You are probably wondering what on earth I am talking about.
Last week I had a visit from an old friend and once again, I noticed this very different approach to life.
An energy-pusher is someone who makes plans, based on logical thought and available spaces in their agenda. A holiday may be planned based on the facts- the holiday period, the price, the expected weather for the location in a certain month.
'But that's normal, isn't that what we all do?' I hear you say.
Well no, when making arrangements, an energy-follower would prefer to feel his/her way. When receiving a wedding invitation for next summer, an energy-follower may turn it down, not because of other pre-arranged engagements, but because "it doesn't feel as though it will work out."
This feeling-based approach to life planning is difficult to argue in our logical, fast-paced world. Why would you want to do this?
Last week I had a visit from an old friend and once again, I noticed this very different approach to life.
An energy-pusher is someone who makes plans, based on logical thought and available spaces in their agenda. A holiday may be planned based on the facts- the holiday period, the price, the expected weather for the location in a certain month.
'But that's normal, isn't that what we all do?' I hear you say.
Well no, when making arrangements, an energy-follower would prefer to feel his/her way. When receiving a wedding invitation for next summer, an energy-follower may turn it down, not because of other pre-arranged engagements, but because "it doesn't feel as though it will work out."
This feeling-based approach to life planning is difficult to argue in our logical, fast-paced world. Why would you want to do this?
Well, one reason is that once you have begun this journey, it is very different to turn back. However much you would like to make mental decisions and feel in control, it no longer seems to work that way. When you plan your life according to facts and time, some little voice will insist on telling you if it is a good idea. And it won't be shut up, no matter how much you tell it to go away.
I hear you say, "But surely you need to make plans and you just go ahead anyway!"
Well, no. For one simple reason- it is not effective. For an energy-follower, it is not effective to push their ideas of what should be, because they always lose out. That little voice has a really annoying habit of knowing better.
As you can probably hear, I have some experience with this. Having been an avid energy-pusher for many years, I have had to convert to energy-following. Notice the 'have had to...' It often takes a pretty dramatic intervention to make us listen.
So how does that look in practice?
Well, when my friend suggested making plans for a trip next year, I found myself muttering a lot of uhm's and ah's... This always happens when someone wants to make long term plans with me. To be honest, I don't even find it comfortable to decide in the morning what to eat for dinner, and I can't put my clothes out the night before going somewhere, as my feeling is bound to change.
Why? Because the energy is changing so quickly at this time, that if you really follow the energy, predictions are of little use.
But it isn't possible to live in this life, without ever making plans, is it?
Well, no. But plans can originate differently. They seem to make themselves. If someone phones me wanting to make an appointment, I open my agenda and look at the pages from a place of feeling. Some day, some time will show up for the appointment and I find myself pencilling it in, before I have had time to think about what my mind would have wanted.
Once in a while, no place will show up. At such a time, my pen meets resistence when it wants to fill the space. I have to stop and wonder why. And when I go down deep enough, I will realise that it just doesn't feel right. The right answer to such a request would be 'no thanks', whether it is a new client, a job interview, or an invitation to the concert I always wanted to see.
Difficult? Yes.
Do I ever go against it? Yes.
Thinking about it, there are two situations where I might end up going against my better feeling. Firstly, it may happen in a situation where someone else seemingly has a higher need than me. For example, I need rest but a friend calls with an urgent need for help. In such a case, I may realise that there will be a consequence and still I might decide to do it.
In the second situation, the decision is in some way based on fear; "if I don't do this, then... I might lose a client, I might not get another chance, I might not have enough money to pay my bills etc etc." Reasons that have caused people to do things they didn't want to do, since the first dawn.
Needless to say, the more I trust my knowing, the simpler my life is. The sooner I say 'no' to the wedding invitation, the sooner I tell a friend I can't meet up, the simpler it is. I can give a clear message and it is received and understood, even if not always appreciated.
When I go against my knowing, however, it has several consequences:
- Leading up to the event, I feel uncomfortable, mentally, physically and emotionally, trying to go against the flow,
- Most often something will cause me not to make it to the event- some sort of drama, pain or other situation will force me to cancel it, often at the last minute,
- I may end up having irritations or misunderstandings with those I was going to meet with, mostly because of my own lack of clarity,
- If I manage to push through my appointment, I am totally drained afterwards and sometimes even become physically sick,
- This energy of confusion may escalate- the more often I go against my true feeling, the more I will muddy my ability to feel clearly.
True feeling/knowing is confirmed and strengthened every time I listen. It is weakened every time I choose not to.
So... Reasons enough to start listening to that little voice.
You will notice that I have spent much longer describing energy-followers than energy-pushers. This is not just because I happen to be an energy-follower myself, but because we live in a world of energy-pushing and I think we all know how that works.
We grew up with the knowledge that we could determine what we wanted and life would follow. We believe that if we decide clearly enough what we want and when, we should be supported. We believed in the law of manifestation through willpower and that is what has driven the world until now.
Has the time come for a different approach to life?
Next time you review your action list, you may choose to prioritise it differently. Rather than going for the most essential or urgent action item first, you may try going for the one that attracts you most at that time, the one you can do easily and effortlessly at that moment.
You might try to follow the energy that is, rather than pushing the energy to where you think it should be. Of course you can swim in the cold sea in November if you really want to, but a time will come when it is infinitely more comfortable.
And you might notice that even the most tedious tasks, such as the bookkeeping, can be done comfortably when the energy is right. Trust your feeling and live from a place of knowing, rather than a place of mental willpower. And see what happens.
Are you afraid you might lose control? In my experience, I never had control anyway, no matter how much I believed I did.
I may try to fool myself that being distant from my own truth and knowing, makes me more productive and effective. But experience shows otherwise...
I hear you say, "But surely you need to make plans and you just go ahead anyway!"
Well, no. For one simple reason- it is not effective. For an energy-follower, it is not effective to push their ideas of what should be, because they always lose out. That little voice has a really annoying habit of knowing better.
As you can probably hear, I have some experience with this. Having been an avid energy-pusher for many years, I have had to convert to energy-following. Notice the 'have had to...' It often takes a pretty dramatic intervention to make us listen.
So how does that look in practice?
Well, when my friend suggested making plans for a trip next year, I found myself muttering a lot of uhm's and ah's... This always happens when someone wants to make long term plans with me. To be honest, I don't even find it comfortable to decide in the morning what to eat for dinner, and I can't put my clothes out the night before going somewhere, as my feeling is bound to change.
Why? Because the energy is changing so quickly at this time, that if you really follow the energy, predictions are of little use.
But it isn't possible to live in this life, without ever making plans, is it?
Well, no. But plans can originate differently. They seem to make themselves. If someone phones me wanting to make an appointment, I open my agenda and look at the pages from a place of feeling. Some day, some time will show up for the appointment and I find myself pencilling it in, before I have had time to think about what my mind would have wanted.
Once in a while, no place will show up. At such a time, my pen meets resistence when it wants to fill the space. I have to stop and wonder why. And when I go down deep enough, I will realise that it just doesn't feel right. The right answer to such a request would be 'no thanks', whether it is a new client, a job interview, or an invitation to the concert I always wanted to see.
Difficult? Yes.
Do I ever go against it? Yes.
Thinking about it, there are two situations where I might end up going against my better feeling. Firstly, it may happen in a situation where someone else seemingly has a higher need than me. For example, I need rest but a friend calls with an urgent need for help. In such a case, I may realise that there will be a consequence and still I might decide to do it.
In the second situation, the decision is in some way based on fear; "if I don't do this, then... I might lose a client, I might not get another chance, I might not have enough money to pay my bills etc etc." Reasons that have caused people to do things they didn't want to do, since the first dawn.
Needless to say, the more I trust my knowing, the simpler my life is. The sooner I say 'no' to the wedding invitation, the sooner I tell a friend I can't meet up, the simpler it is. I can give a clear message and it is received and understood, even if not always appreciated.
When I go against my knowing, however, it has several consequences:
- Leading up to the event, I feel uncomfortable, mentally, physically and emotionally, trying to go against the flow,
- Most often something will cause me not to make it to the event- some sort of drama, pain or other situation will force me to cancel it, often at the last minute,
- I may end up having irritations or misunderstandings with those I was going to meet with, mostly because of my own lack of clarity,
- If I manage to push through my appointment, I am totally drained afterwards and sometimes even become physically sick,
- This energy of confusion may escalate- the more often I go against my true feeling, the more I will muddy my ability to feel clearly.
True feeling/knowing is confirmed and strengthened every time I listen. It is weakened every time I choose not to.
So... Reasons enough to start listening to that little voice.
You will notice that I have spent much longer describing energy-followers than energy-pushers. This is not just because I happen to be an energy-follower myself, but because we live in a world of energy-pushing and I think we all know how that works.
We grew up with the knowledge that we could determine what we wanted and life would follow. We believe that if we decide clearly enough what we want and when, we should be supported. We believed in the law of manifestation through willpower and that is what has driven the world until now.
Has the time come for a different approach to life?
Next time you review your action list, you may choose to prioritise it differently. Rather than going for the most essential or urgent action item first, you may try going for the one that attracts you most at that time, the one you can do easily and effortlessly at that moment.
You might try to follow the energy that is, rather than pushing the energy to where you think it should be. Of course you can swim in the cold sea in November if you really want to, but a time will come when it is infinitely more comfortable.
And you might notice that even the most tedious tasks, such as the bookkeeping, can be done comfortably when the energy is right. Trust your feeling and live from a place of knowing, rather than a place of mental willpower. And see what happens.
Are you afraid you might lose control? In my experience, I never had control anyway, no matter how much I believed I did.
I may try to fool myself that being distant from my own truth and knowing, makes me more productive and effective. But experience shows otherwise...
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