Going Within
I was scrolling social media the other day when I noticed an author asking if he should write a certain type of scene into his novel. He received one 159 opinions. I’m not sure if this helped him with his dilemma, or if it only added to his confusion. This made me think of how often we look to those around us for answers that only we can answer for ourselves.
When we ask others for their opinion it can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, we receive many opinions to choose from, yet on the other hand, we limit our ability to learn to trust ourselves. Is it possible we don’t give ourselves enough credit for what we know to be true for our current situation?
Any opinion we receive from someone else, will have their life bias ingrained in the opinion. This bias will be based on their life experience and not our life experience. If we follow their opinion, and life doesn’t work out like we had thought, what then? Why did we trust their opinion, instead of trusting what we know is true and right for us? Now imagine trying to sift through 159 opinions for the solution we are seeking.
In essence, asking for an opinion is looking for an answer we may not want to accept. It may be much easier to blame someone else if things don’t work out than it would be to take responsibility for ourselves. As long as we are seeking the opinions of others, we are saying to ourselves we don’t trust ourselves to make the right choices.
Understanding Intuition
This is where our intuition and instincts come into play. Imagine asking ourselves any question that is important to us, then paying attention for a feeling, or a message from our true selves. This is the voice we choose to ignore when we seek the opinions of others. The answer we receive will not have the bias of their opinions, yet it will have the bias of our best interest as its main focus. We will no longer have to search through 159 opinions to discover what is true for us.
As time goes on and our trust in our intuition grows, we will know what is right for us just by asking ourselves the question, then feeling for the answer. This way we are connected with our true selves and the wisdom that is always there for us.
When I first turned to my intuition, and instincts, I thought I only needed this wisdom for the big decisions in my life. Then I realized I could ask for guidance on any subject, even the small decisions. This is one way to gain confidence in this inner wisdom. Ask, then wait for an answer. Ask a second time just to be sure you heard right. The second answer usually matches the first answer. The answer often comes in the form of a gut feeling—this is inner wisdom—your intuition.
Your Personal Guidance System
Each one of us has this inner wisdom. All we have to do is learn to trust the brilliance of our true selves. As we begin to trust this powerful wisdom, our need for the opinions of others will fade.
There may be a time when we seek the positive opinion from our spouse, close friend, or our employer. This is seeking a constructive opinion for our benefit or the benefit of a project at work. In these cases seeking an opinion is the right thing to do. Although we can ask ourselves if seeking an opinion from these people is the right thing to do as well. When we ask, then feel for the answer, we will know the right course of action by how the answer makes us feel. If it feels honest and true, it is the correct course of action.
In time you will become comfortable with asking for the guidance from your true self. You will no longer need to seek the opinions of others for the important choices that come along in life. Remember to start on small choices. Then as you gain more confidence, move on to larger decisions. With any luck you won’t need 159 opinions to make it through your day.
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