How to Listen to Your Intuition

FROM EMILY:

There are people you meet who you know immediately are going to do big, beautiful things with their life. 

Who bring vibrant, electric energy to everything they touch.

Who create soul-wrenching beauty from nothing. 

Emma can turn anything into a blooming garden. 

She will plant the seeds, sow the soil, and you will watch, in awe, as every flower blooms brighter than you could have ever imagined. And I know that Emma has been like this, creating magic, since way before she 'knew' what her purpose was. 

Emma's story sheds light on the fact that change comes in two speeds: gradual and all at once. There are moments where we know we're growing because we're putting in the work. We see the changes little by little. And then there are moments when it happens all at once and we're forced to make big shifts. 

And we feel ourselves bloom. 

When you take a moment to lay out your story like points on a map, you can then find the line that connects them all, pointing you straight to the truest version of you. 

You can finally begin to see the magic inside of you that others so clearly see.

As you read Emma's story, I encourage you to think of all the stops on your journey that have made you, you. And how each point on that route has allowed you to bring your own unique magic to the world.

PART TWO

I don’t remember a time when my parents were together.

I can’t say exactly how far back my memory goes, but even in my earliest recollections I had stepparents. A stepdad who is a steady, encouraging believer in my abilities. A stepmom who always can add a bit of lightheartedness to a situation.

Technically, biologically, I’m an only child, but I have six stepbrothers and stepsisters who have always teased me like I was one of them. 

I think there’s this idea around blended families that there’s underlying animosity, or that if only the two in the original relationship had made it work that everyone would be better off.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

I remember being eight years old and arguing with people who were much older than me (and who were supposed to be much smarter and more mature than me) about how my step siblings were just like my real brothers and sisters.

That nothing was different except the name.

That you choose your family.

I know I’m lucky. I know that in the grand scheme of things this isn’t really something that is difficult to overcome. That others have grown up in much more difficult situations.

But I’m proud of that eight year old who stood her ground. Who knew in her heart that what she felt was love, and that nobody could tell her differently.

I’m proud of her ability to adapt, and her ability to see past the opinions of others, to keep an open mind in order to be kind. 

I like to think that she’s still in me, pushing me forward, unconcerned with the rules the world has written.

PART THREE

Did I mention I’m a writer?

I never thought I’d be doing this for a living. I thought I was going to be a doctor.

I grew up in a city in Wisconsin, one of those hometowns that they talk about in sitcoms and country songs. If you were relatively smart, the highest expectation was that you’d become a doctor or an engineer.

I took all the right classes in high school, got all the right grades, got accepted to the right school.

And then, suddenly, I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do.

College is one of those great equalizers, one of those places where you realize that no one has their shit figured out, and that the possibilities are actually endless and overwhelming.

To push the troubling question of my major off for a semester, I signed up for a First Year Interest Group (FIG), which is essentially a way to take classes that focus on one broad topic with the same group of people for an entire semester.

My FIG revolved around Classics, which probably should have made it clear to me that medicine wasn’t my path.

I spent the semester learning Latin, taking notes in a lecture taught by a professor who went to Troy every year to conduct excavations (?!), and making some of my best friends.

That semester changed the course of my life. I made the decision to apply for the journalism school after realizing that my love of writing could actually be a career.

(Emma - you used to write newsletters for your family in Microsoft Publisher as a kid - this should have been more obvious)

If I hadn’t listened to my gut when it was screaming “THIS ISN’T RIGHT,” I don’t know where I’d be today. But I know I wouldn’t be here.

PART FOUR

Through college I jumped at every opportunity to write. 

I joined @modamagazine and was quickly immersed in a community that was just as obsessed with fashion as I was.

I started my own blog so that I had another reason to write in my spare time, and it quickly became a passion project.

I took internships in the summers for an ad agency or two, and found that writing could have more than one purpose - not just to educate, but to persuade.

When my senior year was wrapping up, I decided to stay on full-time at the company that I was interning at. 

Everything seemed to fall into place. I thought that I had it all finally figured out.

I had a full-time job at a forward-thinking company that I loved, working with dreamy clients.

Almost two years later, things weren’t quite so bright and shiny.

I never wanted to be the stereotypical millennial who only stayed at a job for a year, then took off for greener pastures.

I’d told myself that the problems I was having weren’t actually problems, that I was being whiny or ungrateful for coming home from work with a million things to complain about, for feeling like I wasn’t in the healthiest environment.

My intuition was telling me I had to get out, but I was second guessing it.

I started manifesting a new job, one that would allow me to get back to writing. I told myself that if I was meant to leave my current job, the perfect opportunity would fall into my lap.

A few months later, I was given the chance to join @remoteyear’s marketing team.

PART FIVE

Manifestation WORKS. 

I’d been telling myself over and over again, day after day, “You’re going to get a new job that fulfills you professionally, personally, and financially.”

When I started at @remoteyear, I knew that I’d made that dream happen.

I was getting the chance to write every. single. day. about a company that I was insanely passionate about, a company that was changing peoples’ lives. 

I wholeheartedly believed that it might even change the world.

Through a month in Argentina, I learned that I was capable of more than I had ever imagined. That a comfort zone was something to be tested often, not allowed to take root.

A week in Colombia with my team became one of the most magical weeks of my life. It’s where I first experienced @emilyelizamoyer’s Ikigai session, and where I began to consider how my purpose could be put into words.

Once again, I felt like I had it all figured out. That I was living in the light, that I was one of the lucky ones.

And then, the entire marketing team was laid off.

It took a few days for it to sink in.

I was out of a job. I wasn’t going to get to work with the team that I’d grown so close to. I wasn’t going to get to finish any of the projects I’d started.

It was just…over.

I wrote in my journal that it felt like the rug had been pulled out from underneath me. That I was underwater, treading, trying to make sense of what lesson I was supposed to learn from this, but it was so muffled that I struggled to hear it.

I started applying to new positions immediately. 

Instead of listening to my intuition and calling in the “right” opportunity, I jumped at the first offer that I got.

PART SIX

I knew within the first month that the job wasn’t right.

Of course, my gut had tried to tell me that exact same thing, but a quickly dwindling checking account and a hurt ego pushed those feelings aside.

Getting laid off made me question my worth as a professional and my purpose as a person.

I needed to take back control of my life.

I started diving back into personal development - reading books, listening to podcasts, and launching a freelance copywriting side hustle. 

I was tireless about finding a new job (again!), and landed in a place that feels solid, affirming, and creatively fulfilling.

By bringing that positive energy back into my life, and looking ahead instead of into the past, I was getting back to being me.

That eight year old girl who believed what she felt in her heart. Who had big dreams, and encouraged those around her to look beyond what they thought was possible.

The connecting thread was my intuition all along, that innate understanding that I’ve had of my emotions and what was “right” for me since I was little. 

When I listen to it, magic happens. When I push it to the side, the universe makes a point of correcting me.

In my most recent session with @emilyelizamoyer, I wrote down my purpose in this way: “To encourage others to embrace their ambition through support and as an example.”

I can do it by lifting up those around me.

I can do it through constant encouragement and accountability.

But, most of all, I can do it by continuing to push myself forward, unapologetically, through fear and discomfort into the world of possibility that lies ahead. 

FROM EMILY:

My major takeaway from Emma’s story: the ups and downs of life help us hone our purpose. 

The cliche that everything happens for a reason has a shine of truth to it in this case. 

We need to collect life experiences, feel failure, find success, in order for us to choose a path that feels right to us and intentionally forgo the others.

Emma has identified that she has to listen to her intuition to do this. Her gut is the thing that keeps her on track. 

It’s her internal compass that she can use to check in when she’s asking herself, “Does this align with my purpose? Is this right for me?”

It’s our job to learn how we tap into it. How our intuition speaks to us varies - it could be a physical feeling, a tarot reading that sparks some self-reflection, a conversation with a trusted friend, a journaling practice, or even a session with someone like me who is prepared to help you tap more into...you.

Where do you turn when you’re feeling out of alignment?

How often do you check in with yourself to see if you’re on the right path?

How do you know when something isn’t “right” for you?

How often do you listen to your inner voice? How often do you ignore it?

These questions are great starting points for someone who is just beginning their purpose journey. And, in a way, aren’t we all?

I’d love to hear how you’d respond to the prompts above. Leave your answers in the comments below, and I’ll add mine so we can start the conversation.

If you’re struggling to answer, or if you just don’t know where to begin, I can help. I’ve created a process that will help you define your core purpose statement, no matter where you’re at on this journey. As always, my DMs are open, and I’m happy to dive further into this topic.