Follow your conscience, no matter the obstacle and no matter the cost, because ignoring your conscience is stressful. In my case, it was so stressful that it led to anxiety, depression, panic attacks, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Now, that’s anecdotal, so it’s entirely likely that my experience is not a universal human truth. But we’re in the middle of an epidemic of despair, so it’s just as likely that it’s not just me. I was part of the epidemic of despair, and now I’m not, and the path out of the Pit of Despair was lit by my conscience.
What about you? Are you part of the epidemic of despair? Are you struggling with anxiety or depression that have manifested as panic attacks or some other physical symptom? What’s at the source of your anxiety and depression? Have you been following your conscience? Have you been treating yourself like your talent matters? Have you been working to transform your talent into skill and peak performance?
Maybe you have been, and you’re still depressed because you’re going through loss or something else that’s stressful. Ignoring your conscience is not the only source of stress, but it is one that is often overlooked. If you’re struggling because you’re going through a breakup, or the death of a loved one, or financial difficulty, that trouble probably isn’t flying under the radar. But, if you’re struggling, and you can’t put your finger on the reason, you may be in an environment that treats you like your talent and your conscience aren’t relevant or important.
Your life consists of a series of days, and your days consist of a series of decisions. The decisions you have to make every day are about how you devote your time and attention. You can only pay attention to one thing at a time, so when you pay attention to one thing, you sacrifice everything else. You are making decisions about where you devote your time and attention, and what you’re willing to sacrifice, every day. How are you making these decisions? What is the basis of your decision making-framework? If you’re not following your conscience. What are you following? Your ego? Your self-doubt? Your boss’ ego? Your spouse’s self-doubt? How’s that going? Is it stressful? Are you anxious and/or depressed?
If your decision-making framework is running on momentum because you never gave it any conscious thought, you can change course today. Do you want your decisions to be made by the momentum of your past? Do you want your decisions to be made by your shifting emotions? By someone else’s shifting emotions? Or do you want your decisions to be made by your authentic, nonnegotiable priorities? Would you like some tools that simplify the job of defining your priorities in accordance with your conscience?