How I know I'm "in alignment"

Because a friend asked me recently, so here you go!

First, a rant: I kind of hate the term “being in alignment.”

I kind of hate all the Human Design terms that make it seem like some New Age prescription you gotta follow. But I can’t deny that when I’m living in alignment, I am feeling much better. So I’ll swallow that pill.

Being in alignment is what Human Design people say when they’re living in accordance with their strategy and authority for their type (see??? so many confusing terms already).

Which, to break it down for anyone who’s not speaking this language, means that I’m operating on a daily basis from an intuitive, gut-check space instead of a mental, pro-con, externally influenced and pressured one.

This isn’t just Human Design, by the way. Meditation teaches us to let go of our mind’s controlling thoughts and catastrophizing loops and listen to the deeper bodily sense of knowing. Breathwork, yoga, and tai chi strengthen the relaxation response in the nervous system by connecting body movement and mental awareness.

But for me, Human Design unlocked all the connections. And ever since I started digging into my personal design, I kept realizing that the things I was doing in my life and the decisions that felt good to me were the ones that synced up with my Human Design signposts.

How Human Design has changed me

And the things I saw as “bad decisions” in hindsight, the times that I forged ahead with something even though I felt unsure or icky about it in my gut, were moments when I was not listening to my instincts. I pro-conned my way into a hole, I made choices based on hypothetical ROIs, I listened to the “shoulds.”

So now when I’m in alignment, I am not living in a space of frustration, struggle, or regret. I breathe easier and I feel good about the choices I make (most of the time).

How I know when I’m in alignment

For me, as an emotional Manifesting Generator, my strategy is to respond and inform, and my authority tells me to go through my emotional wave before making big decisions.

What that means for me in real life is to notice how I’m responding to things: Are they giving me an excited flutter? A little buzz when I consider them? Or am I feeling meh, neutral, or even verbally reacting with a Tina Belcher-like “uhhhhhhhh….”?

That’s my first clue in responding.

Then I hang out with these feelings and responses for a day or two — or even much longer, depending on the bigness of the decision or the situation!

But when I make that decision, whether it’s to move ahead or say no to something, I know that the excitement or sense of relief that washes over me is my affirmation that I’m on the right path.

Here’s a recent example: I was approached with the potential opportunity to illustrate a children’s book. I spoke with the author and got a sense of the project scope — which was big, as they’d be self-publishing and would need someone to guide them through the entire illustration, design, and production workflow.

I sat with it for a while, weighing the idea of being able to charge a quite large amount of money for the equally large amount of work that would be involved.

But even a POTENTIALLY fat paycheck did not offset the deeper sense that this project wasn’t the right one for me. There were too many red flags and I felt too much unease on my end. My inner voice was Tina Belchering in a loop.

Old Casey would have ignored those red flags and steamrolled right ahead with the vision of a wad of cash hanging in front of her like a mirage.But New Casey listened to herself, even if it seemed counterintuitive to turn down a gig.

I was in alignment by saying no. And the minute I did that — informing, not asking permission or apologizing — I felt an enormous weight lifting. I felt content.

Another example: Back in January 2017, I woke up and read an article in the New York Times about Robert Smithson’s earthwork Spiral Jetty, which I had long dreamed of visiting. But nebulously dreamed of, with no clear plan.

That morning, I knew — I just knew — that now (then) was the time to do it, and I had to take action and make it happen. When Dan came downstairs a few hours, I informed him, “we’re going to go see Spiral Jetty!” and that was it. Decision made.

And as I wrote in my Spiral Jetty story linked above, everything fell into place so easily. Our trip logistics, the journey itself, the entire visit to Utah worked out exactly as we wanted it to.

Looking back, I realize that was a moment when I listened to the deep YES and followed that response without being consciously aware of it.

And this is an example of how the decision or response can happen quickly when it does happen. The body kind of flips its own switch. The email that I had been waiting for days or weeks to write seemingly writes itself, the feelings I’ve been holding in come flying out.

How I know when I’m out of alignment

When it stops being easy and starts being a struggle, basically! Not to say that a challenge or a learning curve isn’t satisfying, but when something’s starting to feel like I’m expending way too much energy on getting through it, that’s the sign I need to move on.

Even if I’m doing a task that in theory I could accomplish without a second thought, it feels hard and frustrating. “Walking through molasses” is how I describe my state of being when I’m fighting to do something that’s not in alignment.

Here’s an example: This is how I knew I needed to quit doing my CNN stories and stop posting new recipes on Good Food Stories.

It would take me weeks to slog through a story that used to only take a few hours to write. I would procrastinate forrreeevvver and agonize over every step: contacting interviewees, editing photos, writing a few simple paragraphs.

Once I actually decided to Just. Stop., things opened up in so many other directions for me.

What does alignment feel like for you?

This is just how I work as a Mani Gen, so your process could be very different (because each chart is a unique snowflake!). Manifestors might also find it easy to walk away from things quickly when they stop feeling good; Generators could potentially keep going in the flow with the same career or project or hobby forever as long as they are feeling into it.

Projectors, who you’re collaborating with can make all the difference in your decisions. And Reflectors… well, you’ll always be shifting based on where you are and who you’re with, so your self-check-in process needs to be a priority!

Want to know about your Human Design guideposts and signals?

Book a 30-minute Human Design Download session and I’ll walk you through the essentials of your chart.

We’ll talk about your type, strategy, and authority, and how you can use these pieces of your esential YOU-ness to make your life easier.

Every single one of us is wired in a specific way to feel our best, and we all have specific cues we can follow to get to that place.

I’ll break it all down for you in simple language and give you actionable ways to work with your design and incorporate it into your daily life — instead of going against the flow with habits that don’t serve you.