“It seems like the world is getting less noisy,” my client replied when asked what she had been noticing since our last conversation.
“Can you tell me more about this?” I asked.
“Well, maybe it’s that I’m paying less attention to what the world has to say and caring more about what I have to say,” she replied.
“Are you caring more or becoming more curious about what’s going on within you?” I prompted.
“Both, probably,” she said. “I mean, I would like to believe I’ve always cared about my needs, but I don’t think I’ve always listened to my voice or been curious enough not to have something immediate to say to myself about what I was thinking and feeling.”
“Tell me more,” I said, simply.
“Isn’t this what we all go through?” she asked. “We’re taught how we should think and feel about things, and then we internalize these teachings, allowing them to become our own. When a thought or feeling comes up within us to challenge these conditioned beliefs, well, we then have to decide what to do about it. Traditionally, I’ve told myself I was being too emotional or thinking too much. That’s how I handled it. I simply didn’t. I squelched emotions and squandered authentic thoughts and intuitive hits … calling myself ‘crazy’ or ‘off-base’.”
“And what are you noticing now around this?” I inquired after a brief silence.
“I’m seeing that, even if I wanted to, I cannot do this any more. I only know how to look at what I’m thinking and feeling and be more interested in what it means. It’s like someone flipped a switch, and I simply don’t care about anything other than giving credence to what’s coming up within me, regardless of how that measures up in my outer world.”
I smiled. “It sounds to me like you are becoming sovereign.”
Wikipedia defines sovereignty as “the full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies.”
I’m finding so many of my recent conversations with clients are speaking to an awakening to their inner sovereignty. As we are confronted, more and more, with the patterns of thought, belief and behavior that simply are not in alignment with who we are, how we feel and what we want from this life experience, we are asked to go in to discover what our own voices are trying to tell us.
As we do this, we are also finding ourselves dropping the burden of making this okay for others.
The truth is, we are not here to make who we are okay for others. We are here to claim who we are for ourselves, so that we can honestly and fully serve others from this valuable, authentic place.
I was recently gifted the book, The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by a man I met networking and have come to respect, support and be grateful for as a colleague in the work we are both doing to help people shine in their truth and brilliance.
The book is a well-crafted compilation of work by authorities in the field of conscious leadership. The authors are students of these leaders and have a skill for organizing and synchronizing the concepts and principles of conscious leadership so they care accessible and easy to apply.
In the book, Commitment 1 is Taking Radical Responsibility. It is defined as, “I commit to taking full responsibility for the circumstances of my life and for my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. I commit to supporting others to take full responsibility for their lives.”
If we are to take radical responsibility, then we must, first, honor our inner voice and the beating of our own drum, otherwise, we will be severely tested in adhering to this very first commitment.
What are you being called to take Radical Responsibility for now in your life?
How might your inner voice be turning up the volume on information that you need to be hearing, understanding and acting upon?
Spiritual teacher and blogger, Dana Mrkich, recently published a great set of questions to ask in uncovering some of the things that are coming up for so many of us. I wanted to close by offering them to you. This can be a great journaling exercise for the month ahead.
“1) Am I resisting change in any part of myself, my identity, or my life?
2) How do I view power? How am I using my power? How do I want to use my power?
3) What part of me is ready to come out in a bigger way?
4) What kind of person do I continually still bump up against, and what is that trying to teach me?
5) Do I still have any issues with “authority”? What is my relationship like with my inner authority? Do I feel connected to my inner sovereignty?
6) Where do I need to take greater responsibility for my life?
7) How does the energy of “control” show up in my life?
8) What is it that I really want, and what step by step plans/strategies/to do lists/daily actions do I need to put into practice?
9) What comes up for me when I think of stability and security?
10) How can I cultivate a strong inner foundation that is always there for me no matter what? How can I create a stronger outer foundation that supports and sustains me?”