Whether you’re young or old, work or don’t, ever felt fire in your belly or always felt like you missed the calling boat like I once felt, last week I assured you: You are called. Your calling may be trying to reach you through various forms of communications. One path to finding your purpose is your very own body.

When you feel like your body has betrayed you

When I encountered chronic illness at age 41, I felt baffled, then betrayed.

My body had always been strong and capable. I was accustomed to hiking and trailblazing in the wilderness. I was used to conquering huge projects at work.

So when my body came to a full stop and said, “No more” – for years – I was angry and frustrated, not to mention terrified.

And yet … I began to learn (slowly) that the way through this suffering was to embrace my body and listen to it, rather than to constantly fight against it.

This was a hard-earned lesson and one that didn’t come easily – but once I learned it I’ve continued to reap the benefits.

Martha’s words of wisdom

When I was training to be a Martha Beck coach, I had the opportunity to be coached onstage by Martha. At the time I was so sick that I could barely function; I could barely walk to the stage.

Martha asked me, “Are there any moments in your day when your symptoms abate – even for a few seconds or minutes?”

I realized that there were. When I talked to a friend, I might feel better for a few minutes. When I laughed, I felt a little better.

Martha told me, “The prescription is simple, darling. Do more of what makes you feel good. Try some things and see what gives you a moment’s respite. Keep experimenting, listening all the while to your body’s symptoms and relief, and let them guide you.”

I took Martha’s prescription.

I began to notice what made me feel physically worse. I was dismayed to find that one of these things was writing resumes, which at the time was my main source of income. But, determined to feel better, I hired two writers and trained them to write Rainmaker style. I was amazed to find that listening to my body (instead of always, always powering through my discomfort) generated amazing results: I felt better, we were able to serve more people, and the writers I hired created stunning resumes and amazing results for our clients.

Then I began to notice what made me feel physically better. Coloring for five minutes in bed before starting the work day. Studying the mind-body connection more deeply. Taking lots of breaks.

Following these breadcrumbs, one at time, eventually helped me to heal beyond anything my doctors had allowed me to hope was possible.

How can you follow your body’s guidance?

It turned out that for me, physical healing and finding my true calling were part of the same path – and it’s a path that my own body led me down.

The body is always offering guidance – not just about how to physically heal. The body offers guidance about decisions we have to make, situations that feel safe or unsafe, when we need rest or play, and more.

Try asking your body a couple of questions:

1. Identify a painful memory. How does it make you feel, physically?

What is your body telling you? Notice if your body is tense somewhere, or if you feel a churning, tightening or sickening sensation.

Assign the sensation in your body a number from 0 (being neutral) to -10 (being very physically uncomfortable). This is not your true north. This is your body saying, don’t go there!

2. Identify a favorite memory. How does your body react to it?

First, shake off the sensations from your painful memory. Watch a funny video, go for a walk – do something to actively discharge that discomfort.

Once you get back to neutral, call to mind your favorite memory. It could be the first moment your child was placed in your arms. It could be skiing through powder on a cloudless day.

Bring to mind every detail of that moment. How does your body feel? How does your skin feel, your jaw, your neck, your heart?

Assign this sensation a number from 0 (neutral) to +10 (as positive as you can imagine feeling).

3. How does your body respond to various foods, actions, or thoughts? 

“Taste” your way through the week, checking your physical responses throughout each day. As you go about your day, assign your sensations a number, anywhere from -10 (extremely unpleasant) to +10 (as positive as you can imagine feeling).

Tight, uncomfortable sensations – those negative numbers – are telling you something’s not right for you about this moment. It might be the food or action, an item on your to-do list or that it’s too long to complete. Pay special attention to your thoughts. Sometimes your body is telling you your thinking isn’t true for you. Try out some different thoughts about the situation to see if they fit better.

Positive physical sensations are calling you toward your truth. The sensation of a +10 is your true north – your calling – your purpose.

Don’t do anything drastic

Almost all of my clients are afraid to tune in to their inner guidance because they’re afraid they’ll “hear” that they have to quit their job, leave their husband or live on a hippie commune.

Your true inner guidance will never ask you to move faster than you’re ready to move. It’ll never ask you to make a drastic decision that feels horrible. (The whole point of tuning in to inner guidance is to move, slowly and gently, toward what feels better.)

Start small. Begin checking in with your body when you make small decisions, like whether to say yes to that party invitation or whether to have a second cup of coffee. As you begin to trust your body compass, you can test out bigger decisions with it and see how you feel. Maybe you’ll be ready for a drastic shift. Maybe not.

As the saying goes, only go as fast as the slowest part of you can go.