Hammer Pants: The Decisions That Could Change Your Life
How do you know what’s right - or wrong - for you?
How do you react when faced with a decision?
Doubt?
Do you hear the voice of a parent or friend in your head?
Excitement?
A knot in your stomach?
Avoidance? Hey, if you never make a decision you can’t make the wrong one, right?
These can be small decisions like, “What’s for dinner?, or “Should I really buy those hammer pants…in 2014?” Note: I was literally faced with this dilemma at a retail store last week. After much deliberation and friendly coercive attempts from outside sources I decided, “No. No, I do not want hammer pants in 2014.” I firmly stand by this decision. Hammer it up people. Even though Hammer pants are not my Truth, I support yours.Small decisions - and hammer pants - are not seemingly life altering. But, how do these inform the bigger decisions? What’s at stake when we have to decide: Should I move?What’s the next step in my life?Do I marry this person? Do I leave this person?Do I have or don’t have children?Do I drop out of law school in my second year…to be a yoga teacher and a park ranger? (Yes, in addition to Hammer pants, I’ve made this awkward decision, too.)What’s next?What am I doing with my life? These types of decisions can seem huge, unapproachable, and overwhelming, because it seems like SO MUCH is at stake. One defective move and you’re ruined. RUINED. Game over. Or so your mind says.So, what do you do? How do you know what’s rights for you and how do you make those decisions?There is no magic, one-size-fits-all answer. Believe me, when faced with any type of decision, you name it, I’ve probably tried it in an attempt to get the “right” answer. I’ve done nothing. I’ve followed the advice of friends, psychics, therapists, dog-walkers, clergy members, the tree stump in my front yard. I’ve done cleanses, clearings, quests, retreats, program after program. All of these gems have given me mad skills, tools and insights, but no one person, experience or thing could give me THE. RIGHT. ANSWER. for any one decision I was making.I had to make those decisions on my own, which gave me feedback (good or not-so-good) that informed the next decision and all the decisions after that. Through practices like yoga, meditation, writing, prayer, time in nature I developed a deeper awareness of my Truth, Source, Center (insert whatever word works for you.) I began noticing how it felt in my physical, mental, emotional and spirit bodies when I was making heartfelt and aligned decisions. I noted those outcomes and let that information educate my next decision.Today, 9.9 times out of ten, I trust my decisions and I trust myself. Solidly and confidently. Even if it flies in the face of my best friend’s opinions, social norms, or the nice saleswoman who believes, with her whole being, in the current fashion trends.What I know is that each and every one of you has a Truth and ways of hearing that Truth. When you don’t listen to it you feel out-of-sorts, anxious, in a funk…like you're living in someone else’s skin. It doesn’t quite fit.I can confidently say you are not on this planet to live someone else’s life. One, it devalues the meaning of your life and, two, it’s creepy. Your Truth, your Spirit, your contribution; your very presence on this planet… is VALUABLE.So, start with the little things. When faced with a decision:
Close your eyes.
Take a breath.
Ask yourself, "Is this what I REALLY want?" Feel it in your physical body; your gut, your heart.
If you honestly don’t know in the moment – Try. Something.
You aren’t right or wrong. It’s just feedback. If you can’t make a decision about your hair color, your pants, or what to eat for dinner, the bigger decisions are really going to throw you for a loop. Besides, nobody dies or loses their house because they wear hammer pants (that, may or may not, make them look and feel ridiculous). It’s all just feedback. Trust yourself. By honoring yourselves in the small decisions you honor your Truth, the Truth in others, and you pave the way for making deeper, more meaningful, and confident decisions in your future. No matter how seemingly big or small. They all matter.In the comments below, I would love to hear how you know you are making the right…or wrong… decision.