the instinct of letting go.

Our minds seek comfort. Our hearts seek truth. 

My mind is tangled. I often feel frantic and out of control, like I am being tugged in several different directions. What are all of these decisions knocking at my door? They assemble one by one until there's almost no room.

At the root of all of this is Fear.

What happens when we need to make big, life-impacting decisions? Fear takes over, the voices in our head urge us to avoid taking risks or to choose what's obvious. Is it because we want the easy way out? Not necessarily. I think it's more of a result of the "shoulds" and the expectations and the things we want for ourselves and sometimes the boxes we put ourselves in.

These are the things that limit us. The mind can be very limiting. 

Worrying about the "wrong choice" is limiting.

Avoidance is limiting.
Self-Doubt is limiting.

And round and round we go.

So, how do we tune in to our instincts and keep fear from dictating our paths? I'm very aware of this happening, but it is not something I can let go of so easily. Fear has grabbed me by the hand and tried to lead me. All the while, my heart struggles to fight back, and hold onto the things I hear whispering to me late at night.

My need to live an authentic life is powerful (even if I don't know what that means just yet), but I am lured by the sweet promise of safety and security...
These are things I craved as a child and have since worked to cultivate as an adult, almost unknowingly at times (and to my detriment more often than not). Such a heart-led life comes from a deep trust in something greater than what I have control over. There is little room for fear there.

I'm going to "get real" for a second -- maybe even a little cliche-- and pose this question in the only way I know how. Is it "normal" or common place for people to think to themselves "I have a purpose? I don't know what it is yet, but I feel it and one day I'll find it."  How many of us feel it? Is it something we're born with and need as humans and then maybe somewhere along the lines is squashed? Or is it just not something everyone thinks about? I think about it a lot.

For now? figuring out what "listening to myself" looks like; smiling and letting go; and realizing the choices we make can never completely be wrong will help.