Humans always operate in service of getting their needs met. Everything we think, do, or say can be linked to a personal need. Even when we do selfless things for others, it serves a human need for love, connection, belonging, significance, or contribution.

It wouldn’t make any damn sense for an organism to evolve whose biological imperative was not to get its needs met. Of course that’s how we’re wired.

So, when you experience a feeling, that feeling isn’t there just for funsies. That’s information.

Feelings are feedback.

Feelings are telling you, “That was a good thing — take note — we want more of that.”

Or… “That was a bad thing — take note — we want less of that.”

We are called to take action — either to secure more of the thing that made us feel fantastic or protect ourselves from that other thing that made us feel awful.

The Center for Nonviolent Communication has a feelings-inventory on their website that lists feelings we tend to feel when our needs are satisfied and feelings we feel when our needs are not satisfied. They also have a needs-inventory.

It’s brilliant.

I encourage you to take a look at these lists and get a better sense of what your feelings are telling you.

It seems as though our society has stigmatized having feelings or expressing them. Every time I see someone get emotional or start to cry, they immediately say, “I’m sorry.”

Why do we apologize for having feelings?

Like people are gonna shout, “Oh no! This one’s got feelings! Take it out back behind the tool shed and put it down.”

It’s ridiculous.

Yet, here we are, in a culture where showing your emotions is weak, unprofessional, and taboo.

Maybe that’s why people are so disconnected from themselves and discontented with their lives. People are amputating the inherent wisdom of their bodies and then apologizing for even having it in the first place.

WTF.

If you’re hurting, lost, or confused… if you feel like you need some direction in life, I’m here to tell you that you yourself are literally a compass. Every cell in your body is pointing to true north. You just gotta learn how to read a compass.

For real, follow those links. There is nothing for sale.

The only thing you’ll pay for is continuing to ignore your feelings.