Navigating Life: 8 Different Strategies to Guide Your Way
()
About this ebook
When "just try harder" isn't enough to get you there.
If you've been struggling to change for years and still aren't happy with where you are, maybe you need to develop your own system that works for you.
"Everything should be as simple as it can be, but not simpler." — Albert Einstein
We need to deal with complex challenges from multiple directions, and human beings are definitely complex.
- We want to follow our dreams, but we also want to pay the rent.
- We want to be ourselves, but we're afraid of how others might react.
- We want to evolve, but it's easy to fall back into old habits.
With all these conflicting desires, it's no wonder it can be hard to live happy and meaningful lives.
So what can we do?
We can break it down into strategies that address different but related ways to create the life you want to be living. In each section, I explain why our brains do what they do, then I give examples and suggestions for what you can do to set up the systems, structures, and scaffolding to finally change your life for good.
If this sounds intriguing, Navigating Life will show you how to:
- Know the difference between your dreams and someone else's goals
- Balance creating your Big Vision with identifying your Next Steps
- Learn how to sustain momentum, even when you don't feel like it
… and much more. No fluff. No deep philosophical treatises. Just enough information to give you the knowledge and tools to get you where you want to go.
Here's your compass. Start navigating your life.
Rachel S. Heslin
Rachel S. Heslin has been immersed in the study of psychology for over 35 years. Her father studied under the mentorship of Milton H. Erickson, considered by many to be one of the founders of the field of hypnotherapy. Her essay on the impact of Dr. Erickson’s influence on her formative years appeared in the official Milton H. Erickson Foundation newsletter. Today, she shares his philosophy that we each have all the resources we need to live happy, fulfilling, and meaningful lives in her writing, speaking engagements, and work with clients, helping them connect with what already lives inside them. For more information, visit her at http://www.thefullnessofyourpower.com, GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/RSHeslin, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelsheslin, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/thefullnessofyourpower, or Twitter https://twitter.com/FullnessOfPower
Related to Navigating Life
Related ebooks
#No Fear: A Guide to Overcome Fear in Our Daily Lives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbout Hearing: Praying, Blessing, Conselling Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mensch Handbook: How to Embrace Your Inner Stud and Conquer the Big City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lost Commandment: Have We Missed What Jesus Really Wants? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOvercoming Rejection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnveiling Final Jesus: Portraits of Christ in the Book of Revelation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPsychology of Success -- RESEARCH: How to Have Success When Trying to Change How You Look: Self-Help Series, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe End of Worry Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5101 Tips for Christian Bliss Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComing Forth as Gold Trusting God Through the Process to Receive What He Promised Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Be Like Pat Williams: The Amazing Life of a Waymaker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Grad's Guide to Money: Simple Tips to Saving, Giving, and Smart Spending Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChurch and Nation: The Bishop Paddock Lectures for 1914-15 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBottled Up: How to survive living with a problem drinker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFollowing God One Yes at a Time: Overcoming the 6 Barriers That Hold You Back Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Success DNA of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs: How to go from Invisible to Invincible in Your Business Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSlaying Your Giants: Biblical Solutions to Everyday Problems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Am Dead! What Do I Do Now? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Thrival Guide: A Practical Path To Intentional Living in a Consumer Driven, Tech-Saturated, and Distracted World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHoly Hardship: How Jesus Turns Your Adversity into an Advantage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrit - Summarized for Busy People: The Power of Passion and Perseverance: Based on the Book by Angela Duckworth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiving in Christ: Character, Community, and Leadership Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDon't be a Wimp Raise a Strong Leader Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbide in Jesus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Alignment Process Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStudent Success: 3-in-1 Guide to Master Effective Study Techniques, Studying Effectively, College Success & Study Smart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gift Of Singleness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Unsuccessful Champion: Finding True Victory in the Midst of Adversity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSome of My Best Friends Are Monsters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Self-Improvement For You
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Book of 30-Day Challenges: 60 Habit-Forming Programs to Live an Infinitely Better Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is The Beginning & End Of Suffering Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Think and Grow Rich (Illustrated Edition): With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: The Infographics Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall In Love With the Process of Becoming Great Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How May I Serve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mastery of Self: A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Navigating Life
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Navigating Life - Rachel S. Heslin
Introduction to the 2nd Edition
When I first published Navigating Life, I was pretty pleased. I had tried to write it with a good balance of theory, narrative, and practical applications. I was given feedback from people who had liked it and told me about specific parts that had changed the way that they looked at the world. Sure, I thought that there might be areas I could expand on, but for the most part, I was happy. People seemed to appreciate the book and find it useful.
And then there was John.
John had a book review blog. I sent him a copy of Navigating Life and respectfully asked if he’d be interested in reviewing it. After reading it, he confided that, although he liked a lot of things about it, he found the book really hard to read. He was very kind and took the time to send me a private list of things he had problems with and ways I could improve on them. He was reluctant to post what he considered to be a negative review, but I reassured him that I had no problem with his being honest if it would help the book reach people who might actually enjoy it.
So he posted a review, mentioning that there were some good concepts but it used overly complex language and that the author (that would be me) missed the mark in trying to connect with readers.
I smiled and thanked him, but inside, I was devastated. I breathed deeply, telling myself that different people like different styles of writing, and everything was okay.
Then my husband read it and confessed that he didn’t find it engaging.
Hmm.
When I was writing my next book, Rituals of Release: How to Make Room for Your New Life, someone whom I’d asked to read through a draft told me that it was too clinical, that the readers I most wanted to reach would be put off by my style.
They do say that the third time is the charm. I finally understood what my problem was: I was afraid. I put on the mask of Writer and constructed words and sentences that put information out there while maintaining a wall between me and, well, you: the person reading my words.
I completely rewrote Rituals of Release to be more open, more vulnerable, and more generous of myself. I’d intended to write the other two book of that series first before revisiting Navigating Life, but its stand-offish persona kept eating away at me. My books aren’t just entities in their own right. In a way, they’re my ambassadors. I couldn’t continue to promote something that no longer represented who I want to be.
Which brings me to this new, completely revised version of Navigating Life: more open, curious, and alive. It’s also a lot easier to read, which is nice. My sincere thanks to John, Shawn, and Lynnda for shining their light and helping me see places where I needed to grow.
May the following improved strategies help you navigate the seas of your life.
Introduction
I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains.
—Henry David Thoreau
Millions of people are perfectly happy to live their lives, day in and day out, doing more or less the same thing. They get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, and go to bed. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, if we didn’t have people who were happy with those types of lives, our society might fall apart.
At the same time, if you’re reading this, that’s probably not how you want to live your life.
You care deeply and passionately. You want to contribute to the world in a meaningful way, to challenge yourself, to grow and evolve and open your heart to ever greater possibilities. Life is not just the passing of days, but a chance to feel the soaring of your soul as it dances and glides.
And yet... you don’t always know the way. You’ve tasted it, had just enough experience to know that it’s possible, to know that you can connect with your intuition, your knowing, that shows you what to do and how to do it in a way that carries you into your dreams, transforming each day into a beautiful adventure of love.
Unlike a lot of books that claim to help you make a million dollars or attract your soulmate, the goal
of this book is to help you develop a system for identifying which of the thousands of opportunities that you’ve been given is most aligned with your journey. You are here to be you, to live your life deeply and fully and contribute your own unique threads to the glorious tapestry of human experience.
This book is for you if you are:
● Highly intelligent, but capable of over-thinking
things
● Highly sensitive to others’ emotions and desires—sometimes, you may not even be sure where you stop and someone else begins
● Highly creative with a vibrant imagination
● Passionate about wanting to make the world a better place
● Not happy with where you are, but not sure how to get to where you want to go
● So aware of possibilities that you can’t act because you’re afraid of losing out on all the things you didn’t choose.
If any of these descriptions resonate with you, then welcome! You’re in the right place.
So how did I come up with that list? Easy: it’s what I’ve personally experienced. I know that we each see the world in our own way. The observations and suggestions I make in this book may not appeal to everyone. However, the strategies and tactics I describe here worked for me as I’ve been learning how to navigate my own life. In fact, the very process of writing this book brought up all sorts of challenges that gave me the opportunity to actually use a lot of the techniques that I recommend! Therefore, if you recognize parts of yourself in that list of attributes, the odds are good that you’ll find at least some of the solutions