A R I A D N E / / K A P S A L I
The fine balance between logic, intuition and doing what you love
How to use your intuition to guide you in doing what you love.
It’s hard to believe now, but I used to love doing Bikram yoga. Despite the 40 degree heat, the sequence is exactly the same, every time. It is motivating to see how sticking to the practice is making a difference. I like seeing progress; it’s comforting. It soothes my ego. It’s essential to be able to see some results towards our goals. As humans, we need these wins, these small bits of proof that something is happening. My generation is used to instant gratification. CLICK HERE, GET THIS. So it’s pretty damn frustrating when we need to work on medium to long-term goals. We struggle with this because we want the result – now.
I was invited to be part of a panel on an Escape the City event: How to escape into Yoga & Wellness. It was a fantastic event and being a speaker is a relatively new experience for me. I’ve been running workshops and courses for many years, but speaking in events definitely is a growth opportunity. As I sat there beside three inspiring women in the field, surrounded by a room of people eager to step into their dream career and build a business doing what they love, I remembered why I started. I remembered what drove me to take actions that felt scary AF, without any guarantee. I remembered why, despite not seeing any progress for a long time, I stuck with it. I remembered the fear taking second place to my determination and massive aspiration: To my big vision of doing what I love.
The beginning of anything new, whether it’s starting your own business, learning a craft or changing up your routine, is always going to be unsettling. All our fears come to the surface and doubts fill up the mind. The natural thing to do is to demand a results-guarantee before we even start. The rational mind wants assurances that taking a risky action right now will result in getting you to meet your goals. The rational mind needs to process information in a logical and linear manner; show me how you will get from A to B with minimal harm.
INTUITION + LOGICAL THINKING + INTENTIONAL ACTION = TRANSFORMATION
When we operate based on an overactive logical mind we often forget we are not purely made up of logic. In fact, we are largely emotional and intuitive beings. For a long time I tried to suppress my emotional guidance because I was taught it isn’t trustworthy. “Mood changes all the time, women are so emotional, you need to think with your head not your heart”. Ah how I cringe now when I hear this advice. My intuition, my inner guidance is my most precious tool of all. I am very rational and will always assess what I’m feeling with a practical and realistic eye. But after almost two years of working full time on my own business, what I know for sure is that success is not linear, nor is it rational.
So if you find yourself stuck in inaction and doubt, question what is stopping you. Question whether your doubts are a result of relying too much on the logical mind. If you’re overwhelmed by uncertainty, take a step back and look at what’s really going through your mind. If you’re wondering whether you should give up because you’re not seeing results, check in with yourself. I’m not suggesting you take a blind leap into the unknown no matter the consequences. Quite the contrary. It took me over two years of planning and building my business on the side, while still working 4 days a week in mental health. When I finally left my steady income behind, I knew I had some financial stability because I had build up my yoga teaching enough to cover my expenses while my coaching business was taking off. I even took on some reception work to supplement my income for a couple of months at the beginning of 2016 when things were quieter.
However, there is a trap involved in only using logic. Our limiting beliefs are often masking themselves as logical thinking. Clients often tell me they’re being realistic not expecting to be successful because there is so much competition around. Is this logic, or is this fear? You can very easily mistake fear for logic.
Logical thinking is actually very grounded and very solution focused. Fear is chaotic, unsettling and has a frantic energy. Intuition is gentle, steady and comforting.
It was damn hard at the beginning and the more my business grows, the more challenges I need to learn to deal with. But it’s part of the process. My intuition has guided me throughout all of this journey, keeping me safe and helping me to navigate the ebb and flow of self employment. Sometimes I listened and sometimes I blocked it out. Sometimes it’s really loud and others I worry I’m totally disconnected from myself. It is my intuition that told me to step away from some opportunities because something felt off. It is that voice inside that has said, again and again, to be patient, to trust and to persevere. It is always my intuition that guides me to dream, create, manifest and refine my vision.
My go-to formula for doing what you love in life and business is this:
INTUITIVE FEELING for dreaming, creating and refining your vision and intentions. For continued checking in with whether your actions are aligned with your values. For allowing you to soar.
LOGICAL THINKING for taking practical, efficient action and setting boundaries and assessing progress. For keeping you grounded, rooted and on track.
