40% of the things we do are automatic
– Gretchen Rubin
Do you notice when you pick up your phone? Do you notice when you put another piece of fruit or cake into your mouth? Or does it just happen and you wonder ‘how did I get here’ or ‘I feel so full, I didn’t realise I’d eaten so much.’
We can often pick up our phone or put food in our mouth as a way of escaping something – boredom, emotions, other people, work. Of course its easier to sit on the couch then it is to do the work that we need to do – painting the house, tidying the house, having a soulful conversation with our hubby.
We tune out, not in. And today, right now is when we really need to tune in. Tune in to who we are, what we like – because when we know those things we can walk in alignment with who we are.
Four and a half years ago, when I realised I needed to grow, I sat down to work out ‘who I was’. I thought it would be easy – I’m a mum, wife, human etc. Nope that’s not it, that’s roles I was playing in life. Ok so I’m kind, loving, caring. Great work but nope that’s not me, they’re my qualities, but they’re not me.
It took me a whole weekend, which really in the grand scheme of things isn’t long but it felt like the hardest thing I’d ever done. Chris was away and I was trying to figure things out in between looking after Teddy. The best I could come up with was when I felt my best. When I felt like the best version of me was when I moved my body in a way that feels good to me, ate nutritious food and said yes to me.
1 sentence, 20 words – and it took a whole weekend, wasn’t rocket science right but boy it took some digging – and it didn’t tell me who I was.
Fast forward a few years later and I’m writing my success statement. Then I asked myself ‘and why is this important to me?’, I wrote down the first thing that came to mind, then ask the question again, and again, and again until I came up with ‘because it makes me soul sing’. Pretty cool right!
Hint: That didn’t take nearly as long, maybe 30 minutes, oh plus the 2 years in between!
I recently read The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. It’s an incredible book all about digging even deeper into who you are and teaching you how you can stand in the eye of the storm and rise up. The book talks about the fact that we are not our bodies, our roles, our emotions. That we are in fact conscious souls waking up to serve a higher purpose. How does that sit with you?
It really resonated with me because I’ve always had this feeling that I’m here for more but I never really knew what it was. I know what I’m good at but somehow other things always took priority – because I loved them more. Netball and fitness came before everything, however now I feel I’m pulled to a new awakening and I’m following that path – scared and excited.
- I had a baby because my soul told me.
- I started 2 businesses because my soul told me.
- I started doing F45 because my soul told me.
- I’m doing the F45 8 week challenge because my soul told me.
- I’m studying with IIN because my soul told me.
The last 11 years of my life have been all about change, about levelling up, about growing and learning more – because my soul told me this is what I need to do to be the next version of myself.
So now I find myself questioning everything, more than before. By asking myself if eating/doing/being is serving my higher purpose and if not, then I do my best not to do it.
I’d encourage you to do the same. As yourself:
- If I get out of bed on time, is that serving my higher purpose?
- If I drink this glass of wine, is this serving my higher purpose?
- If I chat to someone who doesn’t light up my soul, is this serving my higher purpose?
- If I pick up my phone 100 times a day, is that serving my higher purpose?
- If I have that takeaway, is that serving my higher purpose?
A really simple question, and we might not make a change in the moment but over time, because we’re aware, we will see changes creeping in and smile, because we know it’s serving our higher purpose xo
