No cats where hurt during the making of this blog post. I think.

I like to make things really complex.

There's something about being strategic that gets me excited. Whether that's coming up with some amazing multi-part campaign, incredibly nuanced business model or finding the right pair of silver sandals for my sister's wedding, the likelihood of me creating something cut and dry or making the first choice and going with it is minimal. Until now, that mindset, the one of ease and grace, was something I said often and rarely lived.

I've made that phrase, "ease and grace," a mantra. It's something I constantly suggest others consider. "How can we create the most impact with the least amount of effort? How can you leverage what's already been created and the resources already available so you can ride someone else's coattails and let them do the work?" These are things I force my clients to apply in all areas of their growth. Yes, I do like to think in shortcuts.

And yet, the default mindset when it comes to me making my biggest impact if I really get truthful is, "Wow, this is going to be hard. This is going to be difficult. How can I make this happen? How can I play out all ten steps now so that I'm in a place to win?"

That thinking is often more problematic than powerful because it:

Makes me feel not good enough unless I can use my overactive brain trying to achieve some Herculean effort
Puts all of the power outside of me because I'm scanning every possible factor to decide where to go next
It keeps me anxious, always working out the incompletes. Well, if we do that, then what. If that doesn't happen, what then?
It requires that I look at all the data points of what's taken place in the past to predict what will happen in the future

What I'm finally realizing is that the power move is just feeling into what feels good and moving towards that.

I know. Simple.

It also requires Trust.

Trust that by me just choosing that which feels good in my body, that which lights me up and that which gets me inspired and jazzed to take the next move is enough. Trust was my word for at least 3 of the last 10 years probably because I was still waiting to Trust that I could indeed Trust.

Trust means living in the present moment, in this moment and this moment and this moment, and feeling into what's true for me right now. Trust means letting go of needing to know and needing to do.

These dogs were definitely not hurt in the making of this blog post. Also, the author's use of these images in no way means that she has a judgment about the worthiness of cats or dogs or their life choices.

Trust gives me direct access to gratitude. When I get present to what's around me that I like, that I love, that I'm thankful for, I can see what I want more clearly. That allows me to path-make towards the experience I want.

When I feel anxious, fearful, doubtful, sad, mad, mistrustful, and stressed and when the "Holy shit, this is actually going to be really complex" feeling takes hold, I know I'm moving in the wrong direction.

Is it really that simple? Is it possible that just getting in tune with what feels good and what doesn't is enough to direct us towards the life we want? Is that impractical? Is it that naïve and juvenile? Am I destined to experience the slings and arrows of the outrageous fortune that those who blindly take their direction from faith receive?

Fuck Yeah!

When people ask, "What's your 5-year plan" I might see pieces of it. Do I know all of it? Not really. And, because I'm a lifelong learner and enjoy the constant pursuit of distractions, it might be entirely different than what I'm visioning today. Yet, what I do know, is that if I keep moving choice by choice in the direction of the energy that feels good, the unfolding of it will always be in the direction of my ultimate joy.

Like the sailor who navigates the open seas, moving from point A to B, I'm tacking. I'm constantly making micro-movements towards what lights me up most, knowing that when I get to that Point B, it will just be a continuation of all the many Point B moments that came before. And, if all those Point Bs are the cumulative result of my choice to live my most joyful and impactful life, then I'm very willing to give up my need to plan and plot.

I am willing to Trust that Simple is Good and Ease and Grace is Easy.

I'm trusting that my gut knows the way and that all I have to do is listen for the feelings and follow the fun.