Trust, Discernment, and Intuition.

There are times we find ourselves shoving down those deep nagging notions that we feel in our gut. We are wired with intuitions that we are supposed to trust, but often times ignore, and then end up looking back with the anguish of, 'if I had only listened to what I was feeling.' The trouble is we find ourselves listening to outside noise, the social norms of our society, the whispers of others opinions and sometimes their unwarranted advice instead. As humans we crave the feeling of fitting in and human connection and acceptance, often times at the expense of our own peace.

One of the hardest two word sentences we face throughout life is “Trust me.” I think as humans, we want to trust completely in others, but trust without discernment and intuition is one of the biggest mistakes we can make. Discernment is our ability to use our best judgement, search for findings and understand things that don’t seem clear, then use those findings to make decisions about a situation. We form these decisions based off our own life experiences and what we want for our future. Intuition is that feeling inside our gut that tells us what would be truly best for ourselves. Ignoring those things can lead us to some pretty miserable moments in our lives. But watch how peaceful your life can become if you just listen to that voice inside.

Each one of us is living and walking through our own journey. Most of us believe we have a purpose for our life. We want to grow and be successful, find love, give love, and have peace when we lay down at night. Those things all sound nice, but with the rate of depression in our society, we have to acknowledge that something is missing. Instead, most of us lay awake at night and try to solve all our problems in a matter of a few hours before the sun comes up and the day slaps us in the face again. Then we drag around our tired minds and bodies, realizing we are where we are because of all the decisions that led us to that very moment we are in. We look back wishing and thinking "if I had only done.... like I thought, then this would be different." It's not too late! You have to start living in every moment, embrace things with discernment and trust your intuition. When you're in a situation, as much as you want it to be right, and as much as it seems right in the eyes of society, or maybe even felt right before but no longer does; if it feels wrong, trust that. If something feels right, trust that. Our journeys are not meant to be the same. The only person walking in your shoes, is you. Don't get so caught up in the judgmental eyes of society that you forget you are living your life, no one else's.

This isn't to say along the way that the decisions you make aren't going to affect those around you. Finding balance in what's best for you and trusting yourself can sometimes feel like selfishness. As we travel on our journeys we gather people. We become spouses and partners, parents, coworkers, and friends. Our paths become intertwined and then along with that comes respect and love for one another. We are called to put these other people before ourself, but not everyone along your journey is going to feel called to do that for you. With that you can begin to feel devalued and uncertain with yourself and the process of your life. There’s going to be situations in your personal and professional life that will impact the people around you. It’s important to listen to your intuition and practice discernment. Study and think and process and listen. You'll know what's best, but you have to learn to listen to your own voice and reasoning while taking into consideration how it affects others or the situation. Finding that balance can be a very difficult task.

When you’re considering things going on in your life you have to understand the people you think are worried about you and what you're doing, aren't. There is only one person who is going to stand in your shoes at the end of your life. Only one person accountable for all the things you did and didn't do. Only one person who is going to look back and decide if you made the best of your time here. Only one person who will know who truly loved you and who truly didn't. Only one person who will know if you reached the goals that you strived for, if you are leaving behind happiness in the memories of those that were part of your journey, and if all the material things you worried about having along the way outweigh the moments you shared with those who loved you the most. I'm going to guess those prized possessions will hold no weight as you reach the end. You'll cling to the memories of your children, of your loved ones, of the times you laughed so hard you cried and the times you cried so hard all you could do was laugh. You'll wish you would have listened to that voice that told you to leave when you should have, or stay when you weren't sure why you should. All you have is this moment you are living in right now. You have to make the most of what's given to you every day and live it knowing that when you reach the end of your journey, you trusted yourself to make it the best you could with what you were given.