Over the course of our lives we all have different things that we focus on and work towards at different times.
Lately, I’ve been aware that one of the main things I need to work on at this time is listening to myself better. Over the last few weeks in particular, I’ve intuitively felt this was what I was supposed to be working on.
It can often be easy to listen to the surface level thoughts that we have on a daily basis, such as what to eat, what to do with our day, what’s going on in our lives, and the lives of our friends and family members. However, I’m speaking of the deeper voice, the intuitive voice that just knows what is right for us. That contains the inner messages messages of truth, that we can only pay attention to and receive for ourselves.
We may be vaguely aware of this voice, but on some level, we always know it’s there. Even if it’s so quiet we don’t tune into it, we are still aware of its presence. It’s like that thought, feeling, or sense of knowing that just won’t leave you alone because you know deep down it’s your truth, it’s your path. It can also often feel like an urge or desire.
It’s not uncommon for us to dismiss these thoughts, or brush them aside because they may seem too far-fetched to ever become a reality, or the challenge of moving toward them may seem too great.
Sometimes those thoughts are easier to ignore than to address because to listen to them would involve change, paying attention to truths we may not want to see, or challenging ourselves in some way.
We are all unique; there is only one you in the world. The more you believe in yourself, listen to yourself, and follow your dreams, the better you make this world for everyone. Part of listening to yourself is believing in yourself and not being afraid to live your unique and authentic truth.
Maybe your career isn’t quite what you want, maybe there’s something you’ve always wanted to do, a place you’ve dreamed of traveling to, a class you’ve wanted to take in order to develop a specific skill (photography, writing, a business course, etc.). We are given our unique passions and interests for a reason. They are the desires of our soul.
We may not always immediately understand them, but the one thing we can be sure about is that our internal guidance is something that we can always rely on. It is the truth that only we know, it is guidance no one else is capable of giving us because it comes from within us.
In an intuitive reading I had many years ago I was told as long as I made up my own mind, choices, and decisions (without being swayed by others/outside influences) and truly listened to myself, I could never say I did it wrong (because I’d be living authentically). I have never forgotten those words, and they have always felt very powerful to me.
As a personal example from my life, I obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and went to work in the criminal justice field. It turned out to be a very challenging road, but the lessons, insight, and so forth I gained from my job have been invaluable. It’s fair to say I have done a lot of learning about myself and growing throughout my career. Undoubtedly the skills, insights, and understanding of people I’ve gained throughout my career is something I will take with me into all future endeavors.
In 2016 I graduated with a master’s degree in criminology, and in 2017 I realized that I wanted to pursue a different career path outside of the criminal justice world. Go figure, lol.
From an outsider’s perspective one might think it was a mistake to have gotten a graduate degree in the criminal justice field only to choose not to be involved in it any longer. However, because I know I listened to my intuition (my internal guidance) with the decisions I made regarding my education and my career, I know the decisions I made were the right ones for me, and that’s a good feeling.
I had always wanted a graduate degree, not necessarily for career advancement (although I knew it would help), but more as a personal goal, something for myself. Obtaining my degree served a profound purpose, and laid a platform for my future because I know that no matter what I choose to do moving forward, having an advanced degree will help regardless of the field I go into. It will help provide a unique perspective to my intuitive passions and endeavors, and it has helped me fine tune and further develop my research, writing, analytical, and project management skills to name a few, which will also continue to benefit me in the future.
The point I’m trying to make is, although my career path goals have changed, I am confident in the decisions I made because I know I was truly listening to my internal guidance along the way.
The bottom line is always listen to yourself, which is also a form of honoring yourself, because there is no wrong path when you make the choices and decisions that are authentic and true for you.