💡Do You Have Voices in Your Head?

This story is about discovering the two guiding voices in my head, and the important role each one serves.

Ok admit it, you have conversations with yourself in your head.

The voices tell you what to do, and often, they don’t agree.

Don’t worry, I’m not a shrink and I’m not here to put you in an institution.

But only because I have those voices too.

If you promise not to report me to the Loony Police, then please continue reading.

One of My Biggest Decisions

In October 2019, I sat on my couch in Miami thinking about making a trip to Cuba.

I had been working in a successful, but unfulfilling consulting career, and was scared of starting my own business and leaving it all behind.

I had a feeling that a trip would help me make the decision.

And then I figured out where that feeling came from.

My heart/intuition wanted to relax and create space for the answers to come.

My logical mind wanted to set goals, build a schedule, make a plan on how to execute this trip with maximum efficiency.

It felt like two voices that were in conflict with each other.

The Two Voices

"You can’t accomplish a goal if you don’t define it first”, the mind argued.

“What Jim really needs is to just be and ponder”, said the heart.

“What does that even mean? That makes no logical sense to me”, my mind shot back.

"It doesn’t always have to make sense to you, sometimes he just needs to trust me”, offered the heart.

“But I've been keeping this guy alive for 31 years! I look out for danger, evaluate his choices, and weigh the possible consequences of all his actions."

The heart continued softly “yes, you’ve done a great job keeping Jim alive. I appreciate you. But you see, I speak in whispers. You know those times when he sits down, breaths calmly, and seemingly does nothing?”

The mind piped in, “Yeah what’s the deal with that, dude gets lazy. We got stuff to do man!”

“Jim does that so that he can quiet the noise and hear me. The thing is Mr. Mind, you keep his body alive, but I keep his soul alive. I know how to guide his soul through this human experience”.

“Ok and what’s this got to do with Cuba?”, the mind asked, puzzled.

Reaching Agreement

“Jim is going to Cuba to get away from all the noise grappling for his attention, to just be. He already has the answers he needs inside himself, and that’s what I’m here for.”

“And how are we going to measure whether or not this is a success?” implored the mind.

“It will be a success if he feels like he’s always growing and happy with the person he is. Life is not about what he does or gets, it’s about who he gets to become.” shared the heart.

"Listen, heart, you still make no sense to me, and I’m never gonna stop being my loud self, but I’m willing to yield his attention when he seeks you out.”

"I can work with that”, replied the heart graciously.

I snapped out of my reverie, abruptly interrupting the conversation “Hey what’s going on here, what are you guys talking about?!”

“Nothing”, the heart and mind replied in unison, "let's go to Cuba."

The Bottom Line

All adventures start on the inside first.

When we align the voices inside ourselves, the better (and easier) our decisions become.

When they’re misaligned, we feel stuck and inconsistent with our thoughts.

My challenge for you this week is to spend just 10 minutes listening to your thoughts and see which voices you can identify. Then, journal about what you notice and what they say.

(Pro tip: to make this easier, find a quiet place free of distractions)

Leave your thoughts on Twitter

Complementary Call

If you’re craving more adventure in your own life, be it related to health, career, or relationships, there’s no better time than now to embark. Grab a time to chat —> here.

Recommended Video

I use this exercise from Tony Robbins to tap into my heart and intuition anytime I need to perform my best, especially before coaching calls and speaking. The best part: you can do this in 12 minutes or less —> here.

Recommended Fundraiser

Did you know 1 in 5 adults live with a mental health condition? While I joked about the Loony Police, I’m a true believer in promoting mental health for everyone. Michelle is participating in a fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and I would love to invite you to support their mission —> here.

That’s all for now my fellow adventurer.

👉 If you know someone who would love stories like these, please forward this email or share this link with them to check out past issues: https://jimwall.beehiiv.com/

📢 Next week’s issue is all about a flooded airport and keeping your cool when your plans explode (like how I almost missed my own bachelor party).

Keep living your Great Adventure.

Jim Wall