I’ll admit it. I’m not a very patient person at times.
In my defense, I come by it honestly.
It’s in my Scottish no-nonsense genes.
So a few weeks ago, when I struggled to get clear on my next steps in business (and in life) I was feeling pretty aggravated.
I kept thinking…
Come on clarity, hurry up!
Show me what’s next.
But clarity was not listening.
And that really annoyed me.
Because I’m usually fairly intuitive.
And as long as I’m paying attention, my inner GPS usually guides me quickly to my next right step.
So having to wait for my intuition to speak up was kind of new for me.
Feeling like I was suddenly out of touch with it altogether was a whole new ball game.
I felt stuck.
And I needed to figure out how to get unstuck.
To find my way forward.
My usual go-tos (walking in nature, meditating, tapping and asking for signs) were not working. I wasn’t getting any clear answers.
“Good god, hurry up clarity. What’s taking you so freakin’ long?” I asked impatiently.
Still nothing.
Which, looking back, was not all that surprising.
Because in my experience impatience and intuition do NOT go hand in hand.
You can’t hold a gun to your intuition and expect it to give you answers on demand.
It just doesn’t work that way.
Those magical ah-ha moments in life cannot be forced.
Good lord I wish they could. But they just can’t.
Your intuition needs a little space to flourish.
So I knew I needed to make a shift in order to connect on a deeper level. Getting quiet to connect didn’t seem to be the answer this time though.
But I tried again anyway.
I asked my soul for guidance.
What do I need to do next, in order to move my life forward?
And still, no answer came.
Hellooooooo? Is anyone in there? Up there?
Anywhere?
Nothing.
Seriously soul? You got nothin’ for me?
Nope. Nada. Nothing.
It appeared my soul was on hiatus.
Well that was disappointing.
I needed answers from it. Like NOW.
So I carried on as usual.
I continued to seek out the same little hits of joy I’d called on to get me through the dark winter days.
Walks in nature, coffee with friends, petting dogs, and chatting with strangers at my local grocery store (I’m an extrovert after all).
All of that helped. A bit.
But deep down I was craving something else.
Something more.
I needed a change. A shift.
But what kind?
I kept turning the what-to-do-next question over and over in my head. For days on end.
To the point where trying to come up with a clear answer hurt my head.
And kept me up at night.
I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I can get a bit obsessive at times. But I prefer to think of it as being determined.
Determined or not though my preoccupation with clarity wasn’t bringing me any results. No answers came. And I wasn’t making any shifts at all.
I still felt stuck.
Like uber-stuck.
Until one day it finally hit me.
I realized I’d been going about it all backwards.
I’d handed over the question to the wrong part of my brain: to the logical side. And the question had gotten stuck there.
In a loop.
Going ’round and ’round.
Before driving myself completely crazy though I remembered one of my favourite Einstein quotes: “Problems cannot be solved with the same mind set that created them.”
Ah ha! Of course!
I couldn’t think my way into clarity.
Instead, I had to dooooo something – anything – to open up the space to receive it.
I needed to use my creativity. Instead of my logic.
I needed to do something FUN!
So I vowed to step out of my comfort zone (aka my sweats). And say yes to life! To get out of my little rut, and try new things.
Rather than saying no – so I could hunker down and work – I started saying yes.
Yes to things that allowed me to have more fun. Yes to ditching work for a few hours, so I could play instead.
And yes to almost any invitation that came my way. As long as it resonated. And the thought of doing it made me feel lighter and freer.
Over the next few couple of weeks, I signed up for a course, participated in a fundraising walk, and attended a new networking group.
I had a session with an intuitive healer and called into my favourite radio show to speak to a host I’d always wanted to speak to.
I tried different yoga classes at numerous studios, attended fun dinners out, and spent a day at a beautiful outdoor spa.
And the cool thing that happened from all of this?
The more I explored and played – and and let go of working so damn hard – the more unstuck I got.
And the more clarity that came my way.
The work still got done.
But in the meantime I lightened up a whole heck of a lot.
And reconnected with my very fun-loving soul.
Who by the way, hadn’t gone completely AWOL on me. She’d just taken a much needed vacation (apparently we’d both needed one of those).
And when I finally let go of trying to force clarity?
Clarity arrived.
Naturally.
All on its own.
I now have more clarity than I’ve had in a long time.
I know what steps I need to take to move me in the direction I want to go. Which feels great.
And the added bonus? My head doesn’t hurt anymore.
So if you’re ever feeling stuck and looking for clarity.
My advice?
Try not to think too much.
Just put the question out there and then let go.
And get busy doing something.
Anything.
As long as its fun and feels goooooood! And gets you out of your comfort zone.
‘Cuz you just might be surprised where it takes you!
As for me and my next steps?
Well excuse me while I go and turn some music on…and have a little dance party in my kitchen.
Kerry xo