If I’d meant this title literally, I probably should have written it in spring or early summer, rather than waiting until the week before Labor Day. But I was thinking of it figuratively — as a personal-growth metaphor based on the common variation of hide-and-seek. Here’s what gave me this idea…

I recently listened to a recorded talk in which the speaker (Esther Hicks, presenting the Abraham teachings) described our Emotional Guidance System by using this example: You know the game where you’re looking for something, and as you get closer someone says, “You’re getting warmer” (or, “You’re getting colder,” if you get farther away)? Well, in a sense, this is the “game” that we’re ALL playing ALL the time!

As we move closer to (or further from) what we’re seeking (our best life and truest/highest self), we’re constantly getting feedback. No, we don’t generally have someone next to us saying, “You’re getting warmer; you’re getting colder,” but we do have that “voice” within us: in the form of emotions, intuition, or gut instincts.

Simply put, when you do or think something, and you feel better, that’s the voice saying, “You’re getting warmer!” And when a thought or action (or a thought about taking an action) makes you feel worse, the voice is saying, “Getting colder!”

And here’s the beautiful part: Both forms of feedback help you!

If you were searching for a hidden treasure, and someone (who knew where it was) told you, “You’re getting colder,” you wouldn’t get mad at them, would you? You’d probably be grateful for the useful information…and then (and here’s the important part) you’d move in a different direction!

Getting emotional feedback that we’re heading in the “wrong” direction (meaning one that feels bad to us) isn’t a problem. The only problem is when we ignore that feedback.

Or when we listen to it, take it to heart, and agree with it…but then keep going in the same direction anyway (and wonder why we feel “colder and colder”).

Or when we give higher priority to the outer voices telling us, “Warmer! Colder!” — and go against what we know feels better for us.

Following our Emotional Guidance System has a number of wonderful advantages:

• ALL inner guidance is helpful. In addition to the reasons given above, “colder” feelings also make it easier to notice the contrast when you do get a “warmer” feeling — giving you even more confidence when you’re heading in a direction that feels good.
• You don’t have to know the location of your ultimate goal (or “hidden treasure”). You don’t even need directions on how to get there. All you need to do is to take one step (or think one thought) and see if you feel “warmer” or “colder” — and then adjust accordingly.
• You get to enjoy the game…every step of the way! When you play the actual “warmer/colder” game, finding the hidden object isn’t the sole point of the game. (If it were, then the person who knew its location would simply give it to you!) Half the point is to have fun — to enjoy the process, the search, the “climb” (to use the ongoing “Halfway up the Mountain” metaphor), and the rising excitement you experience from feeling “warmer”!

The warmer/colder process doesn’t mean that you’ll never work hard, make an effort, or exert yourself in any way. And this is fine; it’s often part of the treasure-seeking/finding process. And even if it didn’t lead to your ultimate goal, exertion can be very pleasurable in and of itself (especially when you’re able to find joy in your abilities and talents — your funktionslust).

It does mean, however, that you move away from struggle.

(This is the difference between, for example, the effort of hammering a nail as you create a beautiful piece of furniture, as opposed to hammering — or trying to hammer — a square peg into a round hole!)

You can think of this warmer/colder process as trusting your vibes, tapping into your intuition, listening to your emotions, or following your bliss. But, regardless of how you think of this process, it’s happening — all the time!

As you go about your day (and your life), you’re constantly receiving inner guidance. It happens automatically — requiring absolutely no effort (much less struggle) on your part. All you have to do is listen — and move away from “colder” feelings and toward the “warmer” ones!

Even though this process is perfectly natural, you can still become more conscious of it, nurture it, and have fun with it in lots of ways. For instance, you could interview (or “inner-view”) your Emotional Guidance System, simply by asking how a thought, action, or even a possibility makes you feel.

• Does this make me feel better or worse?
• Does this make me feel expanded or constricted?
• Does this make me feel more or less energy, freedom, and joy?

Chances are, however, you won’t even have to ask — you’ll probably just know! (Or, more accurately, you’ll feel!)

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When have you received clear (or subtle) “warmer” or “colder” guidance? Are you getting one of these messages right now about anything in your life? How would it feel if you moved even one little step in a direction that feels “warmer”?

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photo by Oleg Mikhaylov