Rudder Words

I’ve been reading “The Firestarter Sessions” by Danielle Laporte and quite enjoying it so far. At the place where I last left off, she makes a very profound statement:

When you feel good, you act smarter.

Having recently finished (and now re-reading) “Super Brain” by Deepak Chopra & Rudolph Tanzi, this sentiment matches the main crux of their book: that our brains are at the service of our minds, and that our minds have limitless potential.

This is not about denial, or deflecting or blocking out negative thoughts. As always, all emotions are valuable and must be felt and appreciated for what they teach us. However, placing yourself into a mindset of growth, potential & opportunity can seemingly help you act smarter & perform better.

One of the techniques that Danielle Laporte uses is what I’ll refer to as “rudder words”. These are words that are guideposts – they are the feelings that you want to experience. By focusing on what you want to feel, you can then map out activities that will keep you on track and ask yourself whether you are staying true to your rudder words throughout the day.

For example, mine are:

Healthy, connected, creative, curious, contributing, prosperous.

This is what I choose to feel everyday. These are the states that energize me, that help me feel optimistic & empowered. Reflecting on these words, it becomes easy for me to take a step back and ask whether whatever I’m doing or feeling in the moment is aligned with any of those words. If it isn’t, then it’s time for a shift. Oftentimes, that shift will be in my behaviour or better understanding a trigger in a situation so that I can react differently.

I’m not finished the book yet, but I felt that this was an important thought to share. I’ll likely revisit this over time and refine this, but in the meantime I’m very happy to have come across this method for keeping my goals in sight and keeping my actions aligned with them.