Accessing your inner wisdom
I'm sharing a three-part series on the biggest things I think you can get from intentional writing: space, ease, and wisdom.
We've talked about space and ease, which means today we're diving into wisdom!
I’ve been super interested in the idea of inner wisdom lately.
I think it’s because I haven’t always been very good at hearing (or listening to) my own.
For as long as I can remember, I haven’t been a great decision-maker—most of the time. I agonize over the normal big decisions (like buying a car or a house), but also over the small things (like where to buy lunch in the airport—no joke, this sometimes takes forever).
We could probably spend lots of time discussing why I do this—and I certainly have, with myself and others—but that’s not why I brought it up.
I’m telling you what a terrible decision-maker I can be because I want you to see the contrast with the times when…I’m not.
When I was 24, I moved from southern Virginia to Boston. With no job lined up, to an apartment I’d never seen. I couldn’t have told you why I was doing this, but something in me just knew it was the right thing to do.
After a few months, I knew Boston wouldn’t be my forever home, but I also knew it was still the right place for me at that time. Again, I wasn’t sure why, but I had a sense of peace around the whole thing.
Then when I was 29, I moved from Boston…to Birmingham. Alabama. With someone I had only been dating a year. We had never lived together, and I had never been to Birmingham—heck, I’d never even been to Alabama. But again, something in me felt very calm about this decision—there almost wasn’t a decision to be made. I just did it. (We still live here...and now we're married with three cats and a kiddo!)
I know this is odd coming from a girl who can draw out something relatively simple for weeks before making a final decision.
I think what happened in those (and other) times where I made decisions almost effortlessly is that I followed the voice of my inner wisdom.
And now that I can see that, now that I realize I’ve had a taste, I want more. I don’t want to wait for those moments when my inner wisdom pushes through all the worry and negative chatter and indecision in my mind.
I want to be able to access my inner wisdom when I need it, rather than layering over it with other (less important and misguiding) thoughts, ideas, and advice.
I don’t want to agonize over decisions, whether small or big. I want to simply listen to that voice inside of me that knows what’s right for me, right now. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.
So how do we access that inner wisdom? Here are my thoughts!
Pay attention to your body.
Some people feel inner wisdom and intuition in their heart area, some in their gut. And I’m sure others have different kinds of physical feelings that let them know to listen up. Begin to notice how you feel when you make decisions and when things go your way—or don’t. Over time, you can start to identify the feelings in your body first and then try to interpret what those signals mean. I think meditation could be a really great way to supplement the idea of paying attention—when your mind is more still, you may be more in tune with signals your body is giving you.
Actively request that it surface.
If there’s a decision you’re consciously trying to make, sit down and write about it. Start with the problem—like, “I’m trying to decide whether or not I should move…” and then keep going. Go wherever your mind leads you. If you get off track, examine what it could mean. You may just be trying to avoid thinking about the decision, of course, but you also may think you’re off track when really, the place your mind is taking you is totally relevant.
Make space for it to rise.
I would love to have my inner wisdom more present in my everyday life, not just when I’m making big decisions. But I don’t necessarily want to sit down and write every single time I have a decision to make, like “I’m trying to decide whether to finish my to-do list or take a nap...” (though, to be honest, in the beginning, that’s probably not a terrible idea). And that’s where an ongoing writing practice can come in handy. If you’re intentionally doing the kind of writing that creates space in your mind, you’ll make making room for your inner wisdom to surface more often.
Learning to listen to your inner wisdom isn’t something that will happen overnight (that’s true of anything that represents true growth and change). But like so many other things that take time, I believe it’s truly worth it.
So I’ve created something to help you make space for your inner wisdom and create ease around intentional writing. It's called Explore: 31 Days of Intentional Writing.
Each day for 31 days, you’ll get a prompt in your email. These touch on your past, present, and future, and are designed to help you get writing and see where it takes you.
But the prompts are just part of the magic! I’ll also send you a welcome guide that will help you set a specific, powerful intention for your 31-day practice—and Make space for my inner wisdom to surface would make a really great intention.
Then when you’re done, I’ll also send you a wrap-up guide to help you harness what you created (the writing you do, the momentum you create, or both!).
And each week, you’ll get encouragement from me as well as a reminder to check in on your intention—so the entire process feels deliberate and meaningful.
Use the code explore10 to save $10 off the price between now and February 25 at 5pm Central (tomorrow!!).
If you sign up between now and then, your first prompt will arrive March 1—but you’ll get immediate access to the welcome guide so you can begin setting your intention now.
If you’re on the fence, please hit reply to this email—I’m happy to answer any questions!
I’m super excited for March 1! Until then, I’d love to hear how your inner wisdom has surfaced in your life. Hit reply and let me know—I always enjoy hearing these kinds of stories!
With much love,
Erica
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