Motivation Monday: Inner Voice

I had to make a big decision last week - one that was not clear but had the potential to change things drastically. I know I'm being vague but the decision itself isn't my point of today's post. It's how I arrived at my decision that matters; by listening to my inner voice. Man, this was tough as I had lots of wonderful, thoughtful perspectives. Great advice from every friend and family member, but when it came down to it I had to find my inner voice - my inner monologue. It took time for me to listen but I finally heard it loud and clear!

What is your inner voice? An instinct: a hunch, an impression.

Why is it so difficult to allow your inner voice to be heard? We inherently mistrust ideas without evidence to support them. We want to be right when making important decisions and are able to convince ourselves if we can trace our argument from beginning to end. Moreover, we're easily swayed by the opinions of others that contradict our instincts, especially if concrete evidence exists to contradict it.

And how do you listen to your inner voice?

1. Pause. If you're uncomfortable and don't know the reason, don't assume there isn't one. It may not be a good one, but a reason does exist. In the heat of the moment, it's often difficult to identify it so we often ignore what we're feeling for the sake of making a decision.
2. Listen, not just to your mental concerns but to your body as well. Discomfort with a decision often manifests as physical symptoms such as nausea, insomnia, agitation. You may easily miss these as signs that you're uncomfortable with the decision you've made or are about to make, but if you pay attention you'll likely find you have the same physical reactions to ignoring your inner voice time after time.
3. Hone your instincts. If we're going to rely on our gut, especially make sure your inner voice is as accurate as possible as often as possible. The more often you're able to recognize why you have the instinctual reactions you do, the more comfortable you'll become that your instincts can be trusted.

Remember. We are the creators of our own destiny. Open yourself to hear, listen and trust your inner voice. Happy Monday!