Trust Your Gut and Find Your Passion

I'm a true fan of self-help books. I grab them off the book store shelves and read them as soon as they come out. I keep a stack of five or six of them by my bed and read them before going to sleep at night. I think some of them are filled with ideas that are far too complex to fit into your daily life -- unless you have nothing else to do! Following is my distillation of some of these ideas, but with an intuitive spin on them.

What do you love to do? -- Successful people pay attention to what they feel passionate about. They commit to spending time each day doing what they love. For some it's a job that pays. For others it may be volunteer work or simply a hobby. Begin to notice when you feel excited about something. That's a clue about what to pursue.

Practice Gratitude -- Ample evidence exists that you get what you focus on. Do you often whine and complain about what you don't have and ignore the abundance all around you? Begin to notice and appreciate what you attract easily into your life. Perhaps you have a healthy body, or a wonderful group of close friends. Notice small things around you -- the new flower that has emerged in your garden, the sound of your cat's purr, the laughter of a child or the beauty of freshly fallen snow. Before you know it, abundance in all forms will begin to flow into your life.

Trust your inner wisdom -- People who believe in trusting their intuition tend to be more successful in life. It doesn't appear to matter how they receive this information, whether it's through an image, sudden insight, a dream or just an old-fashioned "gut feeling." Learn to pay attention to how you receive these impressions for yourself and check often in with your inner "Intuitive Success Coach."

Acknowledge your achievements -- How often have you worked really hard to attain a goal and then never gave yourself credit for your achievements. I keep a running list of things I've accomplished each day, each month and each year. If you do this you'll probably discover you've created more successes in your life than you had previously imagined. Success builds on itself.

Practice positive self talk -- I can't stress this one enough. What you say to yourself on a regular basis becomes what you experience in your life. Become aware of the inner dialog you have going on with yourself. Request guidance if you need help with this. One client asked in prayer, "Please guide my thoughts, my words and my actions. I wish to think, speak and act with love." She was astonished at the difference this simple affirmation made.

Choose to be happy -- Research has shown that happiness is a choice. It is not necessarily dependent on life circumstances. There is always a positive and a negative aspect to any change that occurs in your life, but it's your choice to select your focus. Get in the habit of asking, "What's good about this situation?" When you continually select that way of viewing the world, you will discover that happiness finds you!

Intuition Exercise: Trusting the Process Your intuition is present in your life to help you create a life you love. When you take the time to check in, listen, and act on the guidance you receive you will always be led in the right direction. Begin to acknowledge the presence of this wise counsel. See which one of the following statements or questions work for you whenever you need intuitive information.

- "I know what's best for me." - "Things are falling into place." - "What do I need right now?" - "Everything is working out." - "The wisdom I need will come to me as I need it." - "What outcome feels best right now?" - "What is the best outcome in this situation?" - "What is the most (loving, spirit-filled, forgiving, wise) decision right now?"

Your job is to: Ask. Trust. Receive the answer through thoughts, images, feelings, words, and knowings. Act on the wisdom you receive.