Feel Your Way

When I start writing regularly, I develop this voracious appetite for reading.  It's one of those chicken and egg conundrums where I might speculate indefinitely which came first.  

Maybe I'm unconsciously looking for validation or support to back up the outrageous ideas I entertain and now articulate?  Or maybe I'm putting my own  spin on the ideas I've already heard others articulate?

If any case, the real estate inside my head is getting pretty pricey as not just ideas but ways of presenting them are all vying for prime space and limited attention. 

It's funny how life can seem alive with possibilities and resources and synchronistic solutions when I'm actively engaged in a project.  Alternatively, it can seem dull, flat, and downright inhospitable when I'm actively avoiding a project.

The battle cry to catapult a person off the couch and into action used to be "just do it."  Now it seems to be "just feel it."  

I'm a big fan of Danielle LaPorte and her trippy way of experiencing and explaining life in that part cosmic, part guru, part flower child language that I used to speak fluently when I lived in Santa Fe or visited Portland or attempted to go to graduate school in San Francisco.

I started out with her Firestarter Sessions book, moved on to her Style Statement book and most recently have moved on to her Desire Map.  Behind her white, hot sermons, as she describes them, is the notion that how we want to feel drives everything.

For example, if I want to feel energized, clear, and focused, I can't perpetually pop peanut M & Ms into my mouth and play Pet Rescue on my iPad lying around in my pajamas.  The best thing I can do is get up, go outside in my pink overalls, and think about a few of my favorite things, like the dogs I'm walking.  Then come home and write about it.
 
Identifying how I want to feel long term can make me feel uncomfortable in the short term.  When I have to confront someone about an ongoing issue, I feel absolutely awful before and during the confrontation. I don't feel good, or at least any kind of relief, until it's over.
 
Sometimes I will intentionally mix emotions in order to ultimately feel good like when I vow to do squats or jumping jacks for the duration of commercial breaks during Scandal.  Should you try this burst of exercise at home during your favorite show, you will become acutely aware of how many commercials are shown during an hour program. But you'll also have the added benefit of doing a little something extra for yourself without taking any extra time.  That should leave you feeling pretty sassy.

Feelings can lead us into temptation or deliver us from evil.  Just like our conscience, they are a pretty good indicator of what is true for us. Our guts are amazingly accurate GPS systems, distinguishing Mr. Right from Mr. Always Right from Mr. Right Now in a split second.
 
Next time you're struggling with an important decision or spontaneously decide to take on a deceptively simple challenge, ask yourself not what you know, but how you feel when you consider the options.  

Despite what I might believe, I never really know what I'm getting myself into until I'm in the thick of it.  But I usually have a pretty good idea of how each option will feel from the get go. 

What about you?  If you feel like sharing, leave a comment below!