Making important life decisions can be tricky. The question to ask yourself in these situations is not what SHOULD I do, but what do I WANT to do?

Identifying the ‘should’

The appearance of should in important questions betrays the impact of social pressure and conformism in our lives. It is a sign that your inner voice might be drowned out, before it has had an opportunity to speak. We are inherently creative beings, each with unique ideas and perspectives. To suppress these would be doing a disservice not only to ourselves but to those around us; our colleagues, friends and family.

None of us is immune to becoming victim to should do, should be influences. By becoming more aware of our susceptibility however, we can give ourselves a chance to listen to our inner voice.

Courage to listen to yourself

You might decide to take an entirely different course of action after considering different angles, but at least you would have deeply listened to yourself beyond the notion of I should. You would have given yourself the opportunity to truly recognise your hopes, fears, grievances and dreams.

The question then is not what should I feel or what should I do, but rather what do I feel and what do I want to do?