If It Feels Light It’s Right!

These words of wisdom came to me today courtesy of my Tough Mudder Training buddy Amanda Leath while we were out on a training run.

If it feels light it’s right. If it feels heavy it’s a lie.

This came up when I asked Amanda how she decided what events to attend like the Tough Mudder race we’re running, the non-profits she sits on the board for and other ways she invest her time.  She said our friend Carolyn Silas had given her these words of wisdom and she said it worked for her.

I can totally relate because it’s the best way to choose not only what you do, but also what you think, what you focus on, who you spend your time with – just about everything can be chosen with this simple distinction.

Your Inner Guidance System

When I first started listening to Abraham Hicks I heard them talk a lot about our inner guidance system.  When I think of the inner guidance system I relate it to an inner compass. A compass will always tell us which way is due north.  Our inner guidance system will always tell us which way is the path of least resistance.

The path of least resistance, our path in life, is happiest when we’re following our inner guidance.  When we’re on the path, we feel good (happy, peaceful, excited, etc) and when we’re not on our path we feel don’t feel good (anxious, stressed, angry, frustrated, etc).

Like a compass, if you were to follow your feelings you would find your path to least resistance – or your happiest path.

An Example of Following Your Inner Guidance

Allow me to share a recent example of following your inner guidance and staying on the path of least resistance.  Yesterday two of my best friends came over to visit for a few hours.  We planned to hang out from about 1:00 – 3:00 and I needed to leave to meet a friend for dinner and a movie no later than 3:30.  We all knew the plan and felt that it was a good amount of time to visit and hang out.

My friends arrived a little after 1:00 and we hadn’t seen each other in many months so there was a lot of quick catching up to do.  You know how it is when you’re with your best girlfriends and the conversations sort of erupt with quick stories, jokes and laughter.  Well, I brought out some of my latest costumes and colorful music festival wigs and things just went to a whole new level.  The giggles became belly laughs, we ran out of memory on our phones from taking to many pictures and the fun our afternoon exploded into just naturally expanded past what we first planned for. Hey, when you’re having fun…milk those moments!

Well, we could all tell we were on a roll having so much fun and didn’t want it to end.   I started to notice I was feeling anxious as I checked my watch a few times. I thought about letting my friend down for dinner and felt bad. I could tell we weren’t going to be complete with our visit by 3:00 and 3:30 was quickly approaching.  As I began to focus on being late to meet my friend that night I grew more anxious and my body began to tense up. I noticed what was beginning to happen and I asked myself “what would feel best?” and “does that thought make me feel better or worse?”  Should I rush my best friends on their way and then dash off to my next meeting? I could tell from the negative emotion that I felt in my gut that it wasn’t the path of least resistance.  My inner guidance said “relax, enjoy these precious moments and adjust your plans that night.”

As I felt my way through a few options and explored what felt best I realized that the best thing was to text my other friend and ask for a change of plans.  That option felt best and that allowed me to be present with my besties while we completed our visit. I was able to turn my attention back to the present moment to love and enjoy them in all their glory.

That night I apologized to my other friend and our change of plans turned from dinner and a movie to just a three hour dinner instead.  I told him that I had heard bad reviews about the movie we were planning to see anyway and he agreed it was best. Having three hours to hang out and be connected was much more valuable than watching a movie.  That night we grew closer and had a delightful time.

The Bottom Line About Inner Guidance

As I went to bed that night with a full heart, a phone full of memories from the day, a deeper sense of love and connection with three great people I love very much I knew I had found the path of least resistance. A quick recap of what happened so you can take this into your life:

1. Self awareness – be aware of your emotions and when you start to feel those negative emotions rise up inside

2. Notice your focus – what you focus on and what you make it mean in the moment has a lot to do with how you feel

3. Choose your path – decide to guide your emotions by your thoughts and questions can help you check in with your emotions and guide you to the path of least resistance

This process works not only for negative feelings, but positive ones, too.  In the moment those negative feelings were creeping into my body I noticed that I wasn’t choosing the good feelings. I decided it was important to feel good and that my life is all about feeling as good as I can as often as I can.  I allowed myself to enjoy the day and connected with amazing people as a result.  In the end, trusting my inner guidance helped me find the path of least resistance and I felt fantastic about it.

Please remember to share your comments below!

I look forward to reading your comments – or email me a question if there’s something I can help you with.

With love and light,

Polly