I was talking with a client the other day.
He is in the exploration phase of his career search process. This means he is unsure of what’s next for him, so he’s reaching out to many people with jobs he thinks he might like in order to learn more about the reality of their positions.
As we talked, I noticed that my client was censoring a lot of his good networking ideas.
This is one of his main complaints about his current position — that he is not allowed to learn and grow, nor work on projects of interest to him.
But in his own career search process, he was imposing the same type of limits on himself. He had internalized the voices of his boss and any other people in his life who put him down, and he was prohibiting himself from reaching out to people who could be really great folks with whom he could speak.
So I pointed this out to him.
I said: ‘You have so many good ideas. And I am noticing a pattern. You have a great idea, and then dismiss it. Then, for days, you feel a nagging sense of disappointment, knowing you should have followed up on your idea.’
He agreed. So I continued:
‘That small voice with the great, positive, encouraging ideas for you? That’s your inner voice. The ideas you may be tempted to dismiss as crazy, or foolish? Inner voice, right there. These might be ideas like: “Go to a certain cafe and just sit and read a book.” Or, it could be an idea to travel to a certain place, chat with a stranger, or reach out to a friend, colleague, or neighbor for advice.’
The ideas from your inner voice are coming from a deeper, more connected part of you, so they often speak to you in symbols and gestalts: you might see a recurring image or be reminded of verses from songs or lines of poetry that you just can’t get out of your head.
Or, you could have a sudden burst of inspiration to go somewhere, reach out to somebody, or do a thing that you rarely do.
The inner voice feels a bit like an inner child, tugging at your coat tails, asking you to play. This voice will suddenly and sweetly suggest that you do something that seems outlandish — but listen to it. It is speaking from a more connected place. It knows more than you do.
If you listen to this tiny inner impulse, you may end up at a cafe at exactly the right moment to sit next to someone who is hiring consultants in exactly your field of specialization. That inner guidance to go to a concert you suddenly feel like attending could serendipitously position you in front of your next business partner while standing in line for refreshments.
Life presents many challenges. Often, we have no idea what to do in a given circumstance. It can be tempting to reach out to others for advice – to read books, search Google, and ask all of our friends and family about our situation.
But we all have access to the best guidance: the guidance of our inner voice. This voice gets drowned out the more we reach out to others for input. It is only through stillness and silence that we are able to hear the inner impulses, the ones that come from our most expansive self.
That’s why I recommend daily journaling and meditation for all of my clients. We all have access to information. The trick is to slow down, listen, and then act on what you hear.
This will encourage your inner voice to keep talking – if you listen to and act on what it says.
Nobody likes to be ignored. We all appreciate it when folks listen to us. The same applies to your inner voice. Listen, and you’ll be amazed at where it will guide you.
