Do you ever look back and wonder what your life would be like if you’d done one thing differently along the way? Is there an opportunity you let slip by, a risk you were afraid to take, a relationship you were too busy to pursue, that still haunts you? What if you’d taken that backpacking trip through Europe after college instead of being practical and accepting the first job offer that came along? Where would you be now if you’d accepted the dinner invitation from that charming stranger you talked to on the airplane all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles? What if you had decided to move to a loft in the city instead of a condo in the suburbs?

You’re faced with dozens of choices each day, and there’s no way of knowing the domino effect that each one will have on your future.  Even tiny decisions can be life changing! It’s like the movie “Sliding Doors” with Gwyneth Paltrow. The movie illustrates – pretty dramatically – how the main characters’ life takes two totally different paths based upon whether she caught her usual commuter train after work or just missed it. It’s a thought-provoking film that will make you re-examine your perceptions about free will, happenstance and destiny!

So, faced with dozens, maybe hundreds of choices each day, how can you be sure you’re making the right ones? There’s a secret to making decisions that will allow you to live your best life – free of regrets and second guessing. Before we talk about how to make the BEST decisions, take a moment to think about how you make decisions today.

Answer yes or no to the following statements:

• When I’m faced with a tough choice, I tend to “play it safe.”
• I never make a major decision until I’ve run it by my friends and family.
• I have lots of regrets about things I’ve done in my past.
• I worry about being perceived as selfish or impulsive.
• I’m afraid that if I deviate from what my friends are doing they will judge me.
• My family has certain established ways of doing things that works for us.
• Once I’ve decided something, I feel like I’m locked in and can’t change my mind.

If you find that more than one or two of these statements applies to you, then guess what? You’re making decisions based on fear. You might fear making a mistake that you can’t correct, or you might worry about disappointing or alienating friends or family.

Either way, when you operate from a place of fear, here’s what you’re NOT doing. You’re not using your intuition – your soul’s voice – as a compass.   

Your intuition is your secret weapon to making the right choices for YOU. When you start listening to it regularly, all of the other noise and static will fade away, and you’ll see the right choice clearly!

Here are some tips to help you get in the habit of making choices based on your own inner knowing:

• Check in with your gut regularly. Pay attention to what your intuition tells you about people you meet, places you go to, stories on the news. Even when you’re not faced with a choice, practice listening to your inner voice, because the more tuned in you are on a day to day basis, the more it will be able to help you when you really need it!
• Don’t default to “fear mode.” Proceeding thoughtfully and with care is a good thing, but don’t let fear be your automatic response. Instead, determine the source of your hesitation. Is your inner knowing signaling you that something is not right, or are your concerns based on how you think others will react?
• Ask for help from your guides, and keep an eye out for signs that they send you. Check in with your guides regularly, and ask them to help navigate through tricky situations. They have the wisdom of the universe at their disposal, and always have your best interest at heart.
• Leave “ white space” in your life. When you’re too busy to think straight, you run the risk of making hasty decisions, and not hearing the vice of your guides and your own intuition. I always say the best way to tap into the deepest, wisest part of your soul-self is by meditating for a few minutes each day.
  
  Intuition is a valuable tool that you can use each day to live your best life. When you learn to listen, it will always take good care of you! Need a little help cultivating and recognizing signs and signals from your soul? I’ve put together an amazing bundle of courses that will help you to turn up the volume on your own inner knowing. You can find out all about it here.