Fuck yeah, Dr. Seuss*
Keep searching for those “fuck yeahs" in life. Lately, I have been craving more depth and been searching for more aliveness, vibrancy, and magic. I have been feeling like something is missing. I’d fallen into the habitual motions of life, just doing what I think I “should” or am “obligated” to do. However, recently, this little birdie's voice began to pop up for me, with a little more clarity each time.
After running around Magnuson Park the other day, I found myself playing with some rocks on the bank of Lake Washington. I started stacking them and creating some small towers while immersed in the sounds of the small waves lapping the shore. Seemingly a few minutes later, I came to realize that I was really present for the first time in a while. No thoughts about anything, no worries, just freedom in the present moment.
It was at that moment that this little birdie reminded me, “I am choosing this experience.” Waves of inspiration and empowerment flowed through me as I fell back into the memory of my freedom and opportunity. I think Dr. Suess says it best: "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” Like many of us, too often we forget to appreciate the fact that we are not living in a war zone or trying to meet our basic needs, which means we have SO MUCH CHOICE in what life we create for ourselves.
Intellectually, I know you agree. You may even be saying, "Yeah, duh." We all “know” this, but I, for one, lose sight of it more often than I’d like to admit. Some of you may not struggle with choosing you or honoring your desires much at all. If that’s your experience, you inspire me! Throughout my life, historically, that hasn't been me. I still struggle with following my feelings and embracing my path a lot of the time, even with all the personal development, self-love, and self-work I have been dedicated to. That’s why I found myself on the bank of Lake Washington, feeling like a robot on autopilot.
See, I was out of alignment. I was following the “shoulds” more often than the internal “fuck yeahs." The vibrancy and magic I seek in life don’t arrive in abundance when I steer my path through plans that don’t light me up. I truly believe we all have a soul, and a unique one at that. Each of our souls has specific tastes and desires. Some people love death metal, and some people love opera. Some love sweet, some love savory. I credit these desires to our one-of-a-kind soul blueprints. Our souls know what they love, and our feelings communicate to us when we have targeted something that lights us up!
The more your schedule is filled up with plans that produce a “fuck yeah” feeling, the more vibrant your life becomes. That doesn’t mean you don’t have obligations and necessary chores, but what I am talking about are the commitments we make that don’t excite us. We make them because we’d rather just “do something” than be still or bored. (To be clear, I am not advocating for chasing temporary highs either.)
The thing is, the more your schedule is filled with your suboptimal plans, the more robotic and dull life becomes. We fall further and further out of alignment with your soul's desires each time we just submit to life’s "shoulds." Sometimes you gotta leave some space in your weeks to see what pops up; you never know what exciting opportunity will arrive when you let it. Thankfully, getting back in touch with our own soul is quite simple and the most rewarding thing ever. Discovering more about our soul is a lifelong pursuit, but it’s best done when you are in alignment with it!
A great exercise I do with people to bring them back into touch with themselves is called Clearing the Clutter. You can do it for yourself so easily! Just look at your schedule or calendar. I challenge you to cancel at least one plan that doesn’t light you up. If it doesn’t make you have that fuck yeah feeling, practice letting go. Clear the clutter in your schedule and choose something you are excited about doing, trying, or whatever! This exercise is much deeper than it appears. This directly challenges how much you feel comfortable honoring both your “yes” and your "no.”. This targets your relationship with your feelings and your self-worth. Do you trust your feelings? You deserve to be excited about life; you are the only one who gets to steer you in the direction you choose.
Fuck yeah!
* While I appreciate the timeless wisdom in Dr. Seuss's work, it's important to acknowledge that some of his illustrations contain elements that are racially insensitive. I encourage readers to approach his creations with a critical perspective, recognizing both the valuable insights and the faults.
