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Writer's pictureReuben Berger

Feelings ~ our compass in life

Updated: Nov 21

When I was leading wilderness canoe trips, on bigger lakes, we'd use our map and compass to make sure that we were heading in the right direction. We trusted that the compass was pointing us in the right direction.


Just like the compass pointed us in the right direction on canoe trips, we all have an 'internal compass' ~ our intuitio/feelings ~ that guide us in many of the important decisions that we make in life ~ the kind of work that is most in alignment with who we are, what a healthy relationship feels like, our hobbies we feel drawn to, how we like to spend our spare time.


In the societies that we have created in this modern era, it's as though so many have lost touch with where their internal compass is trying to guide them.

It seems that many lose touch with that inner guidance at an early age. In Kindergarten we were allowed, for the most part, to choose where we wanted to spend our time ~ perhaps some time in the sand box, then over to the blocks, maybe a bit of time in the kitchen area.


And then we step into grade one where we mostly sit in rows and are reprimanded if we talk with the person across the aisle from us who we may have enjoyed playing with the year before. In that situation, we may likely feel frustrated and bored as we no longer can choose what we naturally feel drawn to. For many, this continues for the next 12 years of their school lives and by the time many graduate from high school it seems that perhaps only a handful have an idea of what they really want to do in life ~ all those years of sitting in often boring classrooms makes it more challenging to connect with our 'inner guidance system'. The lucky ones grow up in homes where they are encouraged and supported to follow their natural inclinations.


On top of the challenges the traditional school system has on healthy childhood development, many experience traumas either at school or at home or at both places. Traumas are another experience of life that disconnects a person from their internal guidance system as many end up coping with the effects of the trauma instead of truly following their passions.


In fact, a study commissioned by NASA discovered that 98% of preschoolers are creative geniuses and by the time they reach grade twelve, less than 20% graduate as creative geniuses ~ all that talent buried beneath a sea of repressed emotions. If one started out their school journey running, many graduate with a limp metaphorically; it's no wonder that so many appear to be limping through most of the days of their lives.


It's like we get used to being in environments that we don't actually enjoy being in ~ we learn to cope as best we can. We learn to suppress our feelings and 'go with the flow'...school, University, a job to pay off debts.


When and where does one go to get in touch with how they are really feeling?


I asked a friend once what she would do if she won a million dollars; I loved her answer. She said that she'd quit her job and then go to a nice beach for a while. I felt as though she said so much with so few words. It was like she was aware that she wasn't even sure what she would do ~ it's hard to know what we truly want to do when locked into some kind of lifestyle where it makes it practically impossible to follow that compass within. She intuitively sensed that after leaving her job and going to the beach, she'd have more time to truly explore her inner compass.


When we spend so much time doing work that we are not truly aligned with, it makes it harder to explore and know what you really want to be doing with your precious days. I have a sense that many people would need to spend six months to a year on a beach in order to truly get in touch with where their heart may have been trying to guide them for a long time.


One of the most powerful healing modalities that I have discovered occurred this past year when I had the great fortune of going to see a social worker for one hour every two weeks. In many ways she was the best therapist I had ever encountered ~ she, more than anyone, helped guide me back to my deepest feelings and after a year I have been feeling much more clarity on just about every aspect of my life.


Getting in touch with our deepest feelings/intuition can be super challenging but it truly is worth every ounce of effort. It seems as though each of us has a perfect inner guidance system when it is working 'properly'.


Only when all those stale/trapped feelings are washed away can our compass of the heart guide us to that life that brings the greatest joy and fulfillment to ourselves and others.


May you find your way to truly follow the compass of your heart.


After seeing the remarkable results from my sessions with this remarkable social worker, I felt very drawn to doing similar work; instead of calling myself a social worker, I have used the term Life Guide. And so, I went from guiding people on wilderness journeys to guiding people on the journey of life.


I would be more than honoured to help you in any way that I can.


You can find out more about what I do, here...



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