Although it is often distressing to feel confused about what next step to take on your spiritual growth path, the mental state of confusion is actually a higher state of consciousness than being certain of your beliefs and spiritual principles.
Feeling confused or “lost” is actually a signal that you are about to be given the opportunity to take a big leap forward in your spiritual growth. That is, you are being given the opportunity to become even more of your Authentic Self, living your life On Purpose, while experiencing more Joy and less struggle in your life.
Confusion is a red light that is telling you to STOP! LOOK! and LISTEN! It is telling you that you are reaching a crossroad, a place where a vital decision will be made. The decision you make at this crossroad will either move you forward or set you back, or as is the case with a railroad crossing where one does not heed the signals, you will get run over!
The gift of confusion is that it creates an opening for you to look at things in a new way. This confusion can be a catalyst to wake up to knowing more of who you are at a spiritual level.
(As an aside, it is good to remember that not making a decision, is the same as making a decision to stay with the status quo. The problem with that tactic is if you are not making a decision about what you want and taking action to claim it, the Universe will give you leftovers . . . cold leftovers . . . ugh!)
Here are 5 tips to move through confusion:
1. Acknowledge that the confusion is a good thing. It is a gift that is moving you closer to being your Authentic Self where you can experience more joy and less struggle in your life.
2. Make some quiet time to contemplate and formulate a rich and juicy high quality question that will lead you out of confusion and into greater understanding of who you are and what your purpose is. (“Why me?” is not a rich and juicy question.)
3. Carefully crafted high-quality questions produce enormously useful high-quality answers.
4. Rich and juicy high quality questions contain the following elements:
– They are focused on the solution, or desired outcome, not the problem. For example: “What actions can I take to bring peace and harmony to this situation?”
(An example of a not-so-high-quality/problem-oriented version would be: “Whose fault is this and what is the best punishment for that person?”)
– Rich and juicy high quality questions almost always start with “what” or “how” and are crafted around creating a desired outcome, as opposed to “why” questions, that are usually focused on examining what went wrong and trying to prevent it from happening again. (This sometimes falls into the category of locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen, or crying over spilled milk, if I may use a few well known clichés.)
– They are created with certainty that you will receive the answer, usually in the most delightful, and magical ways.
NOTE: Answers come from all kinds of sources: billboards, a song on the radio, an off-hand remark from a friend, dreams, personal insight/light bulb moments, and so on.
5. You must have distraction-free quiet space in your life to recognize the answers when they come. Create quiet space by driving in silence once in a while instead of turning on the car radio. Occasionally find a quiet, secluded place for lunch instead of meeting friends in the company cafeteria. Take time for a soaking bath instead of a quick shower. You get the idea.
If you set your intention to create quiet space to hear answers, the Universe will provide you with practical options.
The best thing about confusion is its ability to move you forward. The danger is in getting stuck in it by not seeing it for the opportunity that it is for spiritual growth. Not opening your mind to seeing things in a new way will keep you going in circles until you get a bigger wake up call to get your attention.
The bigger the wake up call, the bigger the “ouch” it contains. It is so much less painful to pay attention early on!
Take this 5 tips to heart and put them into action. I guarantee your fog of confusion will lift and you will be on your way to living your life On Purpose, with more Joy and less struggle.