For many years, I felt lost and confused.  I was in a good partnership with my husband. The kids were grown and living their own lives. All was well, but I felt like something was missing.  I had a job I enjoyed, but I had nothing I was really passionate about doing. I was living but felt I had no direction.

When we moved into our current home, I started exploring.  I went to painting classes, yoga classes and joined a book club.  I enjoyed the discovery process I was going through despite not feeling clear about my life’s direction. 

See, you can be happy without clearly knowing what’s next in our lives.  Remember, our life is about the journey, not the destination. So the uncertainty I felt wasn’t coming from a place of fear. Instead, the confusion I was in seems to come from a place of “I’ve done these things (motherhood, climbed the corporate latter, biker gang leader), now what?”   

I wasn’t comparing myself to others. Instead, I was seeking the next level in my life. 

The direction I was seeking was an internal growth spurt that caused me to sit down and write my book Raven Transcending Fear.  And the new journey I undertook was nothing I could have imagined. But, of course, when you allow yourself to be and enjoy life, it’s an adventure, even when you feel confused.  But how did I go from seeking a direction to actually finding one?

Your decisions today, both big and small, determine the direction your life will take tomorrow. ~ Craig Groeschel

Defining Our Directions And Why It’s Important

How we move forward in our lives is what I mean by direction.  The internal knowing that we make our choices from a place of love, not fear.  We understand we aren’t comparing our lives to others and judging ourselves by another’s standards.  Genuine confusion occurs when our internal and external worlds don’t align. 

No one can decide what direction our lives should take. Therefore, it is up to us to determine what makes us excited about life.  We aren’t talking about absolutes because it’s an exploration. As we search, we find our own interpretations of what we like and which direction we want to move towards.  

Suppose we’re following the voices of others instead of our own. In that case, we will have a more challenging time being happy because we’re doing things we aren’t excited about. 

Our souls have a path they would like us to take to become our authentic selves.  But we have to learn to get quiet and hear the whispers of our hearts for us to determine what it’s saying.  This silence we seek means we have to quiet the egoic voice and the voices of others, giving their opinions of what they think is best for us.

We’re all needed, and we’re all called to rise and help those around us with our gifts and talents.  It’s our mission, and when we are doing it with passion, it isn’t work. It’s an act of love. 

It is not until you change your identity to match your life blueprint that you will understand why everything in the past never worked. ~ Shannon L. Alder

Stop Over-Thinking

I was trapped inside my head for over a decade, thinking, rethinking, and over-thinking.  I did this for every decision I made, big and small, because I was afraid of making the wrong decision or missing out on something.  Many times it paralyzed me from deciding, which was still a choice.  All the self-doubt my ego kept in place stagnated me. 

Yes, we should look at the potential outcomes of actions we may take.  Look at the possibilities and the consequences.  But are we allowing all this analysis to be an excuse for inaction?  Remember, discomfort is part of the growth process when we are trying new things.           

None of us can predict the future, but we can trust that the decision we make today that we’re excited about will have an overall positive outcome.  It may not be as we hoped, but it will be what we need for our next growth spurt. 

When we accept what is and understand that change is neutral, we can stop overthinking each decision.  As we do this, we can start living in the present moment we are given.  This mindfulness allows us to be open-minded about the possibilities of today.     

Finding oneself and one’s path is like waking up on a foggy day. Be patient, and presently the fog will clear, and that which has always been there can be seen. The path is already there to follow. ~ Rasheed Ogunlaru

Take Action In Any Direction

When I was searching, I didn’t stay still. Instead, I immersed myself in painting, yoga, and reading.  These actions opened me up to making connections with others and allowed my creativity to flow. 

My actions may have seemed a mish-mash, but they all steered me towards where I now am. For example, acrylic painting class got me back into creating for my own pleasure and self-care. Through yoga, I learned how to meditate after trying for over two years.  And book club got me back into teaching women how to overcome their limiting beliefs.     

Was I scared to move out and try these things?  I don’t think so, because I was doing something I wanted to do.  I was enjoying the time. And I wasn’t concerned that I would take a misstep because I was excited I was taking these actions.  

Now, I tried a watercolor painting class that wasn’t for me.   I went a few times, but I allowed myself to change my mind about this medium.  I took action, but I didn’t have to stay on that path.  If something doesn’t work out, we’ve learned something.  Now we have time to try something different.  

Try, question, take part, experiment, explore as you journey through life.  We control the actions we take, and the more we do so, the more adventurous we become.  And the more we learn about our authentic selves.  The only way to see what’s around the corner is to walk around it and look.    

You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. ~ Christopher Columbus

There Are Clues To The Right Direction

During my exploration, I started noticing when I created; I was happy and excited.  This self-awareness helped me see where I would lose time because I was in the flow of what I was doing.

I picked up journaling again and started a conversation with myself.  I’d ask myself questions on the paper, and suddenly, as I kept writing, the answers from within would come out on the page. Through this process, I discovered things I didn’t understand before. Doing this each morning allowed me to become clear about things I liked, my desires, and those things I didn’t want to do anymore. 

For example, by journaling three pages every day, I realized that I really liked to write. And as I continued this discovery process, I realized I was pregnant with a book. Did I find my new direction?  Because writing my story was not something I ever wanted to do, yet as I started penning my book, it poured out of me. 

So through my searching and trying new things, there were clues as to the new direction I was to take.  I have a new purpose, write my story of overcoming the innate fear caused by my childhood trauma so I could help others do the same.  I spent too long in the valley, and I could help others with a bridge to the other side of fear. I now had a clear direction. 

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Natural Abilities Propel Us Forward

As I moved forward with writing my book, I discovered that my innate abilities seemed to fit in with my new direction.  I am a very focused and determined person.  (My husband says tenacious.) I am well organized, a planner, and manage my time well.  I needed these natural talents to learn about the publishing industry, write the book, create a book proposal, build a website, and blog each week for two years before they released the book.

When we are using our natural abilities, it’s a confirmation that we are on our mission.  It helps us stay in a flow state when we lose time because we enjoy what we are doing.  It doesn’t feel like work, and when we are done for the day, we have satisfaction with what we accomplished because we feel we’ve added value to the world.

So, what are our innate talents?  What inspires us so that when we are working, we are thoroughly enjoying the process?  What energized us?  What are we most proud of?  Write out the answers to these questions for yourself to see how to better live in alignment with your authentic self. 

This awareness allows us to better determine which direction we want to move towards, bringing joy and excitement to our lives. 

Sometimes gut instinct is what determines the direction we should take. ~ Brenda Novak

Have People Who Support The Direction

As I was seeking my new direction, my husband Phillip was utterly supportive.  He encouraged the painting classes by building me a place in the house to be my studio.  He was happy that I was going to create my website myself.  He gave me the freedom to grow as well as to take missteps without negative comments. 

As I moved forward with writing my book, the ladies from the book club were all supportive.  Asking about the progress and when Raven Transcending Fear was released, they bought the book.  I had surrounded myself with like-minded people who respected my autonomy and yet were present when I need them to be. 

This belonging, I felt, is what we all need.  No one is meant to be alone, and when we feel lost, we isolate ourselves, which compounds the issue.  When we open up and share our new direction with others, most likely, we will find support waiting for us.

And if others are unsupportive, be conscious of what we should share.  We don’t want to be discouraged by another’s negative comments.  So choose not to share with those who are contrary or spend less time with them.  And instead, spend time with those who lift us up, provide solutions and reassurance.  

You cannot expect to stay on the right path if you are walking with the wrong people. ~ Anas Hossain

Trust Our Instincts

Our gut response is the one that is more in tune with our authenticity.  It also helps us from overthinking.  When we have too much information, we overload, and we become immobilized and don’t take any action. 

When we take the chance that our instincts push us towards, we learn to fine-tune those gut responses.  By listening to our inner voice, the whispers of the soul, we absolutely know we are moving in the right direction.  Even if we take a misstep, there is a lesson or an experience we needed to have for our overall growth on this journey of life. 

When we find our internal light to inspire us, we discover our resilience to keep getting up and move forward.  Outside voices or distractions didn’t suppress us from taking the next right action. So we pay more attention to the encouraging voices of our tribe.  And we start to believe in ourselves. 

As we become more authentic, we realize all we can be is our authentic selves, and others accept us.  We are no longer trying to fit into a mold; just be ourselves.  And our direction becomes more apparent because we are no longer trying to blend in. 

It doesn’t matter where we’ve been or even where we are, but we can take this moment and choose the next best action to move us towards our dreams. 

The wisest men follow their own direction. ~ Euripides

Moving Forward In A Clear Direction

Life happens.  We are to enjoy the journey. Although, feeling lost isn’t necessarily bad. It can mean we should take time and explore and discover.  We will find the next right action to take that propels us forward in a new direction through self-discovery. 

It doesn’t matter where you are now, because you have the power to alter the direction you are moving.  You get to choose the path of your life.  And there is no shame in changing your course. 

By the way, there is only one direction we can move, and that is forward.  We are all meant to take a life journey that has forward motion.  When we take even the most minor steps each day, we will always move in the right direction. 

Continue the movement forward, stay strong, keep your balance, push past any obstacles, and never give up your dreams. 

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined. ~ Henry David Thoreau

As we become more conscious of our authenticity, we can learn to listen to our hearts and follow the path our soul desires to live the life of our dreams. 

Do you need support to help you find your direction?  Do you want a strategy to help you overcome the ego’s limiting beliefs and live a successful life? If so, please reach out to me at TerriKozlowski.com, and we can put together an action plan for you to create the life you desire.

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Summary

Article Name

How Can You Find A Clear Direction When You Feel Lost And Confused

Description

Even if we feel lost, moving in the right direction is easy by noticing the clues around us as we journey through life towards our dreams.

Author

Terri Kozlowski

Publisher Name

Kozmic Soul Solutions LLC

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