Intuitive Courage
Some people say that our intuition is our direct connection to the divine. I believe this. If we truly listen, it will teach us our truth. It may not lead us down a smooth predictable path, but it is the best path for us. We will make mistakes, but those mistakes are also important. We are here to live full and vibrant lives and to share our gifts with others. But it often takes courage. We can think we are prepared for whatever arises, but life will always throw us a curve ball.
I’m reading a fabulous book, Courage, by Osho. In it, he helps us understand that courage is not necessarily measured in heroic acts in the face of danger but also found in the simple, daily decisions we make. It’s letting our hearts lead rather than our minds. “Courage is not the absence of fear,” says Osho. “It is rather the total presence of fear, with the courage to face it.”
This courage often means releasing our attachment to the opinions of others. It might mean having an engineering degree but deciding to follow a career teaching people how to sail because it is your passion. Or maybe it’s finding the courage to leave a job that, on the outside, looks lucrative and successful, but on the inside is quietly depleting you. It takes courage to be the first to extend the olive branch in times of conflict or to say “I love you” when you don’t know if it is returned.
A friend shared a time when her intuition nudged her to reach out to an old friend after a misunderstanding had stretched into years of silence. Pride and fear of rejection told her to stay still. But she reached out anyway and listened to her intuition and what followed was a healing conversation filled with tenderness and relief. She is so glad she did it.
How many of us also went to school to study something with all our hearts and when we were done realized it wasn’t what we truly wanted to do with our lives? It took courage to change course and follow a new path. I know for me; I went to university to be a computer scientist and afterwards felt a strong intuitive nudge to be a teacher. I took the leap and followed that nudge and had a joyful, rewarding career as an educator. I love working with kids and teens. It was my calling.
I asked some family members for stories, and my dear sister reminded me that she followed a strong intuitive nudge to marry a man she only knew for 4 months!! Against many people telling her to wait, she took the leap with deep courage. They remain happily married 30+ years later with 2 beautiful children.
Everyday acts of courage show up in many forms. What is your heart telling you? Really listen.
“If the single man plant himself indomitably on his instincts and there abide, the huge world will come round to him.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life… And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” – Steve JobsTop of Form
Love and gratitude