What Does Your Soul Say?

Listen to your soul…

I think I first heard this sentence back in childhood, when I didn't really understand much of anything yet.

Things were simpler and rosier back then — all I had to do was be, play, and grow… oh, and get good grades. A must. Otherwise I'd end up herding my grandmother's goats.

That wasn't exactly fitting for a lady like me 🙂

So I studied and grew up, and I did play too, later than most, according to the grown-ups.

All I knew was that I had to grow up and become somebody — except that desire wasn't coming from my own soul, it was just a projection from the adults around me.

My soul just wanted to keep playing, endlessly.

For it, there isn't just one season of life when that's allowed.

Setting play aside, in order to belong to the world of grown-ups, I started behaving like them and wanting what they wanted, believing those desires were my own — even as, with every achievement I racked up in the adult world, I grew harsher and more closed off, chasing the next achievement, the next success.

I kept hearing "listen to your soul."

Okay, fine, but what does that actually mean? We were never taught that in school — isn't it just a saying?

But what is the soul, really?

Can I see it?

Can I feel it?

Looking back now at the time when I was asking myself these questions, I realize no one ever teaches us how to listen to our soul, our intuition. And more often than not, we end up doing things we don't actually want, that bring us no fulfillment at all.

That energy, that feeling — call it whatever you like — that you feel with your whole being pulling you in a certain direction, guiding you down unknown paths.

You step forward hesitantly, yet somehow pushed from behind. You can't let go of the idea, you can't go back to being the same person — the pain would be greater if you didn't do it.

How do I know if I'm listening to my soul right now?

I look at how I feel each day:

Do I feel good in my own skin?

Would I change anything about my life right now?

Do I like the environment I'm in?

Do I wake up with an appetite for life every day?

Do I have energy and enthusiasm?

Was all the effort worth it, to get to where I am today?

If the answer to the questions above is yes, it means I'm in tune with my soul.

I don't have the same answer to these questions every single day, and I shouldn't.

When the answer is no, and it hurts, it means I'm being offered the chance to explore, to dig deeper into the mysteries of my mind and soul, to discover something more about myself and the world.

What a wonderful journey!

When was the last time you sat in silence to hear what your soul, your intuition, your life is telling you?

What did it say?

Looking back now, was it worth doing what you felt?