What to do when you don’t know what to do

You know those moments when clarity suddenly shows up in your gut. Maybe you just know it’s time for bed. Or you sense a need for fresh air, or connection, or quiet. You get an urge to look up an author and learn from them. Or an unexpected urge to stop listening to content that no longer feels right. Maybe a friend comes to mind out of the blue, and you feel moved to reach out to them.

Sometimes, you’re deciding whether or not to do something and the answer becomes instantly clear. You’re not forcing it. It’s simply an internal “yes” or “no.” It might even be “I’m not sure yet” or “I need more time” or “I changed my mind,” the human version of recalculating.

Our Built-In GPS

That inner knowing is intuition. It’s our built-in GPS, included in every make and model of us. It helps us navigate life. When we clear out internal noise and set aside distractions, we can hear it more easily.

If you’re not sure what your intuition feels like yet, that’s completely OK. It becomes clearer with practice and patience. Intuition may feel soft and subtle or unmistakably strong, whether it’s nudging you toward something or signaling you to step away.

We’re not even in charge of what our intuition will guide us to do. We’re only in charge of whether we listen for it and to it.

Sometimes our inner guidance nudges us to reach out for support or to give a situation some time. It might offer a strong or soft sense to avoid something or to lean into it. You might feel drawn to a book, a conversation, or an action. Other times you might feel guided away from it. All of this is intuition at work.

We can lean on this guidance in every area of life, even when we’re facing tough decisions. I had a situation recently where I was struggling with a decision and realized that I simply did not know what to do. Instead of wrestling with it in the confines of my mind, I turned to something deeper and asked for help.

For me, this feels like tapping into something bigger than my own mind. I like to consider the source that created everything: trees, flowers, butterflies, human beings, stars, and snowflakes. The source that made no two fingerprints the same. Clearly this source is wiser than my limited mind.

Staying Open for Guidance

So I turned to this invisible source and handed over the situation I was wrestling with. Then came part two: staying open for guidance.

On this particular day, after surrendering my situation, I noticed my mind trying to pick the problem up again. I simply handed it back over. Every time I slipped into trying-to-figure-it-out mode, I let it go again. I kept handing the situation back to the source that made everything and went about my day. I did what was before me to do, including things my intuition guided me toward, along with the things that were already on my calendar.

Clarity doesn’t always come instantly. The key is asking and staying open. Answers come when they’re ready and when we’re available to hear them, often in unexpected ways. Of course, there are times when life asks for a quick decision. In those moments, intuition may show up as the very first sense you feel before the mind starts spinning. Even a few slow breaths can help you notice any signals inside of you. And if clarity doesn’t come, we make the best decision we can in the moment and stay open to intuition.

Then, without looking for the answer and when I least expected it, the solution to my dilemma appeared. It wasn’t even an option I’d considered when I was trying to squeeze an answer out of my mind. It arrived when I had fully let it go.

I asked for guidance from something bigger than my mind, and guidance came. That’s often how intuition works. It shows us paths we can’t see when we’re too focused on the problem.

Trusting Your Inner Wisdom

When our minds settle, even a little, and we make some space inside, it becomes easier to hear our heart-based wisdom. It’s always there, waiting for us to listen in whatever way we can. It might be a gut feeling or a clear thought. It might be an undeniable knowing or a soft internal whisper. It might guide you to reach out for support or to stop a behaviour that feels hurtful to your body. No matter what the topic or time of day is, we can connect with something bigger than our minds and ask for guidance. Free of charge.

So the next time you’re unsure about something, whether it’s a simple decision or a complex one, remember that you have steady inner guidance available at all times. You can test this out if you’re new to asking and letting go, and you can return to it if it’s something you’ve tried and trust.

Consider the source that created everything. Ask for guidance and clarity. Let go. Do what’s before you to do. Then watch the answers come when you least expect them.