Yesterday I wrote about how you learn to lie to yourself about how you feel when you are in a corporate job. If you are stuck in this rut, here is a great exercise I learned in a workshop with my heroine Martha Beck that helps you identify your "body compass" which will help you connect to your essential self. Details are described in her excellent book Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live.
- Close your eyes and deeply relax. Vividly recall an exceptionally painful or unhappy experience. Notice how this memory is making you feel, not emotionally, but physically. What bodily sensations or symptoms are connected to the negative event?
- Name this sensation with a word or phrase.
- Assign a score to this negative feeling from 1-10, with the worst possible score being a 10.
- Repeat this process, thinking this time about the very best time of your life. Notice your body symptoms, name the sensation, and assign a score.
Once you have this valuable information about your "body compass," you can use it to understand how you are really feeling about a situation. When you think about a particular decision, what do you feel in your body? Is it your "best" or "worst" feeling? What is the score? Martha says "your body never lies" and I wholeheartedly agree!
The more connected you become to your essential self, the more energy, focus and motivation you will have to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams.
Go ahead, FEEL IT!
(And the amazing picture of the North Star is by Wally Pacholka)