Bodacious Decision Making by AnnaMariah

December 02, 2024 • Choices • decisions • empath • guidance • Highly Sensitive Person • HPS • inner guidance • Listening • possibilities • still small voice • Wisdom

Do You Feel Fragmented or at Odds with Yourself when You Must Choose?

Do all these choices send your brain into overwhelm? Do you frequently feel unable to make a choice because you can't get clear on what the options are, or how they'll affect you?

Do you try to listen to answers, but too often it's that critical voice that tells you everything you've done wrong or how you are lacking in the world?

If that's the voice you hear, it's the bad voice, not one you want to be listening to. Often, this is the voice of your mother, father, teachers, nuns, priests, rabbis, and other people who influenced your early life.

If you're especially sensitive to energy (an HSP, Highly Sensitive Person, or empath) your inner voice may be overshadowed by the wants, needs and desires of those around you.

Often these other voices are so loud you can't hear the quiet guidance of your own still small voice, the one that's always with you and knows what your soul needs.

You may often feel torn between voices that feel wrong, but in ways it's hard to determine.

Practice listening to your own guidance. But first you need to understand how it speaks to you.

Your Soul’s Voice

The small voice within is your soul speaking to you (also known as your higher self, intuition, or even your guides). This voice will always be supportive and helpful. It may not always tell you what you want to hear. It can tell you when you're on the wrong path or if something needs to change. It can warn you against doing things not in your best interests. But it never, ever criticizes. It simply supports you in going in a different direction.

I was struck by the fact that this is often called "the still small voice within." If a voice is supposed to speak up and support you, shouldn't it be active and not still? What happens when it's so still or quiet that you can't hear it?

Many people tell me they don't hear a voice. Well, that's possible because there are so many ways for it to communicate with you. Truly hearing a voice is less common than some other ways: a sense of knowing, a gut feeling, a sudden inspiration, a nudge, and so many others, all individual to you.

Unfortunately, that voice probably won't be as clear as listening to your stereo, but you can find a way to make it clearer and stronger.

Another reason for not hearing the voice is all the thoughts bouncing around in your head when you are stressed or anxious. The more they bond, the more stress and anxiety increase.

Your mind can keep you going around in circles, bringing up more questions, objections, worries, and issues, and oh my, it can get crazy.

So how do you quiet the critical voice, calm the stress and anxiety, and tune into the wisdom that is there just waiting for you?

Over the years, I have developed a technique that works for me. It uses the innate knowledge of your deeper self. Your soul knows the answers and is dying to share them with you.

Try it yourself. I will tell you right now, the more you do it, the more you trust it, the stronger and easier it becomes.

Hearing Your Own Answers

Find a quiet place where you can take a few minutes to experience this process. (Yes, it works even when you don't have that quiet, peaceful place, but for starters, it's easier in a calm, serene place.)

Do a before assessment of three areas.

Your body: How does your body feel? Are you relaxed or tense? Do you have pain anywhere? Are you tired or energized?

Write down some specifics. Writing will help you understand your experience, especially when learning the technique.

Your emotions: What emotions are you feeling?

Are you Calm? Happy? Sad? Angry? Anxious?

Your mind: Count to ten, and pay attention to the “pace of your mind.” How fast are you counting? Is there a rhythm? Or anything else that’s notable?

Write down a couple of options or choices you must make.
Take a few deep breaths to clear your mind.
Visualize yourself going through with option #1 or ask a question.

Questions should be general, such as “Would doing……benefit me?” or “Is going to (doing) …… in my highest interest or for my highest good?”

Take three more deep breaths and let the question go.
Go through the three steps above body, emotions, and pace of mind. Write them down as you go.

How does your body feel? How has it changed from the “before” picture? Are you tired where you had been energized or vice versa? Do you have a new pain in your body? Or did a previous pain leave?
How are you feeling emotionally? What, if anything, feels different than before?
Count to ten again. Is there a shift in the speed or cadence of your counting?

Take a few more deep breaths.
Visualize each of the other choices you wrote down, each time taking a few deep breaths between choices.
Look back at your notes. What choices made you feel energized, light, happy, calm, or certain? Was there one in which suddenly your mind was slow, or kind of spacey, or speedy, or….?

Most of the time, you will notice a definite change or response in each visualization. The choice with the most positive effect in all areas is Your Still Small Voice, which responds through your body, emotions, and mind. You might also call this your solution or "soulution".

Example from My Life

Your experiences may differ, but this example from my life may get you thinking.

I was planning on moving to Boston. I’d been to Boston, gone on several job interviews, checked out apartment prices, talked to friends, and even got a highly positive astro-cartography report. However, when I was in Boston, it felt difficult and heavy. But gosh, how could that be? My astro-cartography was fabulous, I had good friends there, and so much else pointed in that direction.

Back home in Montana, I got a phone call from the company I was most interested in working with. However, his offer was ridiculous, about $10-15K less than a livable wage in Boston. My answer was a definite “NO”.

I put on some music and sat down to meditate, letting my mind wander. Suddenly, a vision of California popped into my head. My entire body was tingling; I had so much energy flowing through me. The heavy feeling I’d felt thinking about Boston was Gone. I couldn’t quit smiling. This made NO SENSE; I didn’t want to move to California. I didn’t know a single person there. It was even more expensive than Boston. They have earthquakes. Don’t get me wrong, I love California as a place to visit, but I had never considered living there.

My response was so clear, immediate, and strong that I started checking out jobs online. I applied for several jobs, lined up some interviews, quit, packed everything in a U-Haul, and moved.

Yep, I moved to California before I even had an interview lined up. I had a job within 10 days of arrival and even had a free apartment for up to 3 months. Did it all work out perfectly? Nope. That first job only lasted 6 months, but shortly after it ended, my dream job showed up. I spent five happy years working with some amazing people where I was able to be myself and use a variety of talents. And I met my husband there 4 years later.

The Universe Works in its Own Mysterious Way

Another note about this technique and the way I find the universe works.

You won’t see the whole picture or all the necessary steps that will take you to your goal. What you will see is what you have to do now. The following steps and guidance will follow as needed.

Relax and follow your guidance. It’s an interesting and exciting journey.

When to use this Technique

You can use this technique to tune into almost anything: a move, a new relationship, a trip, a job, an event you’re thinking of attending, which gemstone is right for you today, what food or supplement to take, what color to wear…and so much more.

The more you practice, the easier it becomes, and the more you trust yourself and the feedback you receive.

I am sure you will find this extremely helpful technique for quieting your anxious mind. The more you do it, the more you trust, and the more immediate and clear the answers become.

Use this to move to a more empowered phase in your life, where you are open to all your own wisdom and easily guided to your next step, each piece unfolding into the next.

Happy Bodacious journeys.

AnnaMariah