Where are you heading: Navigating Uncertainty

The other day when I was brainstorming about a worksheet with a colleague it hit me. My energy had become scattered and I was feeling overwhelmed, even resentful.

In the last couple of months I had agreed to projects that I felt were interesting, exciting, and beneficial to a large group of people. But I had become disconnected from myself. I was pushing too hard.

I have the big picture of where I was heading in my mind. I was ticking off the milestones on the way. Where was I headed saying yes to these additional projects?

Attention and Energy

I also stumbled across Joe Dispenza's quote:

“Where you place your attention is where you place your energy.”

This quote and the goal-setting questions on the worksheet made me stop in my tracks, sit back, and sense where I was in life. What had I placed my own attention on? How was I spending my energy?

I am  curious to explore new things. I love learning new tools, approaches, and systems to better understand myself and others At times, this curiosity and enthusiasm can get in the way of remaining focused on my  goals.

So, I sat back and asked myself these

Questions:

• What quality of attention do I bring to my work?

• Do I lose energy when I multitask?

• When does staying focused on one task yield better results? 

• Which of my needs get met by giving these projects energy and attention? 

• Which of my needs won't be met?

• What change is required?

In one of my Focusing partnership sessions, it became clear that I needed to permit myself to go slow, continue to break down goals into smaller chunks, and create more space for reflection and Being. 

Reading this, you may think, "Well, that's so obvious." Yet, how many of us scatter our energy and feel we aren't getting to where we want to be?

There is a tendency to cram every day to the brim with tasks and activities. Many of them are relevant. However, time is limited each day, and for most of us, our energy is limited too. 

Working towards reaching set goals gives meaning and direction to life for many people. Yet, I often hear from clients that even though they reach their goals, they still feel empty and unfulfilled. They also regret missing out on important moments in life, family time, and, more importantly, time for themselves. 

We know that pausing and stepping back to breathe, reflect, and assess where we are at and where we are heading is important.

So why is it easy to get caught up in the ever faster flow of life and lose track of the destination?

Keeping your ship on course

Redirecting our life ship requires pausing much more often than we think. 

It is important to know if how we feel and think about our destination aligns with our values and why. Knowing our values and what is important to us helps determine whether we need to redirect the ship. A positive mindset, curiosity, and resilience are essential to navigate your life's waters successfully. 

Examining our belief systems and perception helps us detect where our beliefs, thoughts, and actions are incongruent. In addition, because actions can lead to habits it's important to check whether those habits support where we want to move to. 

I encounter a lot of challenges with uncertainty with my Inner Dynamics Coaching sessions. The space of not knowing, or the uneasy emotions that come with not knowing, is where personal development also grows.

Are you aware of where your ship is sailing? 

I hope it’s clear that the most important appointment in life is with ourselves.

• When was the last time you made time in your calendar to be with yourself? 

What is a captain without a crew?

Finding the right direction is one thing. Keeping the ship on course, however, requires a crew too. Your crew are the people in your life who give honest feedback and support you without trying to convince you of their perspectives or opinions. You might consider distancing yourself from people who instead tend to pull you down and drain your energy.

• Who belongs in your crew?

I hope you found some helpful pointers and questions to assess whether you are still heading in the right direction. We all are on a personal journey, often directed by signposts, "coincidences", other people's expectations and ideas, and an inner knowing. 

For most, that inner knowing or “felt sense” is but a subtle whisper. 

Make time and space for it to grow louder, to guide you to your True North.