The hardest thing that I struggle with is listening to my inner voice.

I attended a talk by a change expert who talked about the changes she made in her personal life. One of the messages that stuck with me was, “not asking anyone for permission” and “not looking for anyone’s approval.” The reason it hit home is because I at times feel restricted by the inability to follow my own path.

We are so bogged down trying to keep the threads of the people around us tied together, that we neglect our inner voice when we try loosen our thread from them. We do not believe that by loosening our thread more would be able to join, as opposed to it all falling apart.

When you remove worrying about what others think and you follow your inner voice, there is a calmness and quietness that occurs. The hardest part is following that inner voice when it may affect those around you directly so we assume that things will not work out…and therein lies the misconception. Your inner voice is never wrong; it will never lead you down the wrong path. It may stretch you or teach you things about yourself that you did not know but it will never destroy you.

When I listened to my inner voice and made a few difficult decisions, I felt peace. I didn’t worry (and normally I worry a lot); I was my healthiest and happiest and I knew it was right, regardless of what others thought. When I made a wrong decision and ignored my inner voice, the effects were felt for a long time; even years afterwards.

We can try to quieten our voice but it never goes away. It sits with us and comes out through various ways, trying to force us to listen to it. We are not as healthy as we could be, not as strong or as happy.

Now, how do we start making sure we always listen and trust our voices?