This is Optimal Living Daily Episode 1294, Six Things Your Soul Needs To Hear by Jennifer of SimplyFearsley.com and I'm Justin Molick. Happy Thursday and welcome back to Optimal Living Daily or the OLD podcast where I read to you from some of the best blogs I can find and get permission from. And a quick heads up or just a few days away from the first of the month, which means it's time for another book giveaway to someone random on my weekly newsletter email list. If you're not on there now's a good time to join just come by oldpodcast.com.
For now let's get right to it and start optimizing your life. Six Things Your Soul Needs To Hear by Jennifer of SimplyFearsley.com. Quote, dreams are whispers from your soul, unknown. It's early evening.
I'm sitting on my bedroom floor with the windows open, listening to the faint sound of waves in the distance. I inhale the crisp autumn air and I can smell the change in season and with it the scent of possibility. In my heart, something is pulling. Deep inside, I know the life I'm living is miles away from the life that's meant for me.
I started daydream about what that life might look like, but first I look around to my right in my overflowing closet spilling onto the floor next to me and expansive tangle handbags and ridiculously high heels. In front of me, my alarm clock reminding me that it's late and tomorrow is another early morning. And then out of the corner of my eye, the mirror, I turn to fully face myself. I look into my eyes and see a career that leaves me feeling empty, a marriage that doesn't feel right, a mountain of debt that's slowly drowning me.
I exhale and feel the weight of expectations, fear, and self-doubt settle on my shoulders. I turn off the light and get into bed, my heart heavy. When I sat down and write this post today, this is the woman I thought of, a younger me, alone in my room, trapped by my own fears. I know she's not alone.
I know there are other women out there with their souls slowly suffocating, holding back from truly living life because they're afraid of failure and afraid of judgment. If you're one of these women, if like me you've felt that pulling in your heart and the weight on your shoulders, then I wrote this for you. These are lessons that I know at some point my soul needed or still needs to hear. I hope it speaks to your soul as well and helps you find your path forward.
Six things your soul needs to hear, words of encouragement for difficult times. One, it's okay not to want what everyone else wants. Give yourself permission to chase your dreams, not everyone else's. I know it's scary.
Other people will doubt you. They'll tell you one day you'll regret this. You'll start to doubt yourself. But trust me, when there's a pulling in your heart, it doesn't go away and ignoring it will only cause you pain in the long run.
I've walked away from careers, a marriage, a home, and most things I spent my life accumulating. And to be honest, I'm not even 100% sure what dream I'm chasing. But I know it feels right and I know I'll never regret being true to myself. Two, it's okay to change your mind about what you want.
I know we just established that it's tough to be true to yourself and chase your dreams, so I understand that it's even tougher to change your mind. But remember this, trying new things means that you're brave enough to take chances and changing your mind means you're wise enough to learn from your experiment. Don't be scared or embarrassed to change course if you notice something isn't working for you. Three, you are not defined by what you own or by how you earn your living.
You are defined by how you make people feel, by how you treat small animals, by what makes you laugh, and by what makes you cry. You are not defined by the shoes in your closet, the car in your garage, or the number on your paycheck. What you do is what you're passionate about. It might be your career, but it doesn't have to be.
Don't be limited by the labels other people give you. Four, anger and fear are normal emotions. For a long time, I hated myself for feeling angry or afraid. I thought I was a sign of weakness, and I was ashamed of myself for being vulnerable.
But time has taught me that these strong emotions are not something to hide. Instead, research shows that they are actually a key to our well-being. Anger can help us understand our priorities. After all, we often feel angry when our values have been violated or help us to better understand our needs.
And I've learned that embracing fear can lead to great adventure. Expressing your emotions is a sign of humanity and authenticity, and there's never any shame in being yourself. Instead of suppressing emotions, try to listen and learn from them. Five, something doesn't have to last forever to be successful or valuable.
One thing I've heard time and time again and also thought myself when discussing changing careers or ending relationships is, there goes x-years of my life, wasted. It's a haunting thought. But please, let's consider a different way of thinking. After all, what is success?
What makes something valuable? Were there beautiful mornings? Was there laughter? Did you learn something about yourself?
Do you have memories? The season of our lives will change, and they're all beautiful in their own way. Six, your happiness is a valid reason for wanting or doing something. Finally, you don't know anyone explanation for following your heart and doing what brings you joy.
But if you do feel obligated to respond, your happiness is reason enough. You don't need to explain yourself any further. You are important, your feelings are important, and your dreams are important. Remember that.
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Thank you for being here and listening to me and for subscribing. I'll be back tomorrow in the Friday show, where you're optimal life. Oh, wait.