Kids are headed back to school soon with fall looming on the horizon. Maybe you are about to become an empty nester with your kids going off to college in a couple of weeks. Or perhaps you simply feel like you are done with the current chapter you are living. Maybe you feel stuck or bored in your current day-to-day reality and crave something new that would be more fulfilling.
So how do you get unstuck and figure out what you truly want to manifest next in your life? It often feels overwhelming when you discover that you want to let go of the old and figure out how to manifest a new chapter that is deeply fulfilling. The first step before jumping into action is to figure out what your heart truly wants. Your heart is the part of you that you can trust, not your mind that can lead you in constant circles. While the mind is a valuable tool for rationalizing, analyzing, and processing information, it is not the only tool to use when making decisions about what truly fulfills you and will bring you joy.
While it may be difficult to untrain yourself when it comes to believing that the mind is in charge, you can trust your heart. Your heart is not clouded by stories or by beliefs that may or may not be true. The heart is a pure instrument that cannot be touched with the chaotic energy of the mind. You can trust the messages it whispers to you in the middle of the night when all is quiet and still. Below are three powerful steps that I use with my clients to help them tap into what their heart truly desires.
Step 1: Discover Your Heart’s Yes and No Response:
Take a moment right now and close your eyes. Connect with your heart by simply imagining that you are breathing into it. Feel the warmth of your heart. Feel your connection to your heart. Keep breathing into your heart. Your heart is always communicating with you in the form of signals. It’s affirming or negating what is arising. If you are like most people, though, you may not be consciously aware of your heart’s signal for “yes” and for “no,” due to lack of training. An easy distinction is that for most a “yes” feels somehow expansive and a “no” somehow contractive.
A simple way to identify your heart’s signal for “yes” and “no” is for you to do the following exercise. Close your eyes and say something out loud that you know is one hundred percent true for you. One easy thing to say is your name or perhaps the state where you live. Say your truth as a simple statement like, “My name is (fill in your name).” After you say this statement, notice the response for “yes” that you feel arising in your body. When your heart is sending a “yes” signal, you may feel warmth emanating from your core, peace spreading over you, excitement arising, an expansion in your chest, or a sense of rightness. You may also hear an actual “yes” in your inner world or feel your head nodding. Just get curious. What is your heart’s “yes” response?
Now it’s time to discover what the “no” signal is for your heart. Say a statement out loud that is not true for you like, “My name is Bill” (if your name is not Bill) or “I live in Antarctica.” Just notice what a “no” feels like. Perhaps your “no” response is conveyed by feelings of tension in your being, a slowing of your energy field, a sudden chill, a contraction in your belly or chest, or perhaps a wave of fatigue washing over you. You may even hear the word “no” whispered or feel your head shaking “no.” Take a moment and notice the “no” response that arises for you.
Step 2: Do the Future Self Download:
One powerful process I use to help clients identify their heart’s calling is called the Future Self Download. Here’s how to do it. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Then, imagine a big movie screen in front of you that is projecting the movie of you living your future life. Notice what you are doing, who you are interacting with, what you are saying to others, and how you are feeling. Don’t worry if you can’t clearly see images. It’s ok to just get a sense or knowing about what is happening as well. Then, open your eyes and start to describe your new life living your heart’s calling. Write it as a streaming of consciousness without letting your pen stop moving. That’s right. Don’t think about or censor what you are writing, just let it unfold on a piece of paper like brainstorming. If you don’t know what to write, simple write, “I don’t know what to write” until a new wave of inspiration hits you. This exercise will prime the pump of your heart and open the gates to what is hidden in its depths.
Do not linger or spend time “trying to figure it out”, just let it emerge. When you try to find the answers, you engage your mind and get caught up in the mental craziness of all its voices. Listen to the first response your heart gives you and know the answer lies here. If you have trouble with this process, contact me. I would be happy to lead you through a more in-depth personalized process to help you connect with what your heart truly desires.
Step 3: Check in with Your Heart:
Read over what you wrote in the “Future Self Download” exercise as you check in with your heart. How do you feel as you read each sentence? If your heart response is “yes” when you read a sentence, circle this and if the response is “no”, cross it out. Remember that the response from your heart is often very subtle. It does not shout like the cacophony of your mind speaking. It is soft and subtle like the sweet, pure energy of the heart. It may simply appear as a knowing. Trust the first feeling that comes to you. Gather together all of the circled parts and use this as a starting place for uncovering your true heart’s desires.
I recommend doing the Future Self Download a few times over the space of a couple of weeks to see what new images, thoughts, and feelings emerge, and then check in each time with your heart. Remember that you are discovering pieces of the puzzle as you do this exploratory work. Over time, more clarity on your next life steps will start to emerge as more pieces are found.
In summary, it’s much easier and faster to get help when making a life transition. As a life and empowerment coach, I’ve perfected a process that has helped hundreds over the last 20 plus years find their hearts’ callings and make desired life transitions. I would be happy to support you as well. Importantly, I only work with those that I know are a good fit and that I feel I can truly benefit. To learn more about how I can support you and to determine if we are a good match, book a no-cost no-obligation discovery life coaching session at this link: https://go.oncehub.com/MargotZaher
I wish you the best discovering and moving boldly into the next chapter of your life.
