Follow Your Bliss

We’ve all seen them, people who follow their bliss.

People who are undoubtably doing what brings them the greatest joy.  They have found a way to weave together every aspect of themself and create their own unique way of expressing and living it in life.

When we meet such a person, their joy for life and for what they do feels contagious.   We simply want to stay in their presence, and we feel overjoyed witnessing them.

Actually, I think we all really want to be one of those people.  I think we all want to know what brings us to life and then without hesitation follow our bliss!…and if you are reading this post, I know you want nothing more than to live your life in alignment with your bliss.

This weekend my husband and I went out with a group of friends to a new restaurant
called Skaliwag’s (for those of you in Northeast Wisconsin…it’s in Algoma…check it out) where we met such a person.  The tag line for this very one of a kind dining experience is “food that’s 5 star in a crazy little dive bar.”

It is just that…great food in a dive bar that maybe seats 30 people…everyones laughing & sharing, the chef makes a point to meet and greet every diner and you can order off the menu or have him create something special just for you.

Yes, this is a person following his bliss…he knows who he is and is living his life in a way that reflects his every facet.

Here are 4 steps to begin living your bliss today:

1.  Stop Searching Outside…Explore Within:  Your bliss is not something that evades you.  So often we feel it’s something external we need to find, but really it’s something that lives at our very core…it may be masked by all of the other beliefs we have about what is expected of us, or how we should live our lives.

2.  Start Listening:  Each of those expectations and should’s are really important to listen to and acknowledge.  They need a voice, and that voice needs to be heard with compassion.  When we listen, we acknowledge where they came from and we can finally begin to move beyond them…stepping into freedom!

3.  Nurture what You Love:  As you sift through all of your ‘should’s’ and expectations you begin to find underneath them is your own voice whispering what it most longs for.  Begin writing everything it tells you…it may be a list, it may be a free flow of thoughts…give it space to express, listen, and nurture it.

4.  Celebrate the Little Pieces:  Don’t hold out for one big picture.  When you nurture what you love it begins to unfold and guide you in creative ways.  Too often we believe our bliss will reveal itself to us in a big neon sign (I know because I’ve waited for the sign).  But the reality is that when we nurture and love everything that inspires us we suddenly find that who we are and what we love to do was always with us.

Wishing you a week of following your Bliss,

Shine Brightly,  Lori