“Let your heart be your compass, your mind your map, your soul your guide… and you will never get lost.” ~ Ritu Ghatourey

It’s said that if you listen with your heart, you’ll hear a message in every experience. I pondered that the other day while waiting for my mechanic to figure out why my car’s check engine light came on. Luckily, it turned out to be no big deal, but I couldn’t help wondering what the message might be.

I’ve been feeling pressure about completing my book by a certain deadline. As a result, the fun went out of my writing. The whole idea of writing a book did a one-eighty from being exciting to feeling like a “chore”.

I decided that the message was to check my own “inner engine” and figure out what was causing me to feel pressured.  I realized I had fallen into the trap of meeting what I perceived to be the expectations of others who are holding me accountable for finishing the book by a certain deadline.

“Perceived” is the key word. They really don’t have any “expectations” other than wanting me to succeed at a goal I set for myself. They are holding me to account for that. But I found myself trying to meet those “perceived” expectations rather than focusing on my goal to write the book and why it matters to me.

Soon after this realization, I came across a You Tube interview with Marianne Williamson who was discussing one of her books. When asked about her book’s goal, she said her responsibility was to “create something beautiful for God”, not to worry about achieving a particular outcome.

When I heard that I felt my heart expand. I felt the “pressure” melt away. I realized I had stopped listening with my heart about my purpose for writing my book. I had succumbed to the pressure of “getting it done” and forgotten that my job is to be of service by creating something beautiful to the best of my ability.

Leo Buscaglia says it so eloquently in this quote:

“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”

What Does This Have To Do with Designing Your “Sexy Second Act”?

It’s all too easy to allow yourself to be lulled away from creating a life and career you love because of perceived “expectations”, opinions and judgments of people who mean well. No matter how much they love you they don’t know your heart as well as you know it.

Listen with your heart and allow it to speak its truth. If your heart knows it’s time for a change or time to take on a challenge, embrace it.

Don’t let yourself off the hook with excuses for why you can’t do what you love. Focus on what you CAN do to make it happen.  Give yourself permission to be held accountable, but don’t allow that to overwhelm your own inner truth and sense of timing. Keep moving forward one action at a time, trusting that you are not lost and everything will work out as it’s meant to.

When you are designing and building your yummy Sexy Second Act, isn’t it delicious to think you are part of a Grander Design that is meant to make the whole world beautiful?

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What are your best talents and how are you using them to create something beautiful for God? Share in the comments. If you aren’t sure and you’d like to find out how to use your gifts joyfully, contact us to schedule your “get acquainted” coaching session.