When a great moment knocks on the door of your life, it is often no louder than the beating of your heart, and it is very easy to miss.”

Boris Pasternok

Trust your intuition or listen to your gut are easy to say but not always easy to follow. Unless, like me the lesson is so obvious it can’t be ignored. Recently a chain of events unfolded making it very clear that I was being called back to my own Radical Self Care path.

I had been letting SHOULDs crowd out where I was heading, yet again! This is, I suspect, is a fairly common problem for many of us.

We, in these so called developed nations are, I believe, trapped inside something highly toxic and damaging to our capacity to be healthy, happy and to truly love life and all it has to offer. The modern capitalist industrial growth model is all about extraction and consumption, everything reduced to products to be utilised in the pursuit of profits, and that includes us.

When in business its too easy to get shunted along the conveyor belt of must do self promotion. There’s an endless list of things we are supposed to do to market ourselves and get the message/product/service out there.

I allowed myself to be convinced that I needed to squeeze myself into that model, with recent business advice prodding me along. “It’s just what you have to do these days.” The dance of should, should, should – make the videos, do the social media, write the blogs, book the venues, write the courses, get your calendar sorted, always a call to action and to promote, promote, promote. I hated it.

And then a source greater than me stepped in.

A series of events unfolded which I could never have predicted. I had no choice but to listen. Time to wake up, Mairi!

Firstly it was something seemingly very trivial, not a business thing at all, which became the pivot upon which I swung. I really baulked when asked to do something as part of recent personal studies. The reason smelt like bullshit to me.

Then my gut spoke. It literally reacted in such a way that there was no doubt. Without being too graphic, when we are in flow so is our digestive system.  When we are not, it is not. When we let go of shitty situations, so can our physical body. Mine did. Not in a dramatic way, but I got the message. My body had decided before my mind, it let go.

I TRUSTED MY GUT and took action, I made a change, quite a big one.

Since then more situations have presented themselves where I have had to make choices not just about personal matters but about my business life too. It seems the Universe is intent on teaching me to trust my intuition, which for me clearly speaks through my gut.

Hindsight shows me that, painful and confusing as this journey is, something greater is nudging me along.  Each choice slowly but surely re-orientating my direction of travel, turning me towards a new old path. 

New as in time has moved on, old as in been here before!

Of course my inner critic has been active. Constructed in dysfunction, a student of our toxic society she tried to warn me off, call me back to the fold, herd me into the pen again. She freaks out when it looks like I’m going to make a big change.

What will people think? You might making a big mistake? All the WHAT IFs in full flood, the voice of fear trying to block any chance of listening, never mind trusting my intuition.

BUT…

 What if the big mistake is not listening to our gut?

I’ve decided to take the risk. What does a life lived in flow, listening to my gut look like? How does it feel to trust my intuition and follow it? What happens if I dare to do something different? It’s time to take action against all those shoulds. 

The rebellion begins on my sofa!

“Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks–we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.”

Parker Palmer

Read more about shoulds  – Take the Pressure of Yourself 

Disclaimer: The views expressed here, in blog posts and on the website Change Is Always Possible are those of the author Mairi Stones alone, and do not represent the views of any associated bodies. We do not diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. Information provided in this blog is not intended to substitute advice, treatment and/or diagnosis from qualified medical and nutritional professionals. Take what you like and leave the rest.