This post could also be entitled: The most unhelpful advice your ego could ask for.

Because let’s be honest: we all want Great Things right now. And according to Eckhart Tolle, a remarkable spiritual teacher, the great things are simply an illusion.

I recall when I first heard about Eckhart’s second book, “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.” I thought to myself: I WANT TO AWAKEN MY LIFE’S PURPOSE!

Doesn’t everyone?

So I bought the book, I listened to him speak with Oprah (who’s a big fan), I watched him on YouTube, and I was ready for Eckhart to tell me What I Should Do to get a quick and clear answer to my burning question. And when he told me what that was, my first thought was: THIS IS THE BIGGEST LOAD OF B.S. I HAVE EVER HEARD.

Because he wouldn’t tell me what I was supposed to do. Rather he told me that I need to inhabit the present moment and… allow.

This is a quieter, more spacious kind of inner work. It is a break from the concept of implementation, and instead we encounter (and accept the value of) discovery.

So it goes in our creative work, as well.

Are you hungry for answers, too? For a method? A way to fix/adjust/develop your voice? Do you want to know the purpose for your creative voice? There are four very important things to know:

1) Your voice is capable of the things that you desire. It does not require fixing. It requires a quieter, more accepting Self who is able to mindfully curate the use and care of your voice.

2) You need to provide a safe inner space for your creative unfolding. Get the Ego in check and be wise to her/him: because the first thing she/he will do is tell you that THIS IS B.S. and do everything to sabotage you from that space of inner listening.

3) You need to accept the process of the unfolding of your voice, and trust every little speck of information that is revealed to you as valid, and that your progress is marked by small steps, not great leaps.

4) You need to show up for yourself. Meaning, if you really truly desire a shift in your experience of your voice, you need to let go of your grip on what you “should” be doing or that you are not where you “should” be. But support yourself, and accept where you are, and get out of your own way of resisting the process.

This is a quote from Eckhart’s book (p. 266), in which he responds to questions from his hungry audience. I resonate with this question particularly, and am going to assume that you do, too.

QUESTION: I am afraid of never rising above mediocrity, never daring to achieve anything great, not fulfilling my potential.

RESPONSE: The great arises out of small things that are honored and cared for. Everybody’s life really consists of small things. Greatness is a mental abstraction and a favorite fantasy of the ego. The paradox is that the foundation for greatness is honoring the small things of the present moment instead of pursuing the idea of greatness.

Our voice journey is brimming with small moments. Perhaps you have discovered some of those moments yourself. I hope you sense the power therein. Trust them. They are your stepping stones, your signposts, your way-showers.

The compass, however, is within your heart.

Our voice work is not to push or pull a few levers and expect answers to questions such as How Can I Not Embarrass Myself? Rather, listen and watch from a quieter place within. If those little things are the most important, then you need to be soft enough, quiet enough, spacious enough to catch them.

And accept that no matter where you are, you are on the way, and that the way is just right where you need to be.

Hugs,

allison

IMAGE: Photo by Henry & Co. on Unsplash