Have you ever started to do something and then get distracted? An hour (or three) passes and you can’t remember what you were planning to do in the first place? That just happened. I’ve learned to trust my essential self when she wants to chase rabbits, so I’m getting used to it.

After sitting down to write, I stumbled across some documents off of my old work computer. Instead of writing, I started cleaning them out. Of course, that means I now have no idea what I was going to write about an hour ago, but I found something SO much better! To my surprise, one of the documents is a short journal from last spring. This is surprising for three reasons:

1. I didn’t journal back then.
2. I had completely forgotten about it.
3. I have been trying to come up with the best way to illustrate how following your intuition can change your life. Hello?! I’ve just lived through an epic tale of what happens when you blindly follow embrace intuitive hunches and walk in faith. This journal is from the beginning of that journey.

So, I chased a rabbit… and here is born a new blog series on intuition, synchronicities and life lessons… with some weight loss tips thrown in for good measure. Pieces of the journal will be used to illustrate how a state of stuck can be dislodged by listening to your essential self speak.

When Your Essential Self Speaks…

Intuition is one of the methods your essential self uses to speak. Your brain might not have yet wrapped a logical reason around why you feel icky around a certain person or excited when you walk into a certain place, but your essential self knows. Your intuition can clue you into the things and people that serve you well or that drain you before you get a chance to rationally understand why. It is also your overall guide to the path you were born to follow.

When Your Essential Self Speaks… Chase the Rabbit.

Come to think of it… Chase it with no regret.

Chasing rabbits is a term I’ve used for years in reference to following intuitive hunches. Following your intuition (a real rabbit) is much different than procrastinating or moving toward socially acceptable goals for the sake of fulfilling desires of the ego (a fake rabbit).

The trick is to know which rabbits are real and which ones are just pulling your leg. I will admit that I’ve been in the company of greyhounds chasing fake rabbits on many occasions, but the more I listen to my intuition, the clearer the difference between the real and the stuffed shirt rabbit becomes.

What if you realize the rabbit is a sham mid-chase?

Stop. Pause to soak in the lessons learned and then move on.

Corey Ciocchetti is a professor of business law and ethics at the University of Denver and author of the book Real Rabbits: Chasing An Authentic Life. He wrote a great blog post about Cash, the greyhound, who realized one day that the rabbit he was chasing was fake and, without remorse, stopped racing. He poses a great fundamental question: “Do you chase real rabbits?  If not, what do you chase and why?"

If, upon pondering, you realize one of your rabbits is full of fluff, he makes this great point: “The great thing about life… is that the road to lasting, authentic success contains many on-ramps. Although we have chased fake rabbits in the past, we can move towards authentic success in a split second.”

Notice that neither Corey nor I said to throw a pity party in regret for time and energy wasted and emotionally eat yourself into a stuffed state of numbness. What I believe he is saying (and what I am suggesting) is that you put down the cookie and simply stop the sham. Feel your emotions, count your blessings, and then find a new passion, hobby or career that feels real. Tune in to your intuition and find the next exit.

What if you catch the rabbit, keep it as a pet (job, partner, college major) for a while, then realize ten days or ten years later that it no longer makes you happy?

Like Kenny Rogers says: “You gotta know when to hold ‘em; know when to fold ‘em; know when to walk away; know when to run.”

Your essential self knows the minute when that “used-to-be-perfect” situation no longer serves you well. It knows how, what, why and when… the trick is to trust your gut and listen to the whisper of your intuition. The sooner you look at your desire to change in the eye… the more quickly you can make peace with it, devise an exit strategy and part ways.

Admittedly, this scenario might carry a bit more emotional and literal baggage than realizing the rabbit was fake before you snared it. Therefore, this is where we’ll pick up in the next post… and where the journal comes in:

When Your Essential Self Speaks… Don’t Freak Out

Until then, listen to your intuition. You never know what you’re going to find: A new opportunity, a lost sweater button or a journal that reminds you of how stuck you were and how far you’ve come. One thing is for sure, you will be closer to your essential self than when you started.

What rabbits have you chased lately?