Most of us underestimate the power of our emotions, and why wouldn’t we? We live in a world that promotes reason and the analytical mind over feelings and intuition – even if it leaves us feeling miserable or unfulfilled.
But in doing this, what we fail to grasp, is the understanding that emotions are magnetic in nature, which means they are responsible for drawing external events towards us.
For example, if a person is experiencing lower-level emotions like stress, anxiety, frustration or separation, they’re existing in survival mode and, in turn, attract experiences that keep them operating from the fight or flight response.
If however higher-level emotions like love, joy, happiness or peace are present, a person’s energy expands and more loving, fulfilling and desirable events are drawn towards them.
Ultimately, our emotional state is mirrored, in the form of our external reality.
Armed with this knowledge, I began the practice of prioritizing how I felt above all else by asking this simple question:
“Does this make me feel good, or does this make me feel bad?”
I applied this question to everything, as it made it easy to compartmentalize and sort things into positive or negative. So if something didn’t feel right, I’d chose to not invest time and energy into it, but if it felt good or positive, I would.
Pretty straightforward and clear-cut formula to follow, right?
When we grasp a new concept and apply it practically to our lives, a new layer will often reveal itself. This is precisely what happened to me. Very quickly I came to recognize that by labeling one feeling positive and another negative, an undercurrent of judgment permeated my choices. Yes, I was prioritizing how I felt, yet my decisions were tainted with a level of prejudice, rather than neutrality.
So how can we prioritize how we feel from a position of impartiality?
The next two questions are the most powerful way I’ve found to prioritize emotions.
Ready?
Let’s dive in…
Question 1:
“Is this something I want to experience?”
This question grants the ability to powerfully choose to continue experiencing a particular situation, relationship, or emotion without judgment.
By asking ourselves this neutral question, we are simply choosing what we want to experience in life.
The best thing? It can be applied to anything and everything in life.
Question 2:
“Is this something I want to focus on?”
When focusing on something, we become energetically and emotionally invested in it.
Again this question isn’t labeling something as positive or negative but asks us to intentionally choose what we want to focus on.
How do I know what to focus on?
Well, I choose situations or projects that are in alignment with my intentions and purpose while deciding to spend time with people, and in environments, that feel joyful, harmonious, loving, and fun.
“Where focus goes, energy flows.”
Now, I’m not suggesting that all logic and rational thinking be disregarded – the key, is in learning to balance analytical thinking with emotions and intuition.
Think of it this way.
If you solely serve your analytical mind but are unhappy in the process, you will magnetize a reality that matches the emotion of unhappiness. What I’ve found, is that the mind and heart work best when balance and coherence has been established between the two.
By asking these simple questions, a person can powerfully choose what they wish to experience in life and where they want to invest time and energy.
Once we understand that our emotions are a key player in the creation of our external reality, it just makes sense to give them the attention they deserve.
x Sarah
Image: unsplash.com
Originally published at www.sarahmcgahan.com