intuition

Recalibrating the Internal GPS

emilydownward

I have a GPS map component that came with my car. It’s been very helpful to glance over and see where I am on the larger map as I’m learning new areas of Seattle. But occasionally, it gets completely off – the GPS locator isn’t working and rather than driving down the road, on the screen it looks as if I’m driving right through the middle of the lake. I notice it and try to reset the system, which may or may not work. I become a bit disconcerted as I realize I was relying on it to help me find my next turn.

I think this is an apt metaphor for life. I often wish for a map or blueprint which would provide me with a reliable way to reach my intended destination. Instead of “In a quarter mile, turn right,” it could tell me which classes to take to ensure success, where to go to meet my next partner, and where to invest my money to provide the best return. Wouldn’t that be nice? Instead, my life (and I hazard to assume yours as well) is more of a trial and error approach. Occasionally, there are helpful guides and teachers along the way who can answer some of the questions of which way to go next, but even their advice can be fallible when it comes to your life because YOU are unique. What worked for them may or may not work for you. And so, I find myself yet again with the often-frustrating answer of “the answers are inside of you.” (This occasionally makes me want to scream, “Then WHERE are they?!?!”)

If you find yourself in a place in your life where the GPS has lost your signal – you feel like you’ve gone off-road, have lost sight of your destination or are questioning whether you even want to continue to strive for that particular destination anymore – here are my tips for recalibrating your internal compass:

  1. Breathe. I always find this helpful. Of course, yes, I know our breathing is always on default and our brain happily keeps us from completely stopping our oxygen intake, but our breathing is also very sensitive to our emotions and stress response. Taking even 1 minute to notice your breathing, notice if you are clenching any muscles or if you can relax your stomach and take a nice deep breath, immediately helps you feel safer and access the higher processing parts of your brain.
  2. Shift your attention to what is working well. Our brains are geared to look for the negative, to find what needs improving. Actively shifting your brain to start collecting evidence of what’s going well – even if it’s small, simple things like “I’m breathing better right now” – gets your brain into the state of looking for those clues that you are on the right track. It starts tuning in to what’s Warmer in the Hot/Cold game.
  3. Notice what you can ditch. While you are actively working on looking for what’s working well, your brain still loves to serve up all that’s not working well. Notice if there are things you’ve been doing, activities or people you’ve been spending your time and energy on, that aren’t serving you. What can you let go of to give you back some of your attention to focus on what’s working well?

"The only map of your right life is written on your soul at its most peaceful, and the only sure compass is your heart at its most open." ~ Martha BeckYou really do have an internal compass, some call it their gut reaction or intuition, and it is always trying to steer you towards what’s best for you. The more you tune into it, the more trust you can develop in your own indicators, and you’ll find the episodes of feeling lost are shorter.

If you’re interested in learning more about intuition, energy and how to incorporate it into your life, you may want to check out my upcoming teleclass, the Magical Mystical Tour.

Finding Your Way

emilydownward

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” ~ BuddhaI keep getting more and more reminders that success for each of us is really very individual. While we may look to experts or others who have “made it” for inspiration and ideas, we still have to find our own way. And for most of us, this requires quite a bit of trial and error.

I’m seeing this in my life in multiple areas. One is my diet. My body has become extremely sensitive to all kinds of foods – and “sensitive” is the nice way to say it violently rejects things that aren’t good for it. I’ve done some reading and research of why this might be happening. I found both medical and spiritual explanations for the cause, and there are numerous diets and cleanses all claiming to have the answer to fix it.

A part of me often wishes for, and looks for, an easy solution to things. I buy books and read articles online looking for The Answer. I find it comforting to learn and follow guidelines with an expected outcome. Unfortunately, someone else’s idea of The Way doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. I must try different ideas and processes, learning what works for me and what doesn’t, creating my own hodge-podge version with pieces of this and parts of that, mixed with my own preferences and style.

The same is true for my clients. Many times a new client will ask me what my process is, what steps I will take them through. And while I do have a set of tools I regularly teach and use, I don’t have one prescribed process I take everyone through. I value the uniqueness of each person’s strengths, challenges and journey, and I customize the sessions to best meet each client’s goals and current situation.

That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about my new program, which I have whimsically called the Magical Mystical Tour. Rather than putting forward one way of thinking about how to use and leverage energy and intuition, I’m introducing you to five of my favorite practitioners of “the Woo.” Listening to each of these incredible women will give you a variety of styles and ways to explore. If you’re looking for a way to learn more about how to use energy in your life, this is a great way to get a sampling of several different ways.

As always, keep searching for the path that works best for you, realizing that it’s likely a unique one, just as you are a unique expression of the Universe. And if you find that you’ve somehow lost the trail, or that what you used to do is no longer working for you, I can help you find your way.