How to Begin Your Journey Home

For many of us, at different times in our lives we may feel out of sync with life.  This may be a subtle notion or a very loud internal reminder. We all have the choice to look closely at our lives and make the conscious decision to go inside ourselves and heal. How we see the external world, is a mirror of our internal landscape. If we want to change our lives, the only true way is to heal our inner wounds and free ourselves from the false fears that are unconsciously ruling our lives. This is a very personal process that takes courage and perseverance. It is for those of us that are committed to living authentically without any guarantee of the outcome.

The first step to embark on living an awakened life, it be aware and acknowledge your hunger for more meaning and connection. I think it is safe to say that if you are reading this blog then this message probably resonates to some extent with you. Congratulations! You have already completed the first step. It is, in fact, the most important step. How can you change if you aren’t aware of your desire for a more fulfilled life?

Many people go through life “asleep” and never even realize that there is so much more to living. So let’s make our longings known. The shame or fear of addressing our yearnings is exactly what keeps us stuck. I suggest getting a journal and writing your statement down. With compassion, acknowledge that you sense a calling to live a fully expressed life and that you are making a conscious commitment to address it.

Without judgment or any need to know how or why, just let it be known and rest assured that things will unfold in the manner that they are supposed to for the manifestation of your highest potential.  Coming across this blog is one step in your journey. As we become more aware, we will start to be open to the lessons that are presenting themselves to us. Perhaps certain people will show up in our lives or a particular book, blog or you may come across a meaningful quote or song. The universe has a way of speaking to us all of the time, we just need to learn how to be in attunement with its guidance.

So once you have made your declaration that you are committed to living a fully expressed and awakened life, the next step is to find stillness. In stillness is where we are able to access our deeper truth. Our inner compass is always directing us; however, the noise in our heads (our thoughts, doubts, judgments, resentments) overpowers our intuition. Training our mind so that it serves us is the biggest gift we could ever give ourselves. An untrained mind can be a living hell. I am 100% confident that many of you realize this. Our mind can have us falsely thinking we have a terminal illness, or that we are going to be fired from our job, or our children may become sick.

The list goes on and if we fall victim to our minds, we can be in a lot of trouble. The key is to understand that we are not our minds. Our mind is a part of who we are but there is so much more to all of us. We have a body and spirit. They must all be balanced and work together. If the mind takes the reigns, we can loose sight of what is most meaningful in our lives. Our job is to learn how to silence the mind so we can access our inner truth.

I suggest committing to a time every day to be alone in silence. For many, this is a new concept so we can ease ourselves into it by setting aside even a small amount of time daily (5-10 minutes). You can use my meditation on this site or there are thousands of guided meditations online. You can also go for a walk or a hike and just spend the time focusing on what you are actually doing (walking, hiking). When you notice your mind goes off on tangents, bring it back to the present moment.

When I started on my journey, it was very foreign for me to take time for myself. I was so used to doing everything for everyone else. I would wake up in the morning with a never-ending list of things to accomplish throughout the day and I would eventually pass out at night from pure exhaustion. Once I started dedicating an allotted time just for me, it made an enormous difference in how I felt. However, first I had to deal with the guilt that immediately surfaced when I had alone time. Just because we decide to make time for stillness, doesn’t mean our mind will go along with our plan.

In fact, you may find that initially the mind can get busier. That is normal. After all, we have trained it very well to be constantly planning, worrying, and telling stories. Over time, we will cultivate stillness. It is a training that like anything worth our while needs commitment and practice.

I made the decision that I was going to dedicate time everyday to myself. Despite feeling guilty or too tired or discouraged, I choose to do it anyway, knowing that the risk of living my life asleep was too great. I would light a candle and take a warm bath every night. I would just be in that moment and let all the worries and plans eventually drift away into the background as I consciously chose to make time for me.

Now I look forward to my daily routine of quiet time and know that it is necessary for me to access my inner truth. I meditate on a daily basis to continually train my mind to be in the present moment. As I quiet my millions of thoughts, I eventually can hear the one voice that really matters, my divine within. It is always that quiet voice that assures me that I am supported and doing my very best even if it is just to get through the day.

Go grab a journal and make your yearnings real by writing them down. Then, make a statement that speaks from your heart that you are committed to the steps and lessons it takes to awaken to a conscious, fully expressed life full of love and purpose. Trust that your deepest longings will be heard and answered in the time and fashion they are supposed to be. These insights may not be delivered as beautifully wrapped gifts. We cannot always choose how we learn. We just have to remain open and pray for guidance along the way. Our personal lessons will continually present themselves to us in many forms until they are healed. Keep a daily journal to write down your thoughts and feelings. No one will see it so ramble on and let it all out. Keep clearing your inner space.

Find time on a daily basis (even if it is only 5 minutes) to be in stillness, whether you meditate, hike, take a bath, do yoga, paint- just do it. Make that time be completely yours to reconnect and recharge. We are training ourselves to silence our minds and access our inner guidance.

The Soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind. ~ Caroline Myss

I would love to hear any of your thoughts or questions below. Maybe you want to be bold and put your personal commitment statement below. Go for it! The braver we are to acknowledge and take action, the closer we become to accessing who we have always been.