The Voice

I feel compelled to begin this post by talking about how long it's been since my last post.  But I think that's how I started last time, so it's probably getting old.  But I am aware that I am a very sporadic blogger. Awareness is the first step towards change though, right?

I have missed working on my blog and could list a whole host of reasons why I haven't had time.  But that would make for a really boring post, and the fact of the matter is that I simply did not make the time for it. I do not really buy into the whole "I don't have time for that" excuse.  If something is a priority, time can always be created.  But I am digressing here....I will say that the push I needed to finally stop procrastinating came from a friend who posted a comment today stating that I was her inspiration for her to start a blog of her own, which was one of the highest compliments I have received.  Her blog is wonderful and can be viewed at http://juli-thelittlethings.blogspot.com/.  It made me think "Wow, maybe I do have something to say that people find interesting."  What a concept.

What I find so inspiring about reading other people's blogs is that it shows who a person really is down to the depths of his or her soul.  Blogging provides an avenue for people to express his or voice and to shine his or her unique light out into the world wide web.  As you know, there are blogs on just about every topic imaginable.  For someone to devote the time and energy it takes to write a blog means it is something they are extremely passionate about.  It just amazes me that people possess such an endless variety of fascinating hobbies, interests and talents, and how many colors to the rainbow of humanity there really are.

Yoga and meditation have helped me to clear the static of my thoughts and dial into the deepest desires and impulses of my own heart.  This intuition that every person holds...the deep feelings, ideas or sensations that go beyond the five senses we are accustomed to using....has become my compass, my guide as I navigate this incredible journey of life.

I believe we are all born with these inner impulses planted in us.  It is what makes us uniquely us...they are our divine gifts, or dharma, whether it be something big and bold like being a gifted athlete or something a little quieter, like being a really amazing listener.  It is our duty to recognize and honor these gifts that have been bestowed upon us, whatever they may be.  As the Bhagavad Gita states: "It is better to perform one's own duty (dharma) imperfectly than to perform another's duty (dharma) perfectly."  So where doubt used to reign, I now fully trust and respect who I am and see gifts and talents where I used to see none.  I listen to the little voice inside and I enjoy listening to others expressing their individual voices as well.  We all have beautiful and special gifts to offer if we could just turn the volume down on the fearful and doubtful cacophony in our minds and listen instead to the song in our hearts.  This song has many different melodies...it could be singing a tune about a vocation that feels as if it would be deeply fulfilling, or something particular you feel really compelled to say to someone, or just a general feeling of knowing you are on the right path.  When we hear the voice from within that is sending us messages, our tendency however is to usually stifle the voice with self doubt.  We may say things like "I could never make money or be successful doing that."  Or, "What I have to say does not really matter."  Or we might bend to the opinions of other people rather than carving the path that feels truly right for us.

This is not to say that doubt does not still arise for me.  It does, a lot.  But I have learned to simply take a look at this doubt, ask myself if it is true or holds any merit, look at the situation from as wide of a lens as possible and then usually default back to whatever my intuition is telling me.  As the saying goes, I have learned to "doubt my doubts."

A friend recently shared this short poem written by the beloved children's poet Shel Silverstein with me.  It is called "The Voice" and contains wisdom to be valued by the young and old alike:

There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
"I feel that this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong."
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What's right for you - just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.