How to make important life decisions

         Most of us make tons of decisions every day.  What clothes should I wear, what should I eat, who should I talk to, and how shall I better my life, to name a few.  We are decision-making machines.  Every decision counts, but not every decision carries equal weight with respect to our lives.  Some decisions matter a great deal, while others are practically meaningless.  

         How do you go about making the decisions that shape your life?  Do you think things through carefully, make a pros and cons list?  Do you act on impulse, choosing quickly and trusting it will all work out?  Whatever your process is, I would like to share some of my own experience to hopefully add value to this crucial aspect of being human.  

         I used to be very mental in my decision making process.  Sometimes I would actually start to feel mental, trying to parse through every possibility to make sure I was selecting the absolute best option.  Today I'm happy to say I'm a recovering perfectionist ;).  It was exhausting feeling the need to analyze every situation to death so I could avoid making a bad decision.

         I didn't know how to trust that life had my back and was helping me out.  I didn't know how to trust my gut feelings.  I had zero faith that things would just work out for the best.  I lived a life in fear, always trying to predict the future so I could protect myself from harm.  This was not a fun life to live.  

         Eventually, the pressure of it all become too much, and something snapped inside of me, and I let go.  I let go of trying to control everything.  I let go of needing to have all of the answers.  I let go of thinking everything to death.  I swung to the other side of the spectrum and lived there for a while.  

         Then I swung back.  I've swung back and forth many times in my life.  Now I aim to occupy more of the middle.  The big decisions, I try to consider carefully, taking my time to think things through.  After a careful analysis, I consult my gut feelings.  I quiet my mind, and let my intuition guide me.  

         I always let my intuition have the final say on all important matters - even if my gut feelings run directly counter to what my mind thinks.  I've learned that the intuitive nudges from my gut always guide me true.  Sometimes it's incredibly hard to trust these subtle sensations.  Sometimes everything in me is screaming to go with my mind and ignore my gut.  

         These moments are my greatest tests.  Do I have the courage to follow my intuition in the face of massive amounts of fear and doubt?  Will I take a leap of faith and jump off the proverbial cliff, trusting that the universe will catch me?  It hasn't dropped me yet.  I invite you to try trusting your gut feelings when making important life decisions.  Let universal intelligence be the air under your wings lifting you to the next beautiful expression of your being.