Early programming has us all running a race which, when you are able to cover enough runway and look behind you, you wonder if any of it made sense?

I remember telling my goddaughter that she shouldn’t stress out too much when picking O’Level subjects. Now the stress of choosing starts as early as S.E.A! I know that we want what’s best for our children. I know we wanted what’s best for our own lives. The thing is we are following a map on the outside and have lost the connection to our blueprint on the inside.

We have put a helluva lot of importance on logical thinking.

• We set goals
• We make lists
• We map everything out

Why then are so many of us still unhappy?

Because we’ve managed to suck all the joy out of our lives with the logic stick.

We need structure, to be sure, but we cannot plan our lives without plugging in and “feeling” those things that bring us joy. Life as we know it, is full of things we do not enjoy – filling out tax returns (is one that comes swiftly to mind) but we must. Waiting in line at Licensing…inevitable. Waiting on hold while the person on the other end is processing your query…you hope! We cannot escape but there is something that you can do to tap into the joy I’m talking about.

Strengthen the muscle to your inner compass

How do you do this? I’m glad you asked. Practice paying close attention to HOW YOU FEEL.

How do certain people make you feel. Certain thoughts, ideas, places, songs, foods. The clothes you wear. How does it make you feel?

Not what you think someone else might think. Not that this is the RIGHT thing. Not this is a trend. But HOW DO I FEEL?

Take notes. Copious notes even. This is your life, not an assignment.

And please don’t let how old you are suck joy from you either!

@the.holistic.psychologist on Instagram shared a post saying that you can transform your life at any age. Urgency culture has us bellieve that change is for your 20s. That life has passed you by after 40. Society’s age dysfunction, doesn’t need to be your reality.

You rather thatn a calendar, should determine your progress.

Work is no different.

Every man comes into the world with a predisposition to grow along certain lines, and growth is easier for him along those lines than in any other way.

WALLACE D WATTLES

In Chapter Thirteen of the Science of Getting Rich under the subsection ‘Desire and Talent’ we learn:

Generally speaking, you’ll do best in the business or career for which you are naturally best fitted, using your strongest abilities. But you must make use of your abilities. And you must serve to enhance the lives of others.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus set forth the law of perpepetual enhancement:

Only those who increase value retain any; from him who has not increased the value of what he has shall be taken away even what he has.

The way you strengthen your inner compass with regard to work is to become more aware of those things that you do with little effort.

• Do you know anyone who can solve complex math problems in their head?
• A young girl who has a talent for rhyming or rapping almost any word or phrase?
• Have you ever seen a waiter who handles a large number of orders from customers in a crowded restaurant and still manages to enjoy what he is doing?

These are examples of your motivated abilities – your God-given competencies that you use to accomplish desired results. They stand out, not because of what you can accomplish using them, but the fact that they come naturally and effortlessly. You don’t have to THINK about using them. These various abilities determine how we:

• Perceive the world
• Acquire and assimilate knowledge
• Evaluate the soundness or rightness of things
• Conceive and develop anything new
• Organize and plan activities
• Take action
• Inform and influence others

It goes back to what I asked you to note in the first part of this article. Lead with what makes you feel good…feel joy.

If you want to dig a tad deeper – click here.

Your one and only real job here on earth is to make THE MOST of yourself, in service to others! Unless you are able to first understand yourself, and allow that knowledge to seep from your head into your heart, you will continue to be led by other people’s ideas and ways of being, instead of your own.