Who's the Captain of Your Ship?

Do you struggle with forcing yourself to do things that you don’t want to do – because you think you should?

I did that too for a long time and I slip back regularly if I don’t catch myself.

It’s what we learned in school. It’s how you become successful. You don’t do the stuff you really want to do; you do the stuff you think you have to do. This could be anything from eating broccoli when you feel like eating French fries to going to a networking event when you feel like vegging in front of the television, or reading a book.

It’s a constant and automatic override of your desires.

Every time I see a woman running by my house with one of those running strollers (and I rarely see men running with that stroller) I wonder if she’s running because she thinks she should, or she truly wants to.

When you are constantly forcing yourself to do things that you don’t really want to, you’re sending a message to your deepest self that she can’t be trusted to know what’s right for you.

Over time the desires dim and are harder to discern.

You think you are doing what’s right but you are doing what you’ve learned you should be doing.

Living this way is a straight line to meaninglessness, lack of passion and “not knowing” what you want.

It isn’t that you don’t know, it’s that you haven’t allowed yourself to listen to your desires, so they’ve muted. This is what people who want to fit in and please other people learn how to do from a very young age.

You are letting your ego captain your ship.

So what do you do?

You’ve got to dare to decide to let your soul captain your ship – and your ego can be the deckhand.

One tiny, tiny step at a time.

Yes, yes, yes I know that you won’t love everything that you do, all the time. You need to get your taxes done. When you start exercising after you haven’t for a while, it’s hard. But if these are actions that lead you to fulfilling the desires of your soul, they may be hard to do, but you’ll find a way to get them done – and it won’t feel like you are forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do. It’ll feel like you are finding a way to get something done that helps you. That feels like relief, not obligation.

Doing what feels right for you might lead to losing some friends. You’ll judge yourself for not taking an action that “everybody” does even when it feels wrong for you.

It’s not easy to switch captains and let your soul lead.

Dare to decide.

It IS possible. It’s the journey of a lifetime.

I love, love, love hearing from you! Have you switched captains on your boat? Share your story in the comments below!