We know there is a lot of information “out there” when it comes to holistic living. There are so many different healing modalities and as a holistic service provider, we learn about new healing modalities on the daily. Then you add in all of the different approaches, methods, products, etc and to be quite candid, there is a lot of conflicting information. This happens with so much of life – a continuum of information and either end is often quite polarized. This duality of life can really cause confusion and in the end, stagnation, because when we (as humans) get into a place of uncertainty, we can sometimes just step right into avoiding the topic altogether because uncertainty breeds such anxiety within us. All of this points to the important concept of developing your own personal discernment – a skill that will guide you always.
What is personal discernment? This is your ability to know for yourself whether something is right for you or whether it’s just not aligned. We’re talking about your true north, your inner compass, your gut feeling about life. Being able to discern between two opposing pieces of information is going to put you on the map heading in a specific direction, because that is just what life asks of us. In order to move forward, we have to make decisions (and when we try to avoid it…guess what…not making a decision is a decision to stay stagnant, which also has its own set of natural consequences). Every choice we make has a natural consequence – ugh – sounds big doesn’t it? No need to get out the big shovel and dig ourselves into a hole to hide – but we do want to acknowledge that we are all creating our future and health by the choices that we make day in and day out.
How Do You Know?
So how do you know whether the choices you are making are the “right ones” for you? (spoiler alert) We won’t always know what’s right for us. In fact, that concept or word itself (right/wrong) may even dredge up some big emotions – keep in mind that each person has their idea of what feels right to them and we use this word as a way one can personally measure how to move forward with choices or decisions.
Sometimes we won’t know until after we make a decision whether it was right or not and so the discernment/knowing can come after the fact, which in turn will inform your future self on how you might want to choose differently.
Either way, the constant is that you’re having to make decisions and choices and your ability to discern what’s best for you is paramount.
Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” quote is so relevant here because the truth is, you won’t be able to develop your personal discernment unless you’re willing to make some mistakes, get it wrong, strike out, fail even…and the only way we can know whether something or someone is right for us is to learn to trust our own choices and believe in our ability to make a different decision or course correct when needed.
How do we develop this intense courage?
We get support.
We turn to others who have gone before us.
We learn from others who have gone before us.
We get professional guidance.
We join up with others who are facing the same stuff.
Ultimately, we step into the “arena” of life and do that thing we know we need to do.
By doing this, we build resilience; we build strength to stand in our truth and in what feels right to us because we have done it before and we can build on that.
Maintaining Sovereignty
Maintaining sovereignty of your life is important when we’re talking about personal discernment because if you don’t feel that you have the freedom to make the choices that feel right for you, this can cause you to feel stuck in an environment that may not be allowing you to grow in the ways needed to continue progressing. We are grateful to acknowledge that we experience many freedoms here in the states and there are other countries where many enjoy these freedoms as well. Being able to exercise that privilege to help you live your best life can also be extremely scary and feel extra vulnerable. Don’t defer to others; take hold of the reins of your life and align with what works for you and course correct when you need to. There will be decisions that you are faced with where you don’t feel that you have control/power, however, you always get to choose what you are aligning yourself with by your choices/decisions and utilize your discernment to help you figure out whether an environment, relationship, or any other decision is ‘right’ for you.
You see, because our propensity as humans is to dive as far away from uncertainty as possible, we will sometimes give our power away to someone else who might capture our confidence or whom we may feel “knows better”. But truthfully, you know best, even though “knowing best” doesn’t mean that it feels the best or that it’s easy. Discernment can often feel unsettling and scary because often you are stepping into new territory – and our human brains are just wired to feel cringey with anything outside of homeostasis.
Take a Moment
Yet, you can take a moment, take a deep breath, take a few days or weeks if you need to – you are the one who gets to decide what you believe, the choices you will make, whether something or someone feels good to have in your life and ultimately, you will learn to move through these decision points as you develop your sense of self-awareness and self-confidence to help you move your best life forward on the map of life.
Our Guides at S.A.G.E. are all about helping you develop your own discernment. We know that by standing with you in the most compassionate way possible is actually what will help you grow that part of you that will be with you always. We want to empower you so that you can get more and more solid in your personal discernment which will in turn make your life easier. And I know we all want to have more ease in our lives.
So, the next time you find yourself faced with a decision – whether it be about your holistic wellness, a job, a friendship, or anything in life, take that moment to breathe a bit deeper, do some searching within and see how you’re feeling about it. Then courageously step into that arena of forward momentum toward your most aligned self and see who comes out on the other side – we bet they are stronger, wiser and more refined into the person you’re meant to be. Need some Guidance on how to develop this? We hope you reach out. We want to empower you and we are here to offer support and see how our services may benefit you. We look forward to working with you, alongside you, as you step deeper and deeper into the full expression of yourself living your holistic life.
