Hi there, welcome to Amy Hates Carrots! If it is your first time here, or your 100th 😉 (omg, that would be awesome)  – THANK YOU so much for stopping by m’dear!

My name is Amy Moore and I’m a travel-obsessed Mindset + Business Coach who helps amazing beings fuel their SOUL [instead of their carrot-chasing ego] and live a m(o)ore (heehee) INTENTIONAL life.

 

So what exactly is carrot-free intentional living? Let me explain…

Living with intent means that you, your true self that is, are an active participant in your goal-setting and dreaming. You intentionally reflect inward to discover what drives you and you take action towards that.

Intentional living is about examining your ‘why,’ being completely honest with yourself and doing only what feels right to you. 

True self is defined as: the real you…free of personas, perceptions and your ego. Let’s refer to this as your soul, but it could mean to you: your heart, your spirit, your true self – please use whichever phrase you connect with most.

The inner dialogue that mostly conflicts with your soul is called your ego. It is often what keeps us focused on a single dangling carrot (aka what I call an autopilot goal) until achieved. 

Ego is defined as: the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity (also called false self).

It is the false idea of believing you are what you have or what you do. It is how we perceive ourselves and although it really is just an illusion, it is very influential in our lives and decisions.

When left up to its own sneaky plans, ego will leave you feeling doubt, insecurity, fear and ______________ (fill in the blank with any other false messages here).

 

So what does this have to do with carrots?

Well, as it turns out, I used to be a HUGE ego-driven, carrot chaser myself. Yup, it’s true!

I found myself chasing one carrot after another, especially when it came to my education, my personal life and mostly in my career. Job after job after job. I wanted a bigger salary, a better title, a fancier lifestyle, a sense of security…ya know…to climb that infamous corporate ladder.

Time would fly by, and year after year they would always be there…those darn carrots.

Surprisingly, there was a drastic turn of events, and the company I worked for was purchased by a much larger corporation. During the transition something CRAZY happened…

THEY ACTUALLY GAVE ME THE CARROTS!!! And you know what? It didn’t feel anything like what I thought it would. It just felt…e m p t y.

It was then that I realized…when you turn off your soul’s dreams, something has to fill that void and emptiness. You can try squeezing every carrot in the world there, and it just won’t work. Carrots cannot replace dreams.

Or in other words, achievements pursued by your ego can never replace abandoned dreams created by your true self.

 

So that was it for me. No more metaphorical carrots.

If I’m going to chase after anything in this amazing life I have been given, why would it be anything other than MY SOUL’S dreams? My passions? A life of freedom + adventure? A life of purpose + intention?

And that is exactly why I am here, hoping to inspire you today. You can read my entire carrot chasing story here.

Dangling carrots definition: autopilot ego-driven goals that, if somehow miraculously achieved, will never be as rewarding as originally perceived, AND shall instantly be replaced with new dangling carrots.

I know that is a lot of new vocab, combined with some mind-blowing concepts that you may have never heard about before, but the following comparisons will really help to break it all down…

“When you live with intention, you learn to consciously plant the (non-carrot) seeds of your dreams, water them, and nurture them along the way.” – Deepak Chopra (and Amy 😉 lol)

 

Enter your info here to get a FREE Intentional Living Guidebook:

We’re talking super helpful actionable steps, cheatsheets for this blog post, affirmations + journaling prompts to help you become carrot-free! Woo hoo!

 

 

 

The Difference Between Ego and Soul

Ego is judgmental,  while soul is accepting of others. Ego blames others, and soul takes responsibility for creating one’s experience.

Ego keeps conflict and drama alive, while soul is forgiving. Ego complains, but soul is grateful. Ego focuses on past and future, while soul focuses on the present.

Ego feels superior or inferior to others, while soul knows we are all equal. Ego is ruled by time, and soul trusts in the flow of life.

Ego needs constant attention and validation, while soul is secure in oneself and able to truly listen to others. Ego seeks to serve itself, while soul seeks to serve others.

Ego seeks outward recognition, while soul seeks inner authenticity. Ego sees life as a competition, and soul sees life as a gift.

Ego looks outward, but soul looks inward. Ego feels lack, while souls feels abundance.

Ego enjoys the prize, and soul enjoys THE JOURNEY.

See why I’m NOT ego’s number one fan?!

And that is why quieting the ego, connecting inward to your soul, and re-evaluating your big dreams will result in some beautiful, intentional shifts.

Some things that used to seem super important to you, may no longer have priority. And you will then be able to dream with clarity and create goals for an intentional life – rather than focusing on dangling carrot goals created by your ego.

 

“That’s great Amy, but how do I quiet my ego?!” Dontcha worry, I have some steps for you here…

 

How To Quiet The [Carrot-Chasing] Ego

There are a lot of ways to quiet this ego voice inside and when you do so, your subconscious mind will begin new thoughts AND replace those old mindsets that aren’t serving you.

So are you ready to quiet the ego and think in an entirely new way? Here’s how:

 

STEP 1: Acknowledge Your Ego

First things first, you gotta learn which voice inside of you is your ego and which isn’t. Identify your feelings of negativity and doubt…pay attention when this happens, and note how it makes you feel and where in your body you feel it. 

Let go of the unhealthy thoughts and turn them around by remembering that you are improving every single day. You are on a journey and you are RIGHT where you should be, right at this moment.

By doing this we can turn the volume down on the negative inner dialogue and begin to trust and listen to our intuition instead.

We are hardwired deep to have instincts, also known as intuition. The problem is that there are a ga-zillion distractions in our current world, combined with a super loud ego, which leaves intuition drowning in the noise.

Intuition needs to be awakened, acknowledged and practiced in order to grow. I think of it as a muscle and the only way to grow it, is to use it. I feel mine as internal nudges guiding me in the right direction. When I quiet my mind and pay attention, the nudges are more recognizable.

Intuition loves, and ego fears. Intuition seeks your highest good, while ego focuses on what you “should” do.Intuition surrenders to the unknown and ego needs control. Intuition feels EMPOWERING and ego feels LIMITING.

Take a moment each day to be still, present, and aware of how you feel. A quiet mind is able to hear intuition over ego.

 

STEP 2: Accept Responsibility

Past carrot-chasing Amy had a really hard time with this one. She wanted to BLAME outside sources for all of her woes and worries. But the super blunt truth is…

You are responsible for your own joy and happiness.

The ego likes to make you think that this comes from ANYWHERE other than within, and it really likes to coax you in to believing that happiness can be bought.

True freedom lies in understanding that you are 100% responsible for your own feelings and happiness. When you incorporate that fact into your life, things INSTANTLY start to transform for the better.

In NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), which I teach and certify others for inside of the Limitless Method Practitioner Certification – we call this being at cause versus being in effect.

I invite you to take back your power, and choose to be at cause for everything in your life right now…this means that you get to create it to be exactly how you want it and that m’dear, is true empowerment!

 

STEP 3: Allow Uncertainty

Nothing is certain in this life, but our ego likes us to rely on habits and routines that keep us in that super comfy zone where we feel safe and in control. We have to shift this mindset.

We must choose to trust instead. Choose to appreciate the adventure we are on.

Choose to embrace the uncomfortable butterflies and trust fully that nothing that is truly meant for you, will ever pass you by.

Trust that your dreams are worthy to be lived, and trust in the timing of your life because you are ALWAYS being divinely guided.

If there ever appears to be a step in the wrong direction, remember that it simply may be life preparing you for what you asked for and you just cannot see it yet. Just continue to trust. Trust the process and enjoy the journey!

 

STEP 4: Put Your Fears On Blast

Ego allows fears to paralyze us. To leave us stuck and comfortable doing what we have always done, ensuring that nothing will ever change.

Ego can convince you that reality can only be what you are living now and you cannot experience any more. It will even use the weight of what other people think to override your goals and dreams. Don’t give in m’dear. YOU create your own reality.

When you call out your fear, you call out your ego. Treat fear like a compass leading you on the right track.

Resistance is a sign that you’re on the right path. Choose to BELIEVE that you are meant to share your gifts with the world and live out your soul’s dreams.

 

STEP 5: Focus On Self Love

If you let it, your ego will convince you that you’re worth nothing. But don’t listen to what it has to say – win it over with self-compassion.

Be gentle towards yourself. Choose to speak positively to yourself. You deserve understanding and compassion from yourself…ALWAYS.

You are enough m’dear. You do not need to be anything that you are not. Choose to focus on love not fear.

Forgive yourself for all your past and future mistakes – and forget all the bad decisions you’ve ever made. You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone. You’re doing the best you can with all you’ve got – and you deserve some praise for it!

 

Don’t forget to grab your FREE Intentional Living Guidebook:

Coming to your inbox stat! I can’t wait to be your carrot-free tour guide!

“Shhhhh ego, your negativity is no longer welcome here! RIP!” 😉

 

Don’t worry if you slip up while working on these steps. The quieting ego process takes time, just stay consistent and reference these steps [and the FREE affirmations guide above] regularly.

Negative ego thoughts creep up for everyone no matter where they are on this journey. The key is to recognize them and know the difference between what your soul is seeking versus what the ego is luring you towards.

It isn’t easy to completely change the way you were trained to think your entire life, BUT retraining the mind is totally possible!! So let’s release all those old mindsets that no longer serve us and apply new thoughts and patterns on the daily!

 

I hope that you will join me and say ‘peace out’ to any carrot-chasing ways that are set on autopilot for you, and ‘hellllllloooooo’ to living with intent!

*Tons of Carrot-Free Hugs* -Amy