You Already Know What To Do

“You have a wisdom inside you – listen for it and give it voice. You have a light inside you – feel it’s glow and let it shine.  You have the power to speak and act and make things manifest in the world – let your wisdom and light guide you as you do.”

-Michael Neill, SuperCoach

One of the concerns I get the most from my clients is some version of the phrase, "I don't know what to do," or "I don't know how to handle this situation."  It's so common that people generally get stuck here and give up on their dreams, projects, and goals.  One of the interesting things I have found as a transformative coach is that not knowing what to do, is very rarely a limiting factor.  In fact, most people know exactly what to do, they just have been ignoring their inner wisdom.  Or sometimes people try to convince themselves that they don't know what to do because they actually know, they just don't like the answer.  In order to create something new and wonderful in our lives, it is going to require taking some actions that are pretty frightening for most people.  It requires us doing things that we have previously been unwilling to do in the past.  It requires that we step boldly into the unknown, where we have never been before.

We have been conditioned to believe that the unknown is the worst possible place we could hang out in.  It's so scary to most people, that we avoid it at all cost.  We are so uncomfortable no knowing what the future holds, that we try to control the heck out of our circumstances, and busy ourselves with menial tasks that basically just play as a distraction to the fact that none of us know what's coming next.  I'm not a naysayer, I'm a truth seeker. As far as I can tell, I don't know the future definitively, and I don't know anybody who does.  This tells me, we spend a whole lot our time and energy avoiding something that is just true.  Kind of like death, we busy ourselves to the point of burn-out, so that we don't have to take a look at our own mortality.  It's the same with the unknown.  Here's the good news though, the unknown is not just a place where our worst fears hide, it's actually the place where possibility lives.

However, just because our futures are absolutely uncertain, that doesn't mean that we don't know what to do to move us in a direction of creating a life of wonder and joy.  If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself around a goal or project in your life.  Check-in and ask yourself, what do I know to do, that I have been previously unwilling to do?  What would I do if I wasn't afraid?

Here's what came up for me. Notice what comes up for yourself as you read what came up for me. When I look at building my coaching practice, I know that if I want to create more clients for myself, I simply have to make more calls and have more conversations with referral sources and potential clients.  I know that I have to actually ask people to hire me.  I know that the more I practice saying my fees out loud, the more comfortable I'll be saying them.  I know that showing up as a coach out in the community will support my business.  I know to communicate directly with people and make clear appointments for complimentary sessions.

If I want to improve a relationship, I know that I could say "I love you", and "I'm sorry," more.  I know to speak softer and kinder.  I know to express what it is I appreciate about the other person.  I know to have important conversations when I'm in a place of well-being.  I know that if I want something, making a clean request for it, is the best way to get it.  I know to come from a place of curiosity instead of fear. I know to share authentically.  I know to take responsibility for my own thoughts, words, and actions.

If I want to lose weight, I know I need to eat healthier, move my body more, get more sleep, and drink more water.  If I want to learn to run faster and longer, I have to run more often, faster, and longer.

If I want to access more of my innate well-being, I know to take time every day to read from A Course In Miracles, to listen to inspirational music and podcasts, to meditate, receive hugs, dance, laugh, exercise, journal, and snuggle with my cat.  I know to let go of the past, and let go of those things that I don't have any real control over.

Now, check back in with yourself.  What did you notice? What do you already know to do, that you haven't been doing?  What are you afraid of.  Remember, fear lives in the unknown, but that's also the only place that possibility lives.  If you want to create the life of your dreams, you're going to have to be uncomfortable from time to time.  Recognize that your fears are just based on your thinking, and you don't need to think those thoughts.

Now that you've re-discovered that you know what to do, take a deep breath, acknowledge the fear if it's there, and take the action anyways!

Until next time, learn heaps, live boldly, and love always!

Coach Ty

P.S., Don't forget to check out my holiday special on coaching that will be running out soon.  Now is the perfect opportunity to sign up and create your life from a place of purpose and possibility in 2012.  Make it the year that you transform your life for good.