One important thing I try to recognize on a consistent basis is whether or not I’m being driven by an internal source or an external source as I go through life making choices and maneuvering paths.
In other words, am I making decisions based on my own instincts, or am I relying on things outside of myself to help me make decisions?
It’s such a simple concept, yet such a challenge for so many people.
One of my greatest realizations has been that inner guidance is the strongest and most important source of guidance there is — at least, that has been my experience.
I didn’t always follow that inner guidance because external influences like society and other people always seemed greater and more obvious. I let these influences pull me in nine million different directions, and all the while I was failing to pave my own path and think for myself.
To be honest, I almost believed it wasn’t possible to think for myself because I had spent my whole life relying on others to tell me how to live and what to think.
There will always be something external that influences the choices we make.
We seek career advice, relationship advice, life advice, etc. and rely on people, articles and books to tell us what to do or what to think. While advice from external sources can certainly help (it’s how we learn new things and gain insight), we must still honor that quiet voice that lives inside us all that tells us what feels right to each of us as individuals. We must ask ourselves what we really want and stay true to our own opinions and insights.
The difficult part of doing this is actually listening to and understanding that inner voice. It’s so subtle that sometimes it may seem as if it’s not even there. We become so focused on what everyone else thinks and what everyone else is doing that we fail to follow our own instincts.
What is your soul telling you?
The next time you’re struggling to make a decision and feel tempted to throw yourself at the nearest external source of advice like the Internet or a family member, imagine for a moment that no external sources exist — It’s just you and your soul. What is your soul telling you? What would you tell yourself?
Usually, the first answer that comes to mind when you ask yourself these questions is the answer you’ve been seeking.
You can still turn to other people for input if it feels necessary, but at the end of the day, you’re the only person with the power to make that final decision.
If something doesn’t feel right, then it’s probably not right.
Other people will always feel inclined to tell you how to do things, but if those things are not in alignment with your unique needs and desires, you have every right to do things differently — to do things your own way. It really is that simple.
That subtle voice in your soul is there for a reason. Learning to be more in tune with it can help you understand yourself a little better and make sound decisions. But the first and most important thing to do is trust it.
And trust yourself.
