Follow your bliss

Dear fellow dreamers, visionaries, and overachievers, 

If you have ever had an idea you really wanted to bring to fruition, a change in your life you really wanted to make, or some version of a goal you have longed to reach for, then perhaps you can relate to my story.

As I have endeavored to continually follow my soul’s deeper yearnings, I have come to realize that it isn’t always as easy as it seems like it should be. It takes time to manifest. It takes patience and perseverance. And at times it is downright difficult!

But how do we discern whether the struggle is worth it? 

Sometimes we struggle because we think we should do something, and meanwhile, life is pushing us in another direction. 

This, I do not recommend.  I do believe that there are some ideas worth pursuing and some best left in the idea stage of course. 

I have come to recognize the difference, in the way an invitation to follow my bliss arises as a physical sensation.  It seems to come from a place beyond and yet deep within me, as opposed to coming from my head that observes what other people are doing and wonders if that is what I should do as well. 

My soul’s guidance often starts out as a subtle feeling in my belly like a little tug. I hear it in my chest like a quiet whisper. A timid little, “what if” that plants itself like a seed in my heart of hearts.

I see it in visions that follow me around all day long, I see it in synchronicities, and in my night dreams. Nudging, prodding, inspiring. 

Taking action on these intuitive nudges takes tremendous faith and effort, however.

It is much easier to blow them off. It is much harder to say yes. Which is why it is good to know that our bliss is not always hanging out on easy street.

And this is something I only recently realized, as I used to have this idea that following one’s dreams should be easy…but I was so wrong!

In fact, once I stepped fully onto my path and made the commitment to myself to follow through, every possible obstacle presented itself. I have had so many barriers to so many of these dreams, both professional and artistic, that I considered giving up almost from the get-go. Every time. 

I’m not sure where I got the idea that it would be easy to charge in the direction of my deeper purpose or to “follow my bliss”. But somehow the struggle and diligence and sweat and blood and tears and courageous conquering of my fears really surprised me! 
Oh, the humility it requires! 
The finagling of funds! 
The hours spent in resistance and then in persistence and then in creation mode and re-creation mode!
All the iterations! 
All the self-doubt!
If you only knew how many coaches and healers I have hired, and workshops I’ve taken. All the hours spent at my altar praying fervently.
All the sleepless nights and hours of elaborate daydreaming.
I have worked so hard and yet all along I was (sort of) subconsciously judging myself… for working so hard. 

All because I had this strange idea that, if it was “meant to be”, it would somehow just flow forth like a happy bubbly river into an ocean of abundance. 

But you know, it is only sometimes like this. And often it isn’t. 

This assumption, however, has plagued me for YEARS.
Recently though, a beautiful lightbulb went off inside my head and I realized that it’s not always such a bad thing when shit gets hard. 

Here is what led to my lightbulb: 

I was halfway through my Ashtanga Saturday morning teacher-led yoga class last week. I was struggling and quivering, pouring sweat onto my mat, feeling like I was surely the most suffering person in the room. I was probably swearing under my ujjayi breath. (Like you do), when my teacher paused in her instruction and simply said, “yoga is hard”.

At that moment the whole room collectively sighed with relief. I felt so validated and suddenly so not alone. A new surge of energy entered my body. 

I think it must have come from some secret reserve that can only be activated by the feeling of being “in it together”.
It is the power that comes from commiserating with one’s community. 

Do you know this feeling?

I realized two things at that moment:

One was the metaphor this momentous “AHA” provided, which was that I had been working really hard in my life (not just on the yoga mat) because that is just what it takes to make progress. Not because I was inept. But because doing your soul’s work in the world takes great effort!

‘Following your bliss’ is actually a lot more work than one might think!

Some dreams (if you are so lucky) are going to push you to become something else than you were before. 
Some dreams, when you pursue them seriously are going to kick your ass. 
They’re going to test you. 
They’re going to be harder than you think they should be. 
There will be many moments of frustration and if you’re anything like me, you will try to sabotage your own progress by thinking it should be easy. You will probably assume that because it is so challenging, you might be barking up the wrong tree. But do not be fooled.

Whatever it is your soul yearns for, it is worth the effort it takes to create, to push through, to keep trying. Something magical happens when we keep showing up.

The second realization I had in that AHA moment on my yoga mat was…. it takes a village to raise your vibration. 

We can suffer alone, but why should we?
When we come together for a common purpose, there is so much more energy available. So much more is possible. If you want to make amazing changes in your life, collect other people who are working towards their goals as well. It is important that we rely on each other, lift each other up. 

So just in case you are attempting to uplevel your own life, or even considering following a quiet nudge that beckons you to dive in, I thought I would reach out and let you know it is worth it. 
Begin it. Keep going. 
You are not alone. 
And if it feels hard, terrifying, or impossible then you know you are on the right path, because it should!