I am a classic middle child… happiest when everyone was getting along. My thoughts about decisions, as I look back on them now, these YESes, they were not in my voice. They were made to keep the peace, promote harmony and avoid conflict. My compass was pointed outward rather than inward. I have lived my life tuning into everyone else’s YES, and making sure they got their YES and avoided their NO’s.

Where was I in this equation? I never realized I was absent.

I had followed this path at the expense of my financial and physical well-being. I sifted through the wreckage of a collapsed business, career and body realizing that my inner voice was very good at self-judgment and deferring to others.

Carol Look, EFT Master, challenged me with the exercise of getting in touch with my YES. I nearly panicked as I wrapped my mind around this simple concept. It dawned on me that I could not remember having ever done this. I was great at tuning into everyone but ME! What was this about?

There it began… the journey to my YES!

I searched and found something that was an OBVIOUS YES and DEFINITIVE NO. I thought of each of these and tuned into my body. After a few tries, I finally dove deeply enough into my YES to feel a physical reaction. By contrast, I wanted to feel my NO, so I jumped in.

It may seem cliché, but my YES was exciting and expansive. My NO, anxious and contracting. It felt so good to have this barometer to tap into and explore. It has become a vital part of every aspect of my life. It helps me to get through the “shoulds” of my life and balance with my intuition rather than succumb to social, financial or emotional pressure.

Thanks to Heather Fleming of Conscious Nutrition, I have even adopted this practice for food and meal choices by tuning into my YES rather than counting fat, calories and points. How liberating!