“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”
~Charles R. Swindoll
It’s in there, I know it is. Underneath the mental noise, habits, and distractions, there it is, clear as day…your inner truth.
If you’ve ever been confused or wondered why you got into the same situation again for the millionth time, it might be worth your while to quiet down and listen. Your inner truth is always speaking – guiding you, pointing out the red flags, tapping you on the shoulder with clarity. The real you absolutely knows how to handle things wisely and walk the joyful path. Isn’t that amazing?
It’s simply a matter of listening.
Getting in the Way of Listening
We try way harder than necessary to figure everything out. Do you ruminate endlessly when you need to make a decision? Or get stuck in repetitive patterns that don’t serve you? Are you too busy moving forward to notice what is here now?
Listening to your inner truth is about getting out of your own way. Maybe you complicate matters by:
- Thinking you have to come up with the answers
- Moving too fast to be present
- Letting the past and future consume your attention
- Leading with should’s and have-to’s
- Doubting what you know to be true
If you are trying to get to peace, trying to find happiness, trying to make your struggles disappear, there is a simple solution.
But it is a radical one, so you need to be ready.
Discover Yourself
You are being invited to do something you may never have done before. And that is stop. Stop the analyzing, the agitated thinking. Stop spinning in doubt and frustration. Stop doing what doesn’t bring you happiness.
Just for a moment, step away from all of that. You can always pick it up later, if you want.
Take a deep, cleansing breath. Realize that you are still very much alive even though you aren’t caught in your mind. Notice space and silence. Then listen.
Instead, of barreling through at warp speed, put down all the armor, and be one with life. Because you already are. Underneath all the swirling mind activity, the pressures, the confusion is you. Unconditioned. Undisturbed. Infinitely present. Boundlessly intelligent. Vast and spacious. Crystal clear.
How to Listen
From the perspective of aware presence, the rules are different than what you are used to.
Your starting point is to inhabit the space of not knowing. It’s such a relief to say the truth: that you don’t know and you can’t figure it out. Let yourself rest here.
Then be quiet and listen. Don’t worry if your mind goes crazy. Stay as the space in which thoughts appear. Simply be present and available to what arises now.
Notice: What is your body communicating in its own special language? What insights spontaneously appear? What do you realize that you have been ignoring?
Expand in openness and receptivity. Let go of anything you might expect or hope to hear. Allow anything to show itself to you without judging it.
At this point, it’s anyone’s game. Maybe the change you need to make will become clear. Maybe you will see that resting and doing nothing is the wisest path. Maybe your urge to defend will fall away, and the most beautiful heart-filled response will appear.
Let yourself be surprised by the capacity of your natural intelligence. Then bow to it by letting it guide your actions.
It’s so simple. Listen up, and your true magnificence will shine everywhere.
What happens when you listen to your inner truth? What gets in the way? I’d love to hear…
