Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.
- Carl Jung
DR. NORMAN VINCENT PEALE, author of the perennially
popular book, The Power of Positive Thinking, was seated
on an airplane next to a young woman who struck up a conversation
with him. When she discovered that Dr. Peale was a man of seasoned
wisdom, she asked him for help with a dilemma.
"I
have been dating two men and both have proposed to me," she
explained. "I'm not sure which one to say 'yes' to. Can you
help me decide?"
"That's easy," Dr. Peale answered abruptly.
"Then tell me!" the woman eagerly requested.
"I don't think you should marry either of them,"
Dr. Peale stated authoritatively.
"Why is that?" she asked, surprised.
"If you have to ask me who to marry, you're not
in love with either of them," he answered.
When something is right and good for you, it resonates within
you in a compelling and unmistakable way. You know just because
you know - not because anyone or anything outside you has convinced
you. Your inner being speaks so loudly and clearly that you
don't need confirmation or validation from the outer world.
If you want to know if a potential course of action is right
for you, be honest about how you feel about it. If it feels
like a fit for you, move with it. If it doesn't feel like a
fit, don't act on it. If thinking about something doesn't feel
good, doing it is not going to feel better. If thinking about
something feels good, doing it will probably feel even
better.
Your guidance speaks to you in a way that is unique and meaningful
for you. For some people, that knowing brings a sense of peace
or relief, like hearing a familiar favorite song. Others feel
tingly, bubbly, or experience a sense of exhilaration and increased
life force. Others feel a visceral sensation, such as goosebumps
or the hairs on the back of their neck standing up.
Get to know how you personally experience your inner guidance,
and then move with it. Practice doing only those 
things
that match your joy, and avoiding deeds that grate against you.
Make enthusiasm a prerequisite for action and you will progress
to a new level of joy and success in your business and relationships.
If you do not know what choice to make, wait until you receive
a stronger impression. Put the issue aside temporarily, ask
for guidance from your inner sage, and keep listening and watching
for signs. You might receive an insight in a dream; hear a key
word from a friend; or someone may recommend a book that sounds
interesting to you. You may see a magazine ad with a slogan
that speaks to you directly. Or you may simply tap into a stronger
feeling. Trust your knowing, however it arrives and expresses.
Your answer may come immediately, or it might take a while.
But it will come in the perfect way and time.
Other people can suggest, counsel, and guide, but their suggestions
are worthwhile only if they resonate with your inner being.
Try advice on for size, and accept only what fits you and enhances
your life. Someone, something, some place inside you knows.
Admit it, trust it, and act on it. You are inherently wise and
lovingly guided.
We have been taught that we must search the world for answers,
while they live within us. The story is told of the fabled musk
dear that searches the mountains and valleys for the source
of an exotic aroma. Eventually the deer discovers that the aroma
is emanating from itself. Likewise, we do not need to struggle
for guidance or spend a lot of time seeking advice. You may
receive many opinions from well-meaning and qualified people.
Yet since you are the one who must live with your choices, you
must make them in accord with your heart.
Adopt the position recommended by Dr. Peale to the young woman:
If you love it, you know it. If not, let it go and trust that
your own shall find you.
©
Alan Cohen, 2006
