Editor’s note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, explains that we all have a little voice inside that will always guide us towards our best interest. It’s our intuition — our connection to our divine spirit. Read more about Liberty.
By Liberty Forrest
You know that little voice inside? The one that seems to come from your guts when something just doesn’t sit right? The one that is so easy to ignore? How many times have you kicked yourself for not having listened to it? How many times have you discovered, much to your chagrin, that it had been right? Yeah, I know. Loads.
And how many times have you discovered that it was wrong? I would suggest that if you’re completely honest with yourself, the answer is “never.”
Chances are pretty good that there were moments when that little voice was screaming at you about the sociopath(s) in your life, too, and I’m guessing you ignored it. There are lots of reasons why we do that. We want to believe the best in people, so we ignore the parts that don’t feel so good. “I’m not perfect either” — that’s one of our best excuses.
Or we don’t trust ourselves, and sociopaths are only too happy to jump all over that and make sure we trust ourselves even less.
That little voice is your Higher Self. Calling itself “intuition,” it is your Spirit connecting with you, speaking to you with the purest wisdom. And to be clear, I’m not talking about thoughts that are about what others want, need or expect from you. If it starts with “My mother/sister/friend (etc.) wants me to (whatever)” or “…expects me to…” or “…would be upset with me if I did/didn’t…” this is not your intuition. This is not your Higher Self. This is your Ego, your humanness, the part of you that is tied to other people and what they want from you.
The Little Voice Inside Focuses On Our Best Interests
Your inner voice — intuition — will always have your best interests at heart, not those of other people. It will never be about, “This is better for that person.” It will always be about what is best for you. Sociopaths are extra good at charming or manipulating you out of listening to that voice because they have an inherent understanding that it would tell you to head for the hills as quickly as possible, leave the sociopath in the dust and never look back. So they take every opportunity to chip away at your ability to trust yourself and your own inner GPS — that little voice inside that never lies.
Read more: Focus on what you want — not on what you don’t want
Learning to trust it and to listen to it are among our most difficult lessons. Sometimes we ignore it because although we know it’s right, we want to please someone or we’re afraid to stand up to someone. Maybe because we want to avoid a confrontation — especially with a sociopath.
Sometimes we find ourselves wanting to do something but that little voice says it’s wrong, it’s bad for us or it’s self-destructive or self-sabotaging. But we want to do it anyway (whatever “it” is) because it’s fun or sinful or delicious or exciting or naughty, so we refuse to heed the wisdom of those quiet little words.
We might discover pretty quickly that we should have listened, or it might take some time. But at some point, we will end up acknowledging it, if only to ourselves. At some point, we recognise that there were consequences for ignoring that little voice. Maybe minor ones that aren’t such a big deal in the grand scheme of things, or maybe massive ones that have had a profoundly negative, life-altering impact. And despite all of that, sometimes we will go on as before, still not heeding the wisdom of that quiet little voice.
I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Why Is This So Important?
As human beings, with consciousness and intelligence, we think we know best. We think we have the greatest wisdom. We are capable of great accomplishments and achievements. We invent and create. We build whole cities. We put men on the moon. But in our arrogance, as human beings we don’t realise that consciousness and intelligence only give the illusion of incredible greatness and wisdom.
It is said that we are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Your purpose is to connect with your Spirit so you can learn from it. In doing so, you will see who you could become if you maintained that connection. To live in a state of constant communication with your Spirit, or your Higher Self, is to be truly enlightened and living a purely authentic life.
All that building and creating that we do in our humanness can serve many purposes, one of which is to enable us to survive. But the greatest building and creating come from the omnipotent wisdom of the Spirit. Human existence would be cold, empty and meaningless without the forgiveness, the compassion, the warmth and the love that come from connecting with the Divine Spirit that lives within each of us.
This is the challenge for us. Every day, we’re bombarded by the struggles of Life that test us, giving us opportunities to grow, to learn, and to become more connected with our Higher Selves. We are confronted with anger and indignation, frustration and jealousy, grief and loneliness. We are challenged in our relationships with others, and with ourselves. Everywhere we look, our humanness stares us in the face, tempting us to resist change, take the easy way out and simply slide into those familiar but painful responses and patterns.
The Challenge to Connect to Spirit
The challenge for us is to look past our humanness, connect with our Spirits, find the lessons they want to teach us, and learn them. If you listen for it, you’ll hear that little voice. And the more you communicate with your Spirit, the easier it becomes. Just as you know the result of ignoring it, I’m sure you also know the joy and the strength that come from listening to it and taking its advice. No doubt that on many occasions in which it’s done battle with your humanness, it will have won. You’ve done the right thing. The pure thing. The good thing. The thing that allows you to grow, to become empowered, to be more connected with your Spirit, your Higher Self. The thing that allows you to be truly happy.
It’s okay if you falter on this journey now and then. It’s okay if you take one step forward and two steps backward sometimes. That’s the human experience of a spiritual being. The challenge is to continue taking steps forward, doing your best to learn from the places that trip you up.
It begins with listening to that little voice inside. It is the source of the greatest strength, the greatest intelligence, and the greatest wisdom in the Universe. It always knows the truth, even when you don’t want to know it. It will always guide you in the direction of the highest good. It will always lead you closer to spiritual perfection and Enlightenment. And with every step you take down that path, you take one more step away from being caught in a sociopath’s sticky web.
It is through walking on this path that we will become more at peace with ourselves and with each other. It may not always be easy. It may not be easy at all. But it will be very well worth it.
This article was originally published at LibertyForrest.com. Reprinted with permission from the author.
With the sociopath, I went from stability to homelessness
Thank you Liberty. I can so relate to this article. I can remember many times when I failed to heed the little voice – and regretted it. And I can also remember times when I paid attention, and it worked out beautifully. Yes, trusting our intuition really works.
i too long believed my small quiet knowng failed when i met, married my abuser of 29 years..only after i got divorced, began to reason, think for myself, remember, recover did i realize my intuition had worked, had tried to warn me, advise me to leave, run…i refused to listen, i overrode it as it were. now and then i did heed it, but not to save myself from an emotional abusive marriage of many years. not until i had friends to help and some moral strength to leave. i still make mistakes. but i listen much more to my intuition. even if no one else understands. i havent been wrong when i obey its warnings and advice.