Just Do What You’re Drawn To: How to Trust Yourself When Life Feels Uncertain

Whenever I tell my students to “just do what you’re drawn to,” I’m usually met with a room full of blank stares. I get it. It’s a frustrating piece of advice because I’m pointing at something that’s actually really hard to put into words.

It’s not a checklist or a pro-con list you scribble down on a Tuesday night. In fact, it’s often not logical at all. It’s more of a quiet certainty—the kind of feeling where doubt just sort of evaporates. Some people call it a "gut feeling" or instinct, but to me, it feels more like an internal compass. It’s always pointing somewhere, even when you feel like you’re just standing still. The problem is that most of us have just forgotten how to read the dial.

This past week was a perfect example of that. It felt like a "magical mystery tour," mostly because three massive opportunities showed up at the exact same time. It was a bit overwhelming. I had a conditional place for mental health nursing, a coaching apprenticeship through my current job, and then, out of nowhere, an offer for a mental health manager position. Higher pay, bigger title, more "prestige."

On paper, the manager job looked like the "correct" choice. But standing at that crossroads, I actually started to wobble - the kind where you second guess everything. I did what I think most of us do: I tried to think my way into the right answer. I kept asking myself what made the most sense, what would look best on a CV, or what other people would expect me to choose.

Your brain is brilliant at analysing data — but it’s not always great at knowing what’s right for you.

Midweek, I finally just stepped away from the noise. I stopped the overthinking and the constant comparing. And that’s when the fog started to lift. It wasn’t a lightning bolt moment, just a slow realization that the coaching apprenticeship was the one. Not because it was the most impressive or the best paid—it wasn't—but because every time I thought about it, I felt a sense of ease. A quiet pull. It felt like walking into a room and realizing you’re finally home.

From the outside, it might have looked like I was being indecisive. But I wasn't; I just didn't have all the information yet, and I hadn't "felt" my way to the answer. We’re always in such a rush to hit a deadline for a decision that we don’t give ourselves the space to actually notice what we’re drawn to.

I’ve realized that following your interests isn’t about being impulsive. It’s more like gardening. You don’t make a plant grow by yanking on it. You give it the right environment — and trust it will lean toward the light. My energy just kept returning to the coaching, so I followed it.

I see this in small ways all the time. If I force myself to work on something "important" when I’m drained, I get nowhere. But if I switch to something I’m actually curious about, I suddenly have hours of energy. Or those moments in a conversation where you feel a nudge to say something unexpected, and that ends up being the exact thing that creates a real connection.

Those are the clues. They’re subtle and easy to ignore, but they’re incredibly reliable.

So when I tell my students to follow what they're drawn to, I’m not saying they should abandon logic or responsibility. I’m just saying they should pay attention to what gives them energy versus what drains it. Notice what keeps pulling at your sleeve.

Your path isn't always something you can think your way into—sometimes, you have to feel your way there. And if you actually listen, you’ll often realise you were being guided there all along.