From Chaos to Clarity: How to Connect with Your Inner Voice
Growing up in a Portuguese household, I rarely experienced silence. My parents worked from home, so there was always some form of auditory assault around me. The TV would be on, pots clanging in the kitchen, and the loud pshhhhhht and mechanical whirring of my dad's compressed-air paint sprayer in the backyard.
I was surrounded by noise, and as I grew older, I continued to fill my life with distractions like TV, video games and socialising. The noise was a way to avoid confronting my thoughts. They were too messy, too ugly.
Ego vs Intuition
Intuition, the voice through which the Universe communicates, is a whisper in our ear, guiding us in the direction we need to go—if we're quiet enough to listen. Ego surrounds us with a loud, hard shell that often drowns out this gentle guidance.
Over the years, my ego grew louder and my intuition quieter. Without this divine guidance, I often stumbled and fell on my face.
Learning Surrender
In The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer, the author explains how quieting his ego and learning to flow with the tide of life led him to a life of peace and, ironically, success. By going where the Universal current took him and only listening to his intuition, he built a spiritual temple for hundreds of meditators and a billion-dollar software business. Not bad for going with the flow.
Things don't always work out, of course. Life isn't a fairy tale. But, by listening to - and trusting - our intuition, we can better navigate life's challenges.
"Silence is a lesson learned through life's many sufferings." - Seneca
Learning to embrace stillness has put me in a much better position today than when I listened to my ego voice and distracted myself with noise. My intuition has an opportunity to speak, and I can hear it.
Three Steps to Stillness
Achieving stillness takes time and practice, but we can all learn to quiet our ego and open ourselves up to our intuition. Here are three practical steps:
- Practice mindfulness. Meditate for a few minutes daily. It may be uncomfortable initially, but we should sit with it. Observe it. Over time, the ego will be silenced, and the discomfort will transform into peace.
- Journal. Writing down our thoughts each morning and evening clears the mind, gradually reducing mental chatter and allowing silence an opportunity to emerge.
- Practice gratitude. We should spend a few minutes each day reflecting on what we are grateful for. Cultivating gratitude daily creates a positive mindset, giving our ego less to latch on to.
Silencing our egos, listening to our intuition, and surrendering to our life's journey can lead to amazing things.
What's been your experience with silencing your ego? Let me know in the comments below.
Until next week,
Ric.
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