Getting Over Your Demanding Voice
Twenty years ago I sat in my first silent meditation retreat. It was the third day out of the seven and I had already shed quite a few tears discovering with horror that I couldn’t stay with my breath for more than a couple of cycles.
My mind was racing with thoughts and my body was restless with pain.
That day I stayed in the meditation hall after everyone had left. I was determined to break through that wall. I vowed to sit until I cracked this thing and simply stayed with my breath without flinching.
I sat on my cushion without moving. My bones started yelling “you’re crazy, get us out of this stupid position”, but I didn’t move.
My belly started boiling with anger, my lower back stabbed me from within. But I didn’t move.
After two and a half hours I had an encounter with an inner voice that I’d never seen so clearly before. It told me something I’ll never forget.
I call it the demanding voice.
The demanding voice seems to have a life of its own. Even though you know you need rest it’ll keep demanding that you do something or else it will call you lazy.
When you know you can’t keep doing the work you do but can’t seem to bring the energy, motivation or conviction to make a change, it’s the demanding voice that binds you with ideas about your role as _________ [fill in the details].
The demanding voice is afraid of change and no matter how clear you are about what’s good for you and how much you want to change your life to embrace beneficial habits or situations, this voice comes up with extremely compelling arguments to tell you why you can’t apply those changes.
But, at the same time, the demanding voice makes sure we don't get lost, that we’re not wasting time.
It makes sure our goals are achieved and with the help of its insistence we get to places where people say “wow, look at what you’ve done! you are so amazing, talented”. And we love that praise.
How can you give up on something that feels like an important part of achieving the things you care about?
You can’t. So even though you wished the demanding voice would stop its siege of name-calling and entrapment, the trade-off is just too high to make that change.
The relationship with our inner voices is a complex one. When we shift to treat it with love instead of fear, something quite magical happens.
After two and a half hours of sitting still on a cushion I became so tired, frustrated and disappointed that I simply started crying.
People started entering the room again. Quietly, they took their place on their cushions. And my face was inundated with salty water.
At that moment, I started feeling so peaceful inside. Feels like you’re reading some fantasy story or imaginative movie? I know, but simply put — that’s exactly how the inner peace we’re looking for happens.
The moment when you get so exhausted, when your hands are bruised from clutching at the jagged shards of crazy aspirations, there is a sweet movement of letting go.
What I’ve learned in the twenty years of following that experience is that we can achieve that level of peace without giving the demanding voice the role of the director.
The demanding voice is indeed an important part of us.
So we don’t want to be violent towards something that’s important to our psyche. Instead we turn to love in order to ask for her help.
We start a heart-to-heart conversation with the voice within and supply a satisfying answer to its need.
Thank your demanding voice for its precious work of keeping you safe and ask it what it’s going to do while you’re going to take a rest.
Acknowledge your demanding voice for its upstanding vigilance and tell it how you’re going to keep track with your goals in a more balanced and compassionate way.
Ask the demanding voice what it’s afraid of losing and ask your heart how it can make sure nothing is lost.
I’ve witnessed hundreds of times with my coaching clients and meditation students how these heart-to-heart conversations undo old wounds, dissolve stuckness and uncover a wealth of inner peace and trust.
If you want to have that experience, I'll be teaching you how in my upcoming workshop: You’re welcome to join us.
Self-Doubt Detox
Life Alignment coaching & meditation workshop
In my amazingly beautiful new place in Zurich (see it here).
October 24th 09:30 - 13:30
In this workshop you’ll:
Get into an extremely nourishing and relaxed place where you don't have to fight with self-trust
Learn few tools to make an easy transition from self-doubt to self-trust
Discover what makes you get caught in self-doubt and how to avoid it
Feel good about yourself!
This is for you if:
Trusting your inner voice and needs is not smooth or easy
You know you can get caught in self-doubt, indecision, hesitancy, and wish to move out of those habit
You're intrigued by the possibility of living your life, going about your work or be in relationships from a place of inner security and confidence in your choices.
Participation is based on pay-from-the-heart. When you sign up you’ll be asked to pay 30CHF to keep your spot. This is non-refundable when cancelling less than ten days before the workshop, unless someone else takes your spot.
Space is limited to 10 people.
To save your spot, click the button below.
Shelly helps women who live a connected, engaged life when they feel stuck in relationships or with their vocational life because their needs are downplayed or they're confused about the next step, and want to be a full & authentic expression of themselves.
Learn more about Life Alignment
Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash
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