“If it feels good, do it and if it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it!”
I’ve heard this saying many times but it wasn’t until recently that I realized what it truly meant. Growing up I was under the impression that my feelings didn’t matter, that I just had to do things regardless of how they made me think or feel. I dealt with my feelings this way for so long that I began to think that if it didn’t feel good then somehow it was the best because it was building my character.
Even though I grew up for many years thinking that my true feelings didn’t really matter and that I had no control over my circumstances, I always felt deep down inside that there had to be more, that there was a huge piece of the puzzle missing. I have always been intrigued with understanding different personality types and self-help. Before the Internet, I would go to the public libraries and book stores to find any information that would bring me one step closer to making sense of my true feelings and actions.
After years of soul searching, 2006 became a huge turning point in my life. I made some bold and courageous executive decisions. First, I realized that the religion I grew up trusting and believing in was not giving me what I needed to be a well rounded and most of all a happy and joyous person. So I moved on from it. Then I reluctantly accepted an invitation to attend a financial seminar that changed my entire outlook toward money and business, and received a popular DVD that helped me understand the “Laws of Attraction”.
I viewed that DVD no fewer than 20 times, learning something new each and every time I watched. There was one part in particular that jumped directly into my heart and soul; I connected with it immediately. The presenter said that we all have an “Emotional Guidance System.”
She said that no matter what we call certain feelings, there are only two basic human emotions: one feels good and one feels bad. In the most simplistic terms, your emotional guidance system acts like a compass that will let you know if what you are going toward will make you happy or unhappy in the end. She continued to say that if what you are going toward feels good, then you should continue on that path. And the opposite is true: If what you are going towards does not feel good then that is a clear indication that what you are going toward will bring you unhappiness.
WOW. What a huge light bulb moment for me. I couldn’t believe that all my years of confusion, worry, doubt and fears were answered with this simple explanation. It made complete sense to me and most of all it validated my feelings. From that point on I began to give myself permission to trust what I was feeling.
I am learning to listen to my inner voice, no matter how soft or how loud it may be. When I have done so, I have had the best outcomes. When I haven’t, it served as a reminder to always trust my instincts because they will NEVER fail me.
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