What if you already knew everything you need to know to live your inspired life? Sometimes amidst the challenge of surviving, inner wisdom can seem like something we can only access from a mountain top.
We often witness others and ourselves saying and doing things that demonstrate what would appear to clearly be a lack of access to this kind of wisdom. If we have the answers, then why do so many of us spend months and, sometimes, years feeling like we’re fumbling around in the dark? And what can we do to connect with this supposed ever-present knowing?
Internally, for me, it comes down to finding the quiet space necessary to listen for that voice and then trusting it when the insight comes. Sometimes this means sitting the inner critic in a corner. Believing that I already have the answers I need is also an important piece. This doesn’t mean there is valuable knowledge I can continue to acquire as I grow but when it comes to having a sense of what is right for me, what fits and what doesn’t …well, these insights must come from within.
From a coaching perspective, seeing clients as already having their own answers allows the process to be the most client-centered. They get to run the show. If I ask empowering open-ended questions and hold the belief that they know what they need to know about what is best for them, they will come up with their own brilliant answers. And they do. At first, they are often surprised at what they know.
Eventually, they build the muscle of being able to create clarity and insight to a level where they begin to self-coach between sessions. A challenge or need to make a choice will come up between sessions and suddenly, instead of spending time on our next coaching call guiding them to connect with their wisdom, they are reporting back to me how they resolved challenges and issues throughout the week on their own. This is the kind of independence we strive to create so their coaching tools become a way of life, not just something someone else is telling them to do.
Most often what a client needs is the opportunity to get clear about a situation. Once they have clarity, which means understanding both the choices available as well as what their core values are, defining what’s next and creating a plan of action informed by their own divine intelligence happens quite easily. It seems, from this place, people feel more ease with making a decision and choosing a particular course of action. There is no should I/shouldn’t I friction going on.
The next time you are facing the opportunity to make a significant choice and you are not sure which path to take, ask yourself, “If I already knew the answer, what would it be?” You may feel some resistance come up at first. Tell it to go sit near the inner critic and then invite clarity in instead. Time for someone else to run the show.
