“Listen to the wind, it speaks. Listen to silence, speak. Listen to the heart, know.” ~Native American Wisdom
Have you ever felt stuck? Get stuck in a business where you lose your passion, a job you no longer enjoy, no longer satisfy your relationship, or just hesitate to how to move forward in life?
This feeling of “stuck” often leads to anxiety, fear and even shame. I got a good idea of these feelings.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, my life was turned upside down, like many people. I am the founder and executive director of the National Arts Organization and I built it from scratch and led to 18 years.
Suddenly, overnight, I felt like I might lose everything. My funding partners and sponsors exited, I went deeper into my credibility and I was responsible for the staff distributed across the country.
The pressure was overwhelming. I couldn’t fall asleep, my family and I became irritable and edgy, grabbed them on the smallest things, and sometimes, only a lot of willpower could get out of bed and face the day. I never felt so lost, uncertain or fearful.
While this certainly caused a lot of anxiety, it wasn’t just a fear of losing business and my salary. The greater fear is the loss of my sense of identity. If I were not the executive director and founder of this organization, who am I? Before I started this nonprofit, I felt as trivial as no one. I don’t want to go back to that place. I don’t want to lose my building.
This fear consumed me and I asked everyone I knew, “What should I do?”
One day, I brought this question to my business coach. She answered one of her own questions: “What do you usually do when you feel stressed and anxious?”
“Well, I usually go for a walk in the woods,” I replied.
“Perfect,” she said. “This is what you’re going to do: for the next thirty days, every day, you’re going to walk in the woods and watch and listen.”
“What? I can’t do it. I don’t have time to come.” I stuttered. In my mind, I thought, What kind of business coach tells her clients to take a walk in the woods? I need business advice, not natural remedies.
Somehow, she got my promise. Every morning, dawn, it was the only time I could do it every day, so I walked into the forest behind the house. Every day, I ask God, Squirrel and the Universe for answers: “What should I do?”
Slowly – no matter slowly – changes. A sense of calm calmed me down. I began to notice the beauty around me: shades of green, light filtering out from the canopy of leaves, chorus of birds singing, melody of streams, melody of streams as it rushes through the rocks, silky texture of moss-covered bark, stimulating spring smell, stimulating spring flowers – you can almost taste the air.
Then, I began to feel grateful. Thanks to the trees, the air, the stillness. Thanks to my business coach, he pushed me toward this approach. For everything in this moment, this gratitude is like the swelling of the love in my chest.
In this calm state deep inside of me, I asked a question again: “What should I do?”
This time, I got the answer.
“what do you think Want to do it? ” A voice came out from the inside.
It’s my own voice, but like my older, wiser version.
I didn’t miss any rhythm. “What do you mean, what do I want to do? What am I Assumptions Want to do it? ”
“No, Anita,” a steady response. “what do you think Want to do it? ”
“I don’t know. I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.”
That put me in trouble.
Later that day, I found myself wandering in the spiritual part of the bookstore. A book caught my attention: A dialogue with God Authored by Neale Donald Walsch. I picked it up, flipped it and opened it, and jumped off the page in one line:
“Frustration and anxiety come from disobeying the soul. ”
My breath caught. I read these words again and let them sink. In that moment, I realized a profound truth–I am not listening to my soul.
I’ve been here before. This is not the first time I have been reminded to slow down, to move inward and reconnect with my inner wisdom. But I became so busy, so trapped in my business, my family and all the responsibilities that I forgot. Not only did I lose my connection with that part of myself, but in many ways, I couldn’t see what I really wanted and what I really wanted.
I have been working on the research I remember for nearly five years – reconnecting with my higher self, God, source, universe (whether they feel right to your name, they are the same for me). Three truths are revealed when we connect with our higher self and listen to our soul consistently:
- The truth about who we are.
- About the facts we really want.
- And facts about why it matters.
When we stop listening to inner wisdom, we are overwhelmed by external noises – someone tells us who we should be, and the media convinces us that we are not enough to make us feel scared and make us feel small and powerless.
But when we reconnect with our higher self:
- The clarity of purpose and direction appears.
- Fear and self-doubt let go of their grip.
- No matter how chaotic the world is, inner harmony will stabilize us.
- Our ability to love is deepened.
So we become Not fixed. We have reached our greatest potential. We create a life full of meaning, happiness and joy.
How do we reconnect with our advanced self?
When I first realized that I was asking the wrong question and switched to the inquiry, “What do I want? ”I skipped an essential step – working internally that allows you to connect with your higher self and find the answers you are looking for. Finally, I found out. It’s really simple.
Essentially, reconnecting with a higher self is to slow down and provide yourself with time and space to foster that relationship.
Here are three key steps to help you do this.
Stay away from the busyness of life.
Work, responsibility and distraction are eliminated every day. Make it non-negotiable every day. My favorite way to pull out the plug is to walk in nature, which has other health benefits. I recommend a cautious walk of at least twenty minutes a day. A mindful walking is a form of meditation, but just sitting in meditation is also a good choice.
Say your gratitude.
Science shows that practical gratitude can reduce stress, improve mood and improve overall well-being. More importantly, it opens the heart – making it easier to hear the whispers of your soul.
Attract all senses in the present moment.
Do you see, hear, smell, feel or even smell? You exist when you use all your senses to fully participate in the environment. Existence is the portal to connect with you higher self.
Once you have it rooted in the present and now, that is you ask yourself a simple question: “What do I want?” and then, listen.
Listen to your whole body. Pay attention to the thoughts that surface, the images that appear in your mind and the feeling that comes out. Don’t judge any one. Just open and curious.
There was nothing at the beginning. But keep on resuming this practice-making now, inward and inquire, What do I want? Soon, you will hear the whispers of the soul. And if you learn to listen to these whispers, you will be untied and guided to the most outstanding life.
Are you ready to listen to your soul?
I invite you to participate in your own thirty-day natural challenge. Every day, go out, take a deep breath, and observe simply. Let nature be your guide when reconnecting with your inner wisdom. Note what changes have happened to you – how clarity is, how gratitude deepens, how your soul whispers.
Will you accept the challenge? Let me know how your journey unfolds and I would love to hear your insights.
PS: If you want to know what will happen next – my life changed fundamentally when I finally watched and listened to the whispers of my soul. I realized that what I really wanted was to shut down my business because I lost my enthusiasm for it a few years ago, but fear was putting me in a strait. Then the whisper of my soul guides me to let go of most of my possessions and embrace the nomadic way of life.
This decision took my husband and I on an extraordinary journey through many incredible corners of the world. In the process, I reappear myself as a life and leadership coach, guiding others to the highest journey. Life unfolds in the most beautiful, unexpected way as I continue to listen.
About Anita Adams
Anita Adams helps people move from overwhelming and uncertainty to clarity, inner peace and joy. As a life and leadership coach, speaker, retreat leader and bestseller The whisper of the soul, She gives individuals a life of meaning that is consistent with her true self. Learn more at www.joyfulinspiredliving.com. To get a copy of your soul whisper, go here: https://mybook.to/whispersofthesoul
