The voice within – the only true guide to yourself , your soul and your certainty.

I recently came across this most wonderful poem and wanted to share it with you all, as it encapsulates, in a very simple way, the concept of honouring the “voice within” and letting that voice inform your outer world.  Written by Shel Silverstein it really is a incredible verse and I do thank her whole-heartedly for it and for the inward direction to which it has pointed me in my own journey.

As with most things in life – less is more – and I found this brief and succinct verse to be most profound and touching in its simplicity and connection to the truth of our reality.

I invite you to claim your space for the next few minutes, settle in and read the verse below. Read it with intent. Read it with purpose. Read it without the need to rush onto and into the next activity of your day. Allow it settle within you and around you. Allow it to wrap you up like a huge blanket and give you permission to get to know you.

To find you.

To be you.

To honour you.

THE VOICE 

There is a voice inside of you

That whispers all day long

“I feel that this is right for me,

I know that this is wrong.”

No teacher, preacher, parent, friend

Or wise man can decide

What’s right for you – just listen to

The voice that speaks inside 

By Shel Silverstein

Now – I ask you to just sit once more with those words. Let them fill you up to the brim – overflowing with support and acknowledgement of who you really are.

Let them pour into every crevice of your being.

Let them flow into the very ends of your fingertips and down into the soles of your feet.

Let the words penetrate your mind, expand your heart and pour into your ears.

And now – read them once more.

Feel the clarity moving through every inch of your body.

Feel the energy starting to move.

Allow the thoughts, feelings and passions that represent your true self to surface and make their presence felt within you.

Acknowledge what matters to you.

Let those thoughts, those wants and those desires poke their heads up and get your attention.

Take 10 – 15 minutes to sit quietly with this verse and your thoughts and just observe what comes to your mind. See what rises to the surface, bubbling up to greet your new awareness of what lies within. What desires and passions have been lying dormant within you – waiting to be invited to the surface?

What thoughts flashed through your mind as you read the verse?

What longings did you feel in your heart?

Now – read it again. And again. Really let it float about within you and resonate.

Now – close your eyes and sit with it for another 10 minutes or so.

Okay – open your eyes.

Are you surprised by what thoughts came to you during that process?

Sometimes it is so difficult to clarify exactly what it is that we want in life, but the truth is that our most desired self is right there within us. Like a little gift- wrapped present just waiting to be opened.

But we can not open a gift if we refuse to see it waiting for us on the table.

And it is the all consuming fear of other people’s expectations, or society’s expectations or our parent’s expectations that can cut us off from this voice within and leave us feeling directionless. Empty. Lost. Hopeless.

Like a boat without a rudder.

A person without a purpose.

There is nothing worse than feeling that you can not live your life in line with your own values and beliefs. And it is these values, thoughts, beliefs, passions and interests that lie within our soul waiting to guide us to a life of purpose and contentment.

They are all a gift – a treasure – just waiting to be found and opened.

The truth is that we all know where our heart lies, if we are honest with ourselves.

We all know the topics that light a fire within and call us to action.

It may be scaling Mount Everest.

It may be baking cookies for your friends.

It may be setting up a new business.

It may be writing a book.

It may be finding bargains online and sharing them with others.

It may be spending time with family.

It may be working as an activist or advocate for an issue close to your heart.

It may be lying in the sun drinking cocktails.

It doesn’t matter what it is  – it just matters that you connect with your inner voice and acknowledge its guidance.

I believe with 100% conviction, that much of the disharmony in the world today is caused by people not being allowed to live their lives in line with that “little voice within”. There are so many people who feel “bullied” into living someone else’s life.

Living a life to someone else’s standards and ideals.

The life of an accountant may not be at all compelling or rewarding for someone who desires from their heart and soul and their little voice within to be an artist.

The life of a dancer may not be at all compelling or rewarding for someone who desires from their heart and soul and their little voice within to be a stockbroker.

The life of a Corporate CEO may not be at all compelling or rewarding for someone who desires from their heart and soul and their little voice within to be a social advocate for political change.

The life of an entrepreneur may not be at all compelling or rewarding for someone who desires from their heart and soul and their little voice within to have a regular job with regular benefits they can count on and little responsibility.

The key here is that what is right for one person may not be right for another and our happiness and contentment, rest in the acknowledgment of this fact and in our ability to recognize and utilize this Voice within.

This wonderful barometer of our soul.

This wonderful call to action.

This wonderful resonance that stamps our individuality and our true calling across our entire being and existence, with the ability to bring us a sense of peace and fulfilment regardless of our exterior world.

The irony of life on the Planet Earth, as we know it, is that despite having this wonderful tool as close to us as it could possibly get – right there within us – few people are actually aware of it and even fewer use it to facilitate the life they have always dreamed of.

But the key to this door can be found in the profound words of the little poem presented to you today. Once again I invite you to unlock the door and walk through to a new and exciting existence where you honour the truth of who you are.

Not your parent’s truth. Not your teacher’s truth. Not your friend’s truth. Not your preacher’s truth. Not your mentor’s truth. Not my truth.

Your truth.

There is a voice inside of you

That whispers all day long

“I feel that this is right for me,

I know that this is wrong.”

No teacher, preacher, parent, friend

Or wise man can decide

What’s right for you – just listen to

The voice that speaks inside

Thank you once more Shel Siverstein.

Discover You. Love You. Be You.

It really is that simple.

- Christine -