Are You Overriding Your Soul With “Should?”

MalesFacingLissa Rankin, M.D. – For many years, my soul was trying to guide me, but I wasn’t paying attention. Even when my soul tried to communicate with big glaring WARNING signs or GO HERE billboards, I disregarded the signs.

Thinking back to the year 2000, I have to laugh when I think about how my former husband and I stood in line for three hours at the courthouse to get our marriage certificate. And finally, when we were at the very front of the line, belly up to the courthouse clerk, there was a bomb threat. A BOMB THREAT! I literally turned to my fiancé and said, “Is it a sign?” Continue reading

How To Honor Your Desires Without Grasping, Denying or Bypassing

desireLissa Rankin – Desire. How easily it confuses us! To live a deeply fulfilling life, are we meant to follow the teachings of dominant culture, which encourage us to “Just do it,” grasping for our desires, using will and force to “make it happen?” Or are we supposed to visualize, affirm, meditate, and create vision boards about what we desire so we can leverage our spiritual power to “manifest” our wishes?

Are we better off surrendering our desires to some Higher Power, leaving only the desire to align with Divine Will? Are we meant to lean into our desire as Rumi and the Sufis do—reveling in the deliciousness of unmet longing as a path to that which we ultimately desire—the Beloved? Continue reading

Are You Committed To Your Soul’s Integrity?

When you sell out your soul day after day, even if the sell outs are subtle and you’re barely aware of what you’re doing, the voice of your soul (I call it Your Inner Pilot Light grows dim.” ~ Lissa Rankin

IntegrityLissa Rankin – As part of my job, I am frequently asked to endorse books, products, and programs that might sell better if I give them my stamp of approval. I’m also asked to decide whether to get involved in media that will draw attention to what I’m selling in my own business.

It would be so easy to just say “Yes” to everything. It would please others and gain me approval. Doing so would sell more books and attract more attention to the programs I lead (like my latest program for health care providers).

I used to indiscriminately endorse every book I was asked to endorse by author friends, until one reader accused me of what she called “bloggie incest”, claiming that I automatically endorsed all the books written by everyone in my little blog cliqué.

I was guilty as charged. This reader told me she no longer trusted my endorsement because I didn’t seem to be picking the books I endorsed with discernment. I was just agreeing to support my friends. What she said needled me right in the gut and made me think twice about endorsing even well-intentioned books that feed the ego more than they feed the soul. I know my readers trust what I recommend, and I want my endorsement to actually mean something. Continue reading

5 Questions Guaranteed To Help You Know Yourself Better

Wake Up World April 21 2014

When Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project spoke at World Domination Summit this past summer, she said that the key to happiness is to be more of who we are. In order to know who we are, she suggests that we ask ourselves a few key questions. Try writing down your answers to the following questions.

1. Who do you envy and why?

Gretchen says that when someone has something you want, that’s very useful information about who you want to be. Rather than focusing on the negative aspect of envy or the judgment you might put on yourself for feeling that way, focus on being grateful for this additional information about what you value and care about.

2. What do you lie about?

Anything we try to hide is a big red flag. The lie is a disconnect between your behavior and your values.

3. What would you do for fun?

Continue reading