A message from Sandy. All of us have a remarkable well of inner wisdom, there for us when we need it. The tricky part is learning to access it. Our inner guide speaks quietly (mine mumbles too). In the midst of our busy lives and busy minds, it can be difficult to hear. So how do we access the wealth of wisdom within us?

Inner wisdom needs and open mind, and a  quiet space to emerge. The problem is, our minds aren’t usually a quiet, open space.  They are typically cluttered with all kinds of “stuff”—our fears, all the “shoulds” in our lives,  and others opinions. Our minds are particularly cluttered with all of that when we are facing a difficult choice, or a challenging transition. The clutter drowns out the voice of our inner guidance system. (It’s our own personal GPS system!) So now we are confused and mentally cluttered–now what?  Let tackle some of the mental clutter one at a time:

“Shoulds”   Ideas about what you should be doing, or things you want to do in an ideal situation. When we take seriously or feel bound by our shoulds, it becomes very difficult to decipher what we truly value and want.

Fears       We are plagued by fears that obscure the wisdom within—–the fear of rejection or failure that keeps us from trying something new; the fear of being unloved or being left out causes us to censor ourselves and conform; the fear of the unknown causes us to live safe but unfulfilling lives. These fears are like static that make it hard for us to hear our inner voice.

Our Inner Critic (she’s back!) We all have an inner critic (mine if you recall is Critical Carol–she cannot keep her mouth shut) that chatters away about how we don’t measure up. When we face a major decision that requires us to step up, take a risk, pursue a dream, tell difficult truths, that inner critic chatter tends to get louder, more frequent, and more intrusive. It prevents us from hearing our own truth. We need to silence the inner critic, or at least quiet her down.

Other People’s Opinions   There are also all those other people’s opinions echoing in your head: Your spouse, your parents, your friends, and co-workers. You may also have internalized the attitudes of a whole group/groups of people you are  a part of —-your religious community, workplace, or extended family. There’s a whole darn crowd in your head! It’s impossible  to hear your own opinion, with all those other people in your consciousness. Your inner guide needs an open, empty space to emerge. It will come  out when the one right person  (that would be you ) is listening.

Beliefs About What Isn’t Possible    Our inner guide will often lead us toward creative solutions we would never consider if we were looking through the lens of what is possible or realistic. Clearing a space for your inner guide, includes suspending your beliefs about what is possible and what isn’t, to create a blank canvas.  Now that we recognize where the mental clutter is coming from, how do we clear it out?