Struggling with a Big Decision? The Answer is in Your Body

Adulthood, motherhood, business ownership… they’re all filled with Big. Scary. Decisions.

Right?

They’re the mark of a whole-hearted life.

When you’re chasing your dreams and living the life you were made to live, you can bet that you’ll face big decisions that could change the course of your life for years to come.

In the past ten years, I’ve bought a business, had three children, written four tell-all courses, fought for my husband’s life, my marriage, and even published a bestselling memoir about all of it.

Along that journey, I’ve had to make more scary decisions than I could count, and yet, they seem to just get easier and easier.

Why?

I’ve perfected a simple process for decision making that gives me peace and shows me the way forward almost every time.

Here’s my secret.

I listen to my gut.

Now, I know this is easier for some than it is for others. But I believe that each of us can access our own intuitive selves by listening to our bodies.

So the next time you need to make a big decision, try this out:

1. Find a quiet spot.

   Whether it’s in the shower before work or a few minutes in bed after the kids are down, get to a place where you can have a few minutes of interrupted quiet.

2. Define your options.

   Instead of having a situation that just feels like a big question mark, define what your actual options are.

   If you’re trying to decide what to do about a job you hate, list your actual options. You could stay at your job. You could leave your job. You could start a side hustle and leave your job one you’re making x amount a month at your side hustle.

   You don’t have to get super specific, but try to brainstorm what your actual options are.

3. Take three deep breaths.

   Clear your mind and get ready to listen to your body.

4. Imagine yourself saying “yes” to one of your options.

   Pretend you’ve chosen one option. You’ve decided to leave your job. We’re acting as if you’re no longer debating, you’ve decided.

5. Evaluate your body’s response.

   How does your body respond to that option? Do you feel free? Expansive? Powerful? Calm? Is that twisting in your belly finally gone?

   Or do you feel clammy? Confused? Sweaty? Small? Unsure?

6. Repeat with the other options, if necessary.

Our minds are incredible, processing information and seeing paths that we might not even consciously recognize. But our bodies know.

You can trust yourself.

I’m giving you permission to listen to your body. You don’t have to have every little thing figured out. You can say “yes” to a new path even if you can’t see the end of the road. Nothing is ever a sure thing.

By the time Fall of 2019 rolled around, I’d had “write a book” on my mood board for a few years. But for some reason, I knew in my gut that it wasn’t time to move forward.

Until I got a call from my PR rep. She asked if I had a book ready, not knowing I’d been sitting on a story for three years.

In that moment, every cell in my body told me it was time to write my book.

I didn’t know how to write a book, how to publish a book, how to market a book, nothing! But I listened to my gut and moved forward, trusting that I’d figure it out.

And I did.

And Sleeping with a Stranger released May 2020 and has been climbing bestseller charts and changing lives since.

My best advice for those big, scary decisions? Bet on yourself; listen to your body.

You’ve got this.