Consider this question: Is this in my highest good?

I want to invite you to consider trusting your intuition when making choices in your life. I think that too often when we make decisions, we can get into our heads and overthink them. If we practice slowing down and paying attention, we can feel what is in our best interest, in our highest good, our truth. One of the things that keeps us from trusting ourselves when we intuitively know the answer is our concern for the opinion of others (opinion of others and at times, even approval from others). So I offer this practice to begin the process of discerning what is true for you, and how to move forward.

I love Brené Brown’s work – it’s no secret that I do 🙂 – and she shared this practice that I adopted and go back to when I find myself doubting what feels right for me because of someone else’s thoughts or feelings about it. Brené shared that she had once drawn a square on a piece of paper and had filled that space with the names of people whose opinion she really and truly cared about. It was a short list, but an important list for her to go back to at times. At the end of the day, whose opinion do you respect and value? The square is a small space because it serves to show us that allowing too much space for this might not be the most helpful to us.

The practice is this- when you can catch yourself thinking about what everyone else might think or feel about your choices, go back to the list: are these people whose opinion you are stuck on part of your list? Chances are that most of the time, they won’t be. And so you take a deep breath and you recognize this. Try to just be aware of it happening, rather than judgmental toward yourself about it.

My version of Brené’s square of important people in her life is the same list, but on a Post It note. This is my practice in my personal life, and a practice I share with my clients.  I have learned that it serves as a gentle reminder that it while we value the opinion of others, we must make the choices that feel right to us. The people on our lists will understand once we begin to teach them that we intuitively trust that which aligns with our values; in short, we trust our intuition to guide us in the right direction.

Our therapists at Life Skills Resource Group are here for you.  Call 407-355-7378 for a free 15-minute phone consultation.

Happy Trusting,

Juliana