What do you REALLY want?
Finding clarity, purpose and truth in your life
“And suddenly you know:
It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings.”
Meister Eckhart
“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.”
Budda
Do you ever lie awake at night and wonder why you’re here? And wonder what it is that you really want?
Along with morning yoga and meditation, I write in my journal every morning for about 20-30 minutes before I start my day. I’ve been doing this daily for some time now and it’s one of the most valuable self-care practices in my day.
Sometimes, though, I feel stuck and don’t know what to start writing about. On those days, I pull a card from one of my inspiration decks and that always helps to get me started. One morning several weeks ago, I pulled a card that said:
What do you REALLY want?
My desk
What do you REALLY want? That’s all. Such a simple sentence. And yet, so powerful! I now have that card out in front of me all the time on my desk and I use it often as a journal prompt. It always inspires something new. Each time I write down my dream goals I gain more perspective, new “aha” moments, more clarity, and fresh ideas about how to move forward.
And then I ask my body for advice. Our minds can trick us into thinking that we can’t do something, we don’t really need something, or that we really should be focusing on something else. Our minds tend to follow our social conditioning instead of listening to our true, essential selves. But our body tells us the truth every single time.
For example, you may be telling yourself you need to stay in a job that doesn’t fulfill you because the salary is good and you’ll need that pension down the road to survive. When you think the thought, “I have to stay in this job for ____ more years”, how does your body feel? Your body may agree with your mind, and in that case it’s true for you, but if there’s any discomfort then your essential self may be trying to tell a different story.
My mentor, Martha Beck, in her book, The Way of Integrity (which I highly recommend you all read) suggests that living in peace is the one truth that almost all of us agree on.
Try this little exercise:
Say the words “I am meant to live in peace”. Repeat those words several times to yourself as you sit quietly. How does your body feel? Do you feel more relaxed? When I first said that to myself, I felt my breathing deepen, my exhales got longer, and my muscles untightened.
What about you? Does your body believe the phrase “I am meant to live in peace”? Your body, mind, heart and soul can probably all get on board with that one!
As you begin to explore what you really want in the following Dream your Dream exercise, I invite you to keep the above exercise in mind.
Dream your Dream Exercise
Allow yourself to dream a little! Some people use vision boards for this purpose. You can draw pictures, write words, or do a voice memo on your phone. Let your imagination soar and go beyond what you believe is possible and what’s likely. Go beyond your financial abilities and what you have time for. It doesn’t matter what you wanted yesterday or what your current circumstances are.
What’s the biggest dream you can dream? Be creative and allow some magical thinking.
Once you’ve finished your drawing, writing, dictating, whatever….spend some time re-reading, reflecting, and meditating on it. Think about it as you go for a walk, take yourself through a yoga practice, or lie down and just visualize it.
Now here’s the important part. Notice how your body feels as you dream this dream. Notice all the sensations. Does it feel right and true?
Write down how this vision/dream makes you feel. Is it similar or different from how you felt after repeating “I am meant to live in peace”?
By clearly describing and defining your dream goal and relating it to a feeling you will be able to clarify what it is you really want. Then you can start figuring out how you can bring pieces of your dream and, more importantly, that feeling into your everyday life.
Keep checking in with yourself - mind, body, heart and soul.
What do you really want?
For more inspiration, you can download an audio guided visualization here: www.sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com/guided-inner-journey-visualization
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
Please check out The Journey Within podcast at:
What is stopping you from living your best life? Get out your journal and a pen and take the new quiz on my website to find out:
Are you interested in learning more about life change & mindset coaching from a mind/body perspective? Please email me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com for more information or to schedule a free introductory consultation to see if coaching is right for you. You can also visit my website coaching page.
"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
You can access your free Find Your Inner Coach Guide including a guided visualization and journal prompts here:
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