One of the most important guidelines I use in my life is listening and following my heart. It’s not always easy, and it doesn’t always make logical left-brain sense, but it is my one true touchstone. It took me long years to reach that point, and I don’t dismiss it easily – I’m grateful for that commitment and trust in myself. I’ve experienced, as Rumi so beautifully said:
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
I’m listening to my heart and know I don’t have the interest or enthusiasm to continue with the month-long Write 31 Days challenge, and so I’m letting it go. While there’s still lots I want to write about pronoia, peace and quiety, clearly this challenge format is not right-fit, right-time for me.
While this decision is certainly personal and doesn’t impact anyone else, I think it’s a perfect example of something I want to talk about. More than ever, I believe it’s important to keep tuned into our own energy fields, and be ready to make changes. I don’t think anyone will argue with me when I say we’re all experiencing time as being compressed. So while in the past we may have had the luxury of waiting a considered while before responding to things, now waiting when we know things need to change simply embroils us further and makes shifting more challenging. I am by no means suggesting that we abandon considered thought, or take up responding to things in the heat of rage or fear – clearly there’s far far too much of that happening in our world already. But what I am saying is, it’s not helpful to stay with things that clearly aren’t working or a good fit, either because we feel like we somehow “owe” it to someone, or because we imagine it’s somehow going to change without our taking action to make it so.
Energetically these are very interesting, and very new times we’re in, and we need to uplevel our responses. I also believe it’s good to talk about these things – to be transparent, to be curious, to be willing to try new things, to practice expansive choices, and to commit to mastering soul-level discernment.
It can feel scary to let things go, even things that don’t feel that wonderful. I think that’s an encoded response of humans – comfort and safety of the “known” are drives that served us well at one point in our evolution. But if you’ve ever let go of something and felt how expansive it can feel – how it invites in new energy and new possibilities, then you understand what I’m saying. We all have places where we can make those choices – where we can invite in new possibilities, new expansiveness that will allow us to unfold in even more beautiful ways.
They can be big things or small things. But the key in my opinion is simply to keep tuned into your heart – where is your heart guiding you, and knowing that, are there some things in your path you keep stumbling over or that keep re-routing you away from your soul’s direction? Might it be time to let something go?
I’ve always loved what Anais Nin wrote:
“I’m restless. Things are calling me away. My hair is being pulled by the stars again.”
I love that pull. I love that a new adventure is afoot. I love that I’m ready to welcome it. And I love knowing my heart is my perfect compass.
What about you? Is there something you’re feeling ready to let go of? Are the stars pulling your hair? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
I think sometimes it is hard to give ourselves permission to stop working on a project that no longer suits us. It is that “failure” feeling. Thank you for expressing that it is okay to change course in mid-stream. It’s not going to keep your faithful followers from awaiting your next piece of wisdom and whimsy! I love “a new adventure is afoot,” so Sherlock Holmesian!
Thank you for your kind words and support Janet – I truly appreciate them. I look forward to time when the only thing considered a failure is when we don’t follow our heart’s wisdom.
Hey, I’ve really been enjoying your series, though I’ve been quiet so far. I love the quotes, the links, and your beautiful writing expressing lovely perspectives on life and everything. But I’ll be able to keep reading these via your usual blog posts (hopefully! unless that changes too!). : ) Whenever I consider stopping doing something I thought I was going to do, I remember a line from Oprah: “It’s okay to change your mind.” I think it was in one of her “What I know for sure” columns. A great touchstone and help for me.
I so appreciate your kind words – thank you for posting them! No worries, I’ll certainly keep writing and pronoia is always a favorite topic. But I absolutely agree with you (and Oprah) – it’s okay to change our minds. In fact I think we should always keep checking – are my actions reflecting who I currently am in this moment, ad does it feel right-for-me?
‘The stars are pulling my hair’ – what a marvellous, evocative expression! I know exactly what she means.
Kudos for letting things go with grace and style. So often we feel pressured to slog on through things that aren’t right for us because we ‘said we would’. It’s good to see the alternative!
Thanks for the kind words Kathleen. It’s interesting isn’t it, what opens up for us when we’re open to re-evaluating what is right-fit for us in the moment. I keep hoping we’ll reach a point in our collective way of operating that values this flow and awareness as the perfect way to navigate.