible to get it, that we miss that very still voice that says, “This is the way. Walk in it.”

That voice is spot on every time.

So my Soul Tonic Sunday Challenge for you, is to listen to your life.

Oprah Winfrey once said, “As you become more clear about who you really are, you’ll be better able to decide what is best for you—the first time around.”

I like to think that’s true in all cases, but if we are honest with ourselves, we know it’s not.

I’ve rushed into many situations, fully aware that I was headed toward a personal or professional train wreck. But I rationalized that somehow this time would be different—I wasn’t like everybody else—and it would only be a temporary situation.

The decision (and my accompanying misery) would justify itself eventually.

I completely ignored all the warning signs and refused to listen to my life, and I got spanked for it every time.

In my defense, I didn’t give much credence to those inner promptings in my younger years. I was raised to use my head, not my heart, my intuition or any of those other “woo-woo” inner compasses.

So, even when my head whispered, “Wrong direction,” I held hard and fast when I made a decision. I would go down with the ship before bailing on my commitment, no matter how much pain I endured.

I’d stay in jobs longer than I should have, take on clients I knew were going to make my day a living hell and even maintain relationships I should have cut loose ages ago.

You see, I was no “quitter”, but when it came to discerning what I truly desired in my work and life, I was deaf, blind and a little slow to get it.

What about you?

Hand on heart…when you look at the work and life you’ve created, is this really what you want?

If the answer is “no” for whatever reason, don’t argue with yourself; it’s settled - no wrestling, no rationalizing.

Something needs to change and you must commit to figuring out how to make that change.

I don’t mean if you’re going to change it; I mean how you’re going to change it.

End of discussion.

If the answer is “yes,” then ask yourself why.

Sometimes, we want things because everybody else seems to want them. Other times, it’s because we have something to prove, to ourselves or other people.

Whatever the reason, if your choices aren’t authentic to the core desires of your heart, you’ll never experience the satisfaction you truly crave.

Listening to your life isn’t just about what decisions you make in your work; it’s about listening to what your life is telling you about you and making the necessary decisions to heed that message, even if those decisions scare the wits out of you.

You may excuse your circumstances right now by saying you’re confused, that you don’t know what to do or what you want, but I believe you know exactly what you want.

You may not know how to get what you want...you may be afraid of the risk(s) to get it, but you now exactly what you want.

So, kill the “noise”, limit the input from well-meaning friends, and simply listen to your life.

It’s the best advice you'll ever receive.

Wishing you every heart’s desire...

-Renessa

P.S. As you listen to your life, I’d love to know what you heard...Join me in my private Facebook group HERE. Not only will you be equipped to discover, design and get highly paid to do work you LOVE, but you’ll get juicy inspiration to enjoy the ride as you do. And that’s what this really all about anyway, isn't it?