There's gotta be more to life than this.

That itchy restlessness creeps into your mind and slowly wraps around your body until you need to move. You wiggle and twitch and that’s not enough. You know a bold move is required. The problem is you aren’t sure where you are going. How will you ever make a confident move if you aren’t sure what you want and what the next step should be? The only thing you are sure of is sitting still isn’t working. Staying put is becoming more uncomfortable than making a change. You’re trapped and, yet you realize you have choice. The choice is what paralyzes you. So, you pause again. This is tension. It's neither good nor bad and yet it’s extremely uncomfortable. Tension is our intuition’s way of alerting our mind and body that change is needed. It’s the soul’s way of speaking up. Often tension slithers in when you should be happy. You have everything you worked hard for and you have no huge complaints. You can’t point to a single broken or convincing reason to make a move. You’re left questioning because your mind overrides your spirit. Your mind says, It’s not that bad. It says, I have a lot of reasons to be grateful. It says, I’d be a fool to make a move when all is going well.
 
I found myself sitting across from a woman today who was looking for a life coach. I was one of a few coaches she would be meeting with before deciding who was the best fit. I asked her one of the first questions anyone in my position might ask. “What makes you interested in coaching?” She looked back at me with desperate eyes and said she didn’t know exactly. She went on to explain how she’s been feeling. She stumbled over her words as if this was the first time she untangled what she already knew. She shared with me when it started and how it won’t go away. She is looking for answers to a question that hasn’t been formed yet. This is tension.
 
Tension makes us seek. In the quiet moments tension confronts us like a nagging child. Those that choose to listen to their soul’s desires are the brave ones. They are the ones that dare to do more. They hear the calling. They don’t judge, they merely listen. Tension doesn’t go away. It can be snuffed out with busyness and drama. It can be avoided with blame and irritability. If ignored it shows up as frustration, disappointment, regret, anger, and sadness. The cost is great. These feelings will flow through your body like a poison until everything you do is a restricted effort shadowed by fear. The swirling mess of negativity will make it nearly impossible for you to hear what you are meant to do.
 
Tension is a feeling. It shows up and gets stronger over time. It creates a divide between what is and what must be. It’s what leads a doctor to leave a successful practice, pack up and move to a llama farm in Missouri. It’s what makes a high-powered attorney quit his job to drive taxi. It’s the internal nudge you get when you realize you are meant for more in this lifetime. When you recognize it for what it is and listen to what it calls you to do amazing exploration will ensue. Your life is meant to be rich and full and lived. Your soul knows that. Now let your mind and body follow. 

---