Our minds try their hardest to apply the teachings of the law of attraction from an intellectual perspective. They are used to figuring stuff out, thinking things through, being logical, outlining the steps and all that good stuff.
And while that serves us well in many respects, this way of operating won’t cut it when it comes to manifesting. The ‘process’ is something that must be approached from the level of emotion, not intellect.
Naturally everything we encounter is first processed with our mind; its machinations are fascinating and it allows us to do all sorts of amazing things, like you know, exist.
While I believe part of the original intention for this set-up was the ability to take in information from both outside of us and inside of us, that latter source of guidance wasn’t really given a fair shake.
Generally we weren’t instilled with the idea that our feelings were to be taken into account when making decisions; we certainly were never taught to disregard the mind completely, and make decisions strictly based on how we feel.
As I always like to make clear, I’m not bashing the mind. We need it. It’s a necessary and helpful part of this construct in which we find ourselves. It is my mind that is stringing these thoughts together and translating them into words, for example.
You’re never going to get rid of it; it’s never going to stop doing what it’s designed to do. But over time, it does get in the way less when doing this sort of ‘work’; how you respond to its objections and what have you, change.
But when it comes to manifesting, becoming more of who we really are, and benefitting from the wisdom of our inner guidance, it’s a real thorn in our sides without a doubt.
One of the biggest reasons people find themselves struggling with a teaching like the law of attraction is our mind’s insistence on ‘making sense of it,’ and our reluctance to heed our feelings and inner wisdom.
And it’s understandable. The mind has been running the show for a really long time, and we are very accustomed to making decisions based on logical, rational thought. And making decisions from that space serves us well in many instances.
But again, won’t serve us so well in this work, and to create with the greatest ease, we have to be willing to start feeling our way through life rather than thinking.
And when I say this, I don’t mean totally abandoning your mind and never thinking things through—we ‘ll know when that should be part of the equation.
What I am talking about is getting more comfortable with letting our feelings guide us, with making choices that feel right, regardless of our mind’s objections. I am talking about trusting that we were meant to be letting them guide us, and as such, shouldn’t be disregarded.
We head off so much suffering that comes from making decisions we don’t want to make, but our mind has concluded for some reason we ‘have’ to, or because it is what we ‘should’ be doing.
Our Feelings Know the Way….Be Willing to Let Them Lead
Our feelings are our guidance system, and when we act in accordance with them, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to stay in alignment. When we get more comfortable following our feelings, we quickly come to see how much more quickly the path unfolds, and how much less’ turbulence’ we encounter.
How we feel is letting us know if we are moving closer or further away from the innate wisdom of ‘big’ you, from what we want, which is ultimately to feel a certain way, and become more of who we really are.
When that really starts to sink in, it becomes very obvious that following our feelings makes really good sense. Again, probably won’t be easy, but there has to be a willingness to try.
So many of us lament our struggles with manifesting and applying the teachings of the law of attraction, and when people relay their experiences, the primary stumbling block is often so painfully obvious—this insistence on trying to do this work from the mind, and an unwillingness to proceed based on how they feel, to let their feelings show them the way.
We make endless excuses as to why we can’t do what feels right, and why we have to keep doing what our mind is telling us to do, no matter how much we don’t want to, and then we wonder why nothing is changing, or why things we don’t want keep showing up.
When we act from this sort of space, we can’t get any other result. Our energy is thick with doubt, fear, trying to force results through a certain channel and pushing against ‘what is.’ Seriously, how can we expect things to be different?
Be willing to act on your feelings, and see what next step is revealed. Don’t worry so much about the implications of this choice a decade from now. You can only ever see the next step anyway. You really can’t make a mistake or make the ‘wrong’ choice anyway so that may take some pressure off.
Again, we aren’t used to operating from this space, and I get why we have such a hard time doing this, which brings me to my next point…
This Will Be Uncomfortable but It Gets Easier
Yeah, this isn’t comfortable and even people who do this a lot may still feel a bit uncomfortable at times—remember, our mind will never stop doing what it was designed to do, namely draw conclusions based on past experience and what it has observed in the world at large.
We can’t predict the future, and there will probably always be at least a little part of us that fears what may result from a particular choice.
Here’s one way to look at things that may make you more amenable to following your feelings—how well has letting your mind run the show, and inform all your decisions, worked out for you thus far?
Yeah, that’s what I thought. It may be time for a different approach.
Anyway, because we are not accustomed to doing this, we probably just won’t jump full bore into heeding our intuition at every turn, and acting from our gut, especially when rational, logical thought is screaming at us to do the exact opposite, when no rational thought can in no way ‘justify’ this decision.
There will probably be some big decisions where the stakes are high, and simply following your feelings will just be too incredibly uncomfortable, and you won’t act from this space. It’s fine.
Don’t make big, bold changes for which you really don’t feel ready. There is a difference between the natural fear and discomfort that accompanies bigger decisions, but that we generally feel good about and know are right, and sheer terror and panic that comes from acting when the trust is low, and the misalignment high, even if we feel it is the right choice.
In the latter instance, the mind is still really fighting us big-time.
If you feel like you are being led to such changes, go within for a bit and work through some of your stuff—everything happens from the inside anyway, and discovering blocks, shifting energy, and all that jazz will line you up with all sorts of manifestations that will guide your next steps.
Start paying attention to what is driving your behavior in daily life; see how you are feeling about the choices you are making and how you are going about handling various aspects of your life, such as your business.
Are you doing everything from the mind, or are you taking your feelings into account at all?
Have your feelings been nudging you to make certain changes, but you have been reluctant to heed their guidance? Why?
How often are you opting for what your mind is telling you to do over what your feelings are telling you to do, even if it feels crappy? What sort of results are you getting?
Gotta Have Faith
Faith is quite a powerful tool in our manifesting arsenal. After all, it would be really, really hard to do this work if there wasn’t a part of us that was able to believe that things can work out, that things can change, even if our past and current circumstances seem to indicate this would be highly unlikely, at least to our mind.
It would be hard to manifest if there wasn’t a part of us that knew intuitively there was some larger force at play, shaping our reality, and that we could play a part in that molding by way of what we are projecting from our inner world.
You can’t ever know for sure what will transpire once you make a certain decision or head down a certain path. You can influence your experience by your energy, but exactly what manifests as a result of said energy is not something we can really control.
But when we are in that space of detachment, trust, feeling generally good, and what have you, whatever shows up will probably be to our liking, and much better than anything our mind has come up with.
You really can’t do this wrong; no matter what happens in our life, it is just there to show us something and our course can always be ‘corrected.’
Does following your feelings mean that you will never again encounter anything unwanted? No, no it doesn’t. We all have kinks in our vibration, and we shouldn’t be doing this work with the aim of trying to create some ‘perfect’ life or ‘perfect’ vibration.
Sometimes following our feelings will lead us to manifest something that we may not like, but was necessary, because it alerted us to something that we needed to see. This unwanted manifestation doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice.
It really is amazing how this works, and don’t bother trying to understand how exactly it does…we can’t.
Doing this work in general takes a good dose of faith, and being more comfortable with letting our feelings guide us, takes a whole lot in particular. It’s uncomfortable but worth it.
So, that’s that…hope you enjoyed the post.
Your Turn…
What did you think of this post? Anything resonate with you in particular? Are you comfortable following your feelings? Any tips you would offer? Looking forward to your comments as always.
And I am also happy to announce the second class in the Manifesting Like a Mofo series is now open for registration.
It is titled: From Foe to Friend: The Gift of Resistance. There’s gonna be some good stuff on this call that will be very helpful for dealing with the unwanted in your life now. It will open up some powerful energy without a doubt. Imagine the freedom that comes with making friends with resistance? Get more info here.
You got all Jedi in your title image. I dig the lesson, as a Young Padouan. Why fight when you can allow? We do let it all in. But I must let my feelings reflect back to me if I am fighting, or allowing. Uncomfortable at first and sure I fight the truth and these feelings sometimes but surrendering feels much better and easier, and it really is. I am slowing things down and breathing deeply more and more to see when I am thinking vs when I am being. Fab difference. Thinking leads to tension and being is peace. Going with the peace more, but of course, I’m learning to feel what I feel tense about to get to that space.
Nice shirt, BTW.
Ryan
Thanks for dropping your wisdom as always. Allowing and surrender are so powerful when it comes from a space of not just accepting what is thinking it cant’t change but knowing that is the way to open up so many doors and receive that wonderful divine assistance.
Thanks for the post! I’ve recently thought a lot about uncertainty.. I think it’s really important to remember that we can’t not know until we truly know..Until then, it’s better to feel rather than try to figure out so much.
Recently, I’ve thought about relationships a lot. I’d love to hear your opinion on it! What do think of a couple who holds different perspectives about the world? One person believes in the law of attraction(or at least very interested) but the other person is scientific and doesn’t believe in the law of attraction at all. I’ve thought about this a lot because recently I met a guy who accepts that I’m interested in LOA but doesn’t believe in it himself. Dating a person who doesn’t believe in spirituality make a good relationship in the long run?
Hi Jamie
Thanks for your comment and I am so glad you enjoyed the post. As for your relationship question, I don’t think there is any sort of black and white answer. There are lots of couples where the people have awesome relationships while sharing lots of very big differences. While generally speaking, similar views on those bigger issues probably reduces various types of friction, big differences don’t necessarily make for a bad relationship either. I think it really depends on the people, how secure each are in their own points of view, the exact area of different opinion,etc.. As for the LOA or other sorts of spiritual beliefs,etc…I don’t think both people have to share the same exact opinion and it can be okay to not discuss certain things if the other person isn’t receptive. Ultimately it would come down to whether each person’s vision of their life gels well enough with the other person’s. As time goes on, you’ll get a sense of whether this person is a good fit for you overall. Just remember that you never have to compromise who you are to have a relationship and if he isn’t the one, that’s fine…see what the experience of being with him is showing you and just be open to whatever happens.
Thanks for the reply!Kelli! Through this encounter, I got to know more about myself, which is a good thing! I’ll remember that I never have to hide or feel insecure about what I believe, what I’m interested in, what my opinions are!
Hi Kelli, thank you for all your insights! I will echo the other comments, I love your insights and I appreciate the life you have created and allowed yourself.
I have one question that had been in my mind since your huff post article about allowing when your not sure what you want: what do you make of the whole “there must be more than this “, existential question of purpose, that question we all ask ourselves at some point. What is our purpose , what does it mean when we want direction in our lives, a “calling ” or strength or plan we were “ment for”? When we feel like we have more to do and give and be but don’t know in what that is exactly?
Thanks again, and always look forward to your insight! And enjoy Nicaragua. Go to Ometepe if you get a chance , it is beautiful!
Hi Heather
Thanks so much for your comment and I am glad you enjoy the blog. Your question about purpose is a great one. This is my personal take on it: I think that our core purpose is experiencing this whole human experience from our unique perspective, which just adds to the expansion of ‘all that is.’ In that sense, we are ‘on purpose’ from the moment we come here. I do think that we are all drawn towards certain interests, passions,etc…and those can be great signposts for making the most out of our experience and finding joy, fulfillment,etc… For example, I get great joy from writing this blog and helping others in their journey. I don’t think this is my sole purpose but something that is a great expression of who I am and what I value,etc…I don’t think we are meant to be doing any one thing, and that we are tasked with figuring it out, and if we don’t we aren’t living up to our potential.
Hey Kelli,
I’ll harp on this too, wonderful post and I always appreciate your honesty and sharing with us the lessons you’ve learned along the way.
I agree about letting our feelings show us the way. I’ve always tried to do that so much more than letting my mind make all the decisions. I’m learning right now to let my feelings take over because they are what will bring into our lives what we definitely desire. It’s the knowing and accepting and not letting our minds tell us otherwise. It’s a difficult thing to do at times but I find it getting easier and easier as the days go by.
Thanks for sharing this with us and I’ll be sure to share it as well.
Enjoy your week in paradise.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne
Thanks for your comment. You are right that it can be challenging and it takes a bit to get more comfortable with doing it. But like you said, they will carve the path for the things we want making their way to us. I am sure your willingness to follow your feelings led to make those changes with your business and I am sure you are seeing you did the right thing.
Hi Kelli,
Thanks for your insightful post.
One thing I’ve always been a little confused by is the difference between feelings and intuition. Are they one and the same or is intuition a derivative of feelings? Or what?
Anyway,
For me, feelings rule. Although I do have an analytical thought based side to my personality, usually I will move forward on my feelings. I guess it’s what some people call ‘going with your gut’.
And yes sometimes we have to make decisions based more on faith than anything else. But if ‘the gut’ says yes we have to have faith to give us the fortitude to take the next step. Faith is vital – without it how can we ever grow and prosper?
Thanks Kelli
Kim
Hi Kim
Thanks for your comment and I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. I kind of think what you said…intuition is a type of feeling that can help guide our decisions,etc…I agree that sometimes faith is the driving force behind a decision and we may not have much to ‘back it up’ logically speaking but we just know on some level it feels right.
Thanks for your insights – I find them always helpful. Gets me to to looking at things from a different perspective.
I love the new site too. Can I offer a suggestion? Could the text be made a bit darker on your posts? It can be a little tough to read depending on the device I am using.
Hey Kimberly
Thanks for your comment. And thanks for letting me know about the text…I myself was thinking that maybe I should change it. I will talk to my site designer.
Hi Kelli,
Great post! I really enjoyed it. I have personally been on this quest to discover my intuition and follow my gut. I agree 100% in the LOA and so I am working every day to try to develop my connection with my ‘big’ self so that I can really access my intuition. I am a Buddhist and I find that meditation is a great way to silence the thoughts that tend to rule over our intuition. However, I am by no means am expert at listening to my intuition and I have a full life with work and a child so I can’t really sit and meditate all day. As I am going through my regular day I have too many thought in my head, I get very clouded and I loose my ability to connect. I find that repeating a mantra like ‘i love you’ helps to break away the thoughts and gets me back to a place of inner calmness. The phrase I love works for many reasons, but I heard about it when I first learned about the Hawaiian method called Ho’oponopono. It changed my life or the way I understood my life. It gave me the tool to take back my life and guide it in a way that felt meaningful and practical. If you have not heard about this method I strongly recommend you read the story behind it. I have no affiliation with the organization of Ho’oponopono. I just think it is such an simple and useful tool I wanted to share it with you and your readers.
On the question of letting our feelings guide us, we should be careful and point out that not ‘all’ feelings are necessarily coming from our intuition. For example, if anger arises in us all of a sudden, chances are you should not act on it. I assume that is not the type of feelings you are talking about in your post, but someone who reads it might not realize that. The complicated part with trusting your feelings is know where they are originating because many times our feeling are a reaction to thoughts that have creeped in and taken control. This can happen very quickly and be confused with a gut feeling, when in fact it is a feed back on our thoughts (or as you say mind). Another tool I use daily is to talk to myself (yes, out loud) and I tell my self to let go of all my baggage of thoughts and concepts that have been with me forever. I believe this helps me find the space in my mind to start to grasp at the flashes of intuitive thoughts that my mind will eventually have to cognize in order to make sense and act on it. I hope this was useful and I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Thanks for this great stuff Natalia…this was very insightful and I’m sure anyone who comes across it will find value in it And no, I’m not talking about the surface level feelings that are a reaction to our mind’s mental chatter and stories…those are not the feelings we want guiding us!