Your Voice of Wisdom is Waiting for You, Part Two

Hello!

This article is the second of a two-part series on wisdom. Here, we look more deeply at what lies within you, just waiting to be discovered. It’s called your Voice of Wisdom. 

In Part One we looked at the various ways people have described wisdom. For example, the Dalai Lama speaks of wisdom in two ways. The first is in terms of three processes: learning widely, reflecting deeply, and applying wisely.  The second way has to do with the recognition that we are all interconnected and that wisdom recognizes how important it is to have compassion for the human condition.

Today, we explore how to live a life of compassion and inspiration, ensuring our actions align with our deepest values. This journey begins by learning to listen to our inner Voice of Wisdom.

First, let’s clarify the difference between your Voice of Wisdom and what we call the Monkey Mind at the Academy for Coaching Excellence. The term “Monkey Mind,” from Buddhist teachings, refers to the part of the mind that oscillates between doubt and worry, similar to a monkey swinging between trees. This mindset discourages you from pursuing your goals or dreams by warning you of failure or danger. It tends to surface right when we’re about to break from our routine behaviors, going instead for a goal or dream. Monkey Mind can be convincing, often sounding like it’s speaking the truth. Sometimes, it even pushes us to act against our values out of greed or a desire to “beat the system.” I’ll discuss Monkey Mind more in a future article. For now, know that it is not your Voice of Wisdom!

Your Voice of Wisdom is a small, sweet voice. It’s not insistent like Monkey Mind. Whereas we usually experience Monkey Mind in our head, our Voice of Wisdom often feels like it’s coming from our heart. It’s compassionate, sometimes a bit humorous, like a wise person smiling knowingly at us while telling us the truth.

I discovered my Voice of Wisdom about 45 years ago. I was on the verge of signing a $35,000 check for an unsecured promissory note, which I didn’t realize at the time meant it had no collateral. Just as I was about to finalize it, to put my signature on the check, a small, sweet voice inside me cautioned against it. The voice said, “Don’t do it.” 

Ignoring the warning, I signed the check and soon discovered it was part of a Ponzi scheme similar to the one orchestrated by Bernie Madoff. Despite my embarrassment over the decision, my more profound regret was not listening to that internal Voice of Wisdom. I’d been acting greedy since I’d been promised an excessive return on my investment.

Haven’t you ever failed to listen to that inner voice, only to realize that you should have? Well, worry no more! I’m going to show you a way to access your Voice of Wisdom, making decisions that guide you toward success while reflecting your values. In other words, what’s most important to you.

That event years ago prompted me to explore how to access the small, guiding voice I now call my Voice of Wisdom. I discovered it resides in a metaphorical “house” built by my Standards of Integrity. By consulting these Standards before making decisions or taking action, I consistently find success.

How to Discover Your Standards of Integrity

To start your journey to discover your Voice of Wisdom, let’s explore how to identify your Standards of Integrity. Think of a standard as a flag, similar to those carried by knights in parades or battles long ago, representing their core values and beliefs. The definition of integrity includes “whole and complete, lacking no parts.” Think of your integrity as something inherent within you; when your actions reflect this integrity, life becomes sweet.

This is how to create your Standards of Integrity. Do what I suggest, and I promise you’ll discover something extraordinary about yourself.  OK? Here goes:

• Take out a clean piece of paper and a pencil or pen.
• On the left side of the page, make a list of people who have qualities you admire. They could be family members, teachers, spiritual leaders, friends, healers, sports figures, actors, coaches, heroes, or inspirational leaders you’ve only read about. These people can be fictional or real. They may be currently living or not. Just make a list of about five or six people. For me, my Aunt Gloria,  Uncle Arnold, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela,  Mother Teresa, and Tina Turner are on my list.
• Survey your list. Look at each name, starting with the first and working down your list. On the right side of the paper, record the qualities or traits you admire about them. Have them be qualities that inspire you. They may be loyal, intelligent, adventurous, brilliant, compassionate, courageous, truthful, trustworthy,  loving, generous, and so on.
• Go to the next person on your list. If they share a quality with the first, simply put a checkmark next to that attribute. List any additional traits not found in the first person.  As you proceed, you’ll create a list of qualities with checkmarks that indicate when that quality was noted more than once. Make sure you have about 5-10 qualities.
• Next, we’ll revisit that list. Get another piece of paper. Literally, put your finger on the first word and ask yourself, “When I read or say this quality, does it make my heart “light up,” as in the movie ET? If it does, then transfer to the clean piece, putting it in the middle of the page so that you have room at the top and the bottom.
• If that word fails the “heart light” test, don’t add it to the second paper.
• You now have a second list with about 6-10 words that quite literally “light you up!” Here’s the bottom line to this exercise: everything on that second list has significance and meaning for you. That’s because you possess a “receptor site” in your heart for that quality or trait. For example, if you admire someone because they’re compassionate, it means that you know what compassion is! It’s a part of who you are. To put this another way: If you see these qualities in others, if your heart resonates with them, it means they exist within you. They are a reflection of you! They are your Standards of Integrity!
• Take this list and print it on an index card. On the top of the card, write: “These are my Standards of Integrity. I am,” and go ahead and list those qualities. At the bottom of the card, put: “I know they are mine because I see them in others.”
• Place this card where you can see it every day. Why? Because you’re training your brain to focus on who you truly are! You want to infuse your brain with the truth about yourself. This may seem awkward at first, but you will soon get used to seeing those extraordinary qualities that you possess. 

Finding Your Voice of Wisdom

It’s effortless to summon your Voice of Wisdom once you’ve uncovered your Standards of Integrity because your Voice of Wisdom lives inside of them. Before we do that, it’s important to note that your Voice of Wisdom only deals with the immediate present, not the distant future or anything in the past. It only focuses on what’s happening right now.

Here’s how to do it. Make sure you have a pen and paper ready.

1. Think of a decision you need to make. It could be about an issue at work that requires action, or a dilemma at home that needs to be solved.
2. Read your Standards of Integrity out loud to yourself, including the first and last phrases. This is to wake your brain up to what’s coming next.
3. Formulate your question so that it’s in your mind.
4. Say the following: “What would someone who is (read your Standards of Integrity out loud again) do next in this situation?
5. Listen… it may take a few seconds, but you want to listen for that small, sweet voice. Write down precisely what you hear.
6. If nothing happens, do steps 4 and 5 again.
7. Listen… you probably will hear it. Make sure you write what it says.
8. If you still don’t hear your Voice of Wisdom, ask again, but this time, take your pen in your other hand and write the answer.
9. I promise you’ll hear your Voice of Wisdom. It’s been there, just waiting for you.
10. Finally, and this is the most important thing of all, do what it says to do!  If you don’t, your Voice of Wisdom will stop speaking to you. I don’t know why, but it just happens that way.

This article has given you a definite way to summon the Voice of Wisdom that lies within you.  When you do, you begin to live a life of compassion and inspiration, ensuring your actions align with your deepest values. What’s not to love?

Please try this out! If it works, send it to your friends. I love to see the new people who have signed up for these articles! And drop me a line at monica@acecoachtraining.com. She’ll pass your note to me.

Hugs to you all,