A little something I submitted to Bliss today...
In the latest O Magazine, Oprah ran a piece on listening to your sixth sense. You can find the article here. Anyway, it was a bit of an Aha Moment for me as I realized this was something I've been learning to do, without having put it into so many words.
I started therapy almost a year ago. Part of any good therapy requires getting to know yourself better. As part of that process, it becomes much easier to hear that "little voice" inside, although the more you listen to it, the louder she gets.
A year ago, that little voice was present, but I did not believe in her, which ultimately meant I didn't believe in myself. In general, I think this modern age teaches us to filter her out - to listen to the rational mind. That part that tells you your little voice is being ridiculous or fanciful. That tells you to ignore your gut feelings.
In spring of 2010, a former co-worker referred me to a marketing position. I was currently working part-time at a women's fitness center and selling Avon in my spare time. That was the only marketing experience I had. My gut told me that I wasn't right for this job. I had no clue where to even begin on something like this. But my husband is a full-time student so we really needed the money. When I first interviewed for the job, I was very honest about my lack of experience in marketing. In the end, they narrowed it down to 2 applicants, including myself. They gave the job to the other girl. I was horribly disappointed but the experience made me realize I knew to look harder for a new job for financial reasons. About a month later, I got a call that the girl that got the job had already quit. This should have been a big red flag, but again, money talks. I felt like it would have been selfish of me to not take the position.
So I gave it my all.
Five months later, I found myself in therapy for "anxiety". Even though I'm a generally friendly and likable person, I found myself going to marketing stops and too paralyzed to get out of the car. My boss was not very supportive and was putting a lot of pressure on me to get referrals for the business. This made it harder and harder to do my work well. I thrive on praise, not criticism. It turned into a vicious cycle. I was feeling more and more guilty for not doing my job well. Then my hours got cut because the business wasn't doing as well as the owners would have liked.
It was then that I realized my "little voice" was right on the money. This was not the right job for me. I decided it was time to find a new job. I decided I was going to stay til my year anniversary for the experience, however within the week, I knew I couldn't last that long. I decided to get out as soon as possible. I found a new position in about a week and a half. This time, I listened to my inner voice that told me this was the right move at the right time. And I couldn't be happier with that decision.
If you often find yourself ignoring your own inner voice, I would strongly encourage you to try to listen to her and see what she's saying. In the end, she's always right. You just have to trust yourself.
I started therapy almost a year ago. Part of any good therapy requires getting to know yourself better. As part of that process, it becomes much easier to hear that "little voice" inside, although the more you listen to it, the louder she gets.
A year ago, that little voice was present, but I did not believe in her, which ultimately meant I didn't believe in myself. In general, I think this modern age teaches us to filter her out - to listen to the rational mind. That part that tells you your little voice is being ridiculous or fanciful. That tells you to ignore your gut feelings.
In spring of 2010, a former co-worker referred me to a marketing position. I was currently working part-time at a women's fitness center and selling Avon in my spare time. That was the only marketing experience I had. My gut told me that I wasn't right for this job. I had no clue where to even begin on something like this. But my husband is a full-time student so we really needed the money. When I first interviewed for the job, I was very honest about my lack of experience in marketing. In the end, they narrowed it down to 2 applicants, including myself. They gave the job to the other girl. I was horribly disappointed but the experience made me realize I knew to look harder for a new job for financial reasons. About a month later, I got a call that the girl that got the job had already quit. This should have been a big red flag, but again, money talks. I felt like it would have been selfish of me to not take the position.
So I gave it my all.
Five months later, I found myself in therapy for "anxiety". Even though I'm a generally friendly and likable person, I found myself going to marketing stops and too paralyzed to get out of the car. My boss was not very supportive and was putting a lot of pressure on me to get referrals for the business. This made it harder and harder to do my work well. I thrive on praise, not criticism. It turned into a vicious cycle. I was feeling more and more guilty for not doing my job well. Then my hours got cut because the business wasn't doing as well as the owners would have liked.
It was then that I realized my "little voice" was right on the money. This was not the right job for me. I decided it was time to find a new job. I decided I was going to stay til my year anniversary for the experience, however within the week, I knew I couldn't last that long. I decided to get out as soon as possible. I found a new position in about a week and a half. This time, I listened to my inner voice that told me this was the right move at the right time. And I couldn't be happier with that decision.
If you often find yourself ignoring your own inner voice, I would strongly encourage you to try to listen to her and see what she's saying. In the end, she's always right. You just have to trust yourself.
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