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Vision, Goals and Plans

Is there a part of your life that’s on pause because you’re just doing what you always do? Are you so caught up in commuting, trying to get clients, picking up the dry cleaning, and getting dinner on the table (or at least down your throat) that you’ve lost all sense of purpose? Or maybe the idea of having goals, doing something different, getting your life/relationship/business to another place just feels, well, exhausting and, anyway, if you really went after your dreams, you’d probably be disappointed. Better just to stay put.

Try something. Close your eyes and let your mind wander. Let it wander past your “to do list” or what has you annoyed right now and wander into the daydream area. Start to imagine your ideal life. Imagine yourself feeling at your best, doing everything you love, achieving your goals. Do it before you read any further.

Did you do it? (You’ve got to engage to get going.)

What did you see?

There are usually two responses to this exercise:

1-Excitement and the start of newfound energy.

2-A list of all the reasons this isn’t possible.

Are you able to listen to your dreams, or do you cut them off before they even begin to speak?

Our daydreams, fantasies, desires, goals, and future possibilities are the active power of our sixth energy point: intuition. What excites you and fills you with passion is directly connected to your life purpose and those thoughts are your intuition telling you, “Yes, this is the right direction. Go here!” This is your life energy in full force.

Interestingly, what I hear from people a lot is the perception that intuition is the ability to predict the future, when actually it’s simply about being able to tap into your natural knowing. We all have this ability. It’s a practical tool and you don’t need to wear crystals or listen to New Age music to access it. (Of course, if you do, there’s nothing wrong with that—it’s just not a requirement.) It’s just the intuitive voice is more clear for some than others. What’s usually blocking the voice from being heard are “shoulds,” “doubts,” and “fears.” Most of us have been trained to listen to these voices by people who were simply trying to protect us, “Don’t talk to strangers,” “Keep your day job—it’s safe,” “You can’t do that without an education.” So to actually listen to our intuition, when it’s telling us the opposite, tends to make us feel like we’re a little crazy; so we just shut down and do what were told.

Let me give you an example.

I was recently faced with a decision concerning my business. A situation came up that had me questioning whether I should continue with a networking group I have been with since the start of my business. This group has served me really well and there are a lot of high quality entrepreneurs that make this group what it is, yet my intuition was telling me this situation had popped up for a reason and it was time to let the group go.

The should/doubt/fear side of me was yelling, “Are you crazy? You’ll never make it without this group. It’s part of staying in business. It’s what people do!” The intuitive side said to me, “You’re not fully being served by this group. You have the choice to believe you have it in you to achieve success in a way that’s aligned with your values.” So I chose to leave and I’ll tell you it wasn’t easy, but I don’t want to be the person that just writes about this stuff. I’ll let you know what happens.

You have this knowing in you, too. Can you think of an example for yourself? A small voice that’s nudging you to do something different? Perhaps something about the care of your body or a change that needs to happen in your schedule.

If nothing comes to you right away, try getting quiet so you can listen. You might not hear anything at first; however, as I said, you have to wander past the daily noise. Take some slow, deep breaths. Write down what comes to you.

Successful people pay attention to their values, purpose, and passion. Begin to notice when you feel excited about something. Listen to your intuition.