Daily Share – How Can I Know For Sure That I Am Doing The Right Thing?

How can you know for sure that you are doing the right thing? This is a question I have asked myself millions of times, and a question that I don’t think has a definitive answer. I’ve spent the last few weeks assessing my life to date, I’m 37, and I find myself not knowing what to do when I grow up. I don’t have a job, I don’t have a lover and I don’t have a plan to get either. But people tell me I should have a plan, that I should dig out some Lycra initiative to motivate me into success. People who, with all the right intentions in the world, tell me that I could be so much more, do so much more and achieve everything that I could imagine possible. I don’t disagree with them…but I don’t know what the right thing to do is.

If I had a penny for any of the many times I’ve been told to follow my heart, I could have twelve billion platinum compasses by now…because my heart does not always tell me to act. My heart usually tells me to pursue dreams of a far more abstract nature…to allow love, to allow compassion, to allow life. I don’t know how many people have followed their heart into a meeting with their bank manager…”you are over your overdraft limit”…

“Yes, but it’s a beautiful day and I truly appreciate you telling me!”

We all struggle with the concepts of time, money, space…we all try to do something relating to all of these abstractions, but do we actually make a difference in these areas? Will one more millionaire make as much difference as one more enlightened soul? Will five minutes saved make as much difference as five minutes invested into your life? I don’t claim to know any answers, I simply would like to know if anyone else ever feels this way?

A TDL Reader

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Ianneandbhie

Read and meditate the words from the bible
http://beyouliveyourdream.blogspot.com/ Sarah Noel

I love the questions you pose. I know I struggle with it at times too… am I doing the right thing. It could be a decision to quit a perfectly good job (done that) or a decision to end a relationship with a good guy (done that too). I know you said you’ve been told time and time again to “follow your heart” so I won’t add one more time to that list.    But it’s honestly what I do. I quiet the voices in my head (my ego and my mind), and tune out what others want or expect me to do, and focus on my heart and inner spirit. What do I want? The answer usually comes to me.   I want to not do this job another day. Ok… so quit… and I do (not up and right the very next day, but at a good breaking point). I want to live alone again. Ok… so I tell my boyfriend to move out (that just happened about 2 months ago).
And here’s the thing: I’ve NEVER regretted any decision when I’ve followed my heart and done what I wanted to do, when it’s from a place of love (self-love).

It can be scary, to step out and take a chance. You never know how it’ll work out.   When I quit my job at a school to be a writer, I just had 6 months of expenses in savings. I didn’t know how it would all work out. But I believed it WOULD, somehow. And it has. It’s over a year and a half later and I still marvel at how things have worked out. It won’t always be as you thought (it certainly wasn’t for me), but it WILL work out for your best interest. The Universe DOES provide for you and take care of you ALL THE TIME. You just have to take the first step.

The part about …”you are over your overdraft limit”…
“Yes, but it’s a beautiful day and I truly appreciate you telling me!” made me smile.
I don’t think life is about literally following your heart everywhere you go, as in letting your heart be your only guide — guiding you into the bank, as you said, or into the grocery store, or to fill up the gas tank. But we should do all those things IN LOVE. I think when we open our hearts to love, and live in love, and do everything (as much as possible anyway) IN love, we open ourselves up to great opportunities.

It’s not that we have to have our whole lives figured out and then go out and achieve it step by step. Dreams change. That’s ok. Just what do YOU want RIGHT NOW?   Do you WANT a lover? Do you WANT a certain job in a certain field? If you’re so totally lost that you don’t even know what you want, then I think you need some quiet, alone time to get centered and get back in tune with you. Because if there’s nothing you want and nowhere you want to go, you’ll get nothing and nowhere.

I’ve been lost before, so I understand. I was working as a teacher and didn’t know WHAT I wanted to do, I just knew I did NOT want to be a teacher, in that school, any more. I made it through the rest of the school year, then quit. I had NO idea what the future held for me. No other job. No ideas. My family thought I was crazy. But I knew I had to get out before I could figure out what my next move was. And it all worked out. I spent that summer doing stuff for me, giving myself lots of “me time.” I let my mind wander. I realized I was interested in learning sign language and I thought it would “be cool” to be a sign language interpreter. So I purused that. I didn’t know if it would work out or not, but I gave it a shot. That’s all you can do. Try something new. Give something a chance. If it takes off and you love it, great! If not, then drop it and try something else.

There’s no rule that you have to decide what job or reationship you want for the rest of your life RIGHT NOW and then stick to it forever! Start with today. Or the week ahead.

I wish you all the best. I’ve been where you are (and sometimes am again).

Sarah
http://beyouliveyourdream.blogspot.com/2013/03/its-never-too-late-to-live-happily-ever.html
AK

I think I am in a similar situation with my life – and to add to it, I am also a bit tired with my life, tired of being ‘so much more’, or of doing ‘so much more and achieve everything that one could imagine possible’ – and to be honest I started thinking that a one more enlightened soul makes a lot more difference than another millionaire, because a millionaire will make a real difference only when becoming an enlightened soul, a soul that would show compassion, thoughtfulness, help, etc. It;s important and vital to stay grounded, to know what’s happening with your money, to protect one’s future, etc. but still trying your best to be a millionaire, to be better, more efficient, etc. takes a huge part of your life, and sometimes you realize that it’s too late, that so much have been invested in your own development that you lost ability to communicate with those who love you, with those who care, and achieving big successes may leave you empty and frustrated and most of all lonely – for me, a real hero is someone who knows how to listen, who has time for another, who helps when is needed, someone who’s beyond their ego and is able to make real, lifelong friendships; someone who can be a good and thoughtful parent, or a sibling, etc. Such people do not come along too often, and such people are those we long for and need most in our lives – it’s worth to become one. Thank you.
Reedmel444

Nice affimation for following how and when my heart says without a.logical.reason as to why.
Nicoli

You most certainly are not the only one who feels this way. I am exactly your age and in the same situation, w/o a partner or a job, and no idea how to answer the same questions. Which way do I go? I’m tired of abstract guidance.
Ocokileli

You are not alone. I’m 40, and in a similar situation. For me, I’ve decided that the concrete day to day work is to take time to truly take care of – love – myself. As in, treat myself as well as I would if I were a child – provide myself with good, healthy food to eat at every meal I can manage, take time every day to move my body, nurture my soul, and take care of my home and the things that are currently in my life that I love. Always looking to be grateful for everything I see. I have come to look at indecision and hesitation as signs that my heart’s not in whatever I’m uncertain about (or trying to talk myself into), trusting that whatever is in alignment with my heart will appear with more clarity – even if I don’t know what it is, yet.
Tom

I Just want to say Thank you so much you have helped me so much and I Thank you for sharing your gift with the world. Tom
Karen

Your only purpose in this life is to be happy, at peace and find joy in the moment. It does not matter whether you push a broom or an elevator button to the top floor of an office building.
If you are truly happy with your life exactly how it is, then look people in the eye and tell them that.
If you feel lack with any area of your life, then ask for it to be changed for the positive and the answer will be given to you.
*hugs*
Stephen Williams

I know exactly how you feel. Im 47, girlfriend left me 9 months ago for someone else, had to move back to my parents because the job im in is not paying a lot at the moment but i love working there so cant afford my own place. Feel im slowly winning the battle to come out the other side of what has been a very traumatic but also very enlightning time. Learning to love myself, live in the moment etc but feel i dont really know what i want or whether im doing the right thing. Feel i dont have to become successful or find someone new or get my own place to be happier or content. I know i want to move on totally from the past, to come out the other side completely free but am i doing it the right way?