What if you had a voice of perfect wisdom inside of you? A voice that could drive the waves of self doubt away, help you make tough decisions and offer you the courage to face whatever adversity may come your way. Inner guidance, you could turn to, no matter what time of day, no matter where you were and no matter what the circumstances were. Imagine an inner mentor, who totally had your back.
Recently, one of the participants in my Mission North Star coaching program, shared with me her desire to get reacquainted with herself and connect with that voice in her head, she once trusted and who she knew had no agenda other than to see her succeed. As her coach, I relished in her readiness to stay curious and her desire to push forward and find her inner mentor. Through her work in the MNS program, my client was ready to use her tools and learn to trust herself again, and be true to the woman who she knew herself to be, without fear of judgment or criticism.
As Tara Mohr, author of Playing Big, puts it “Your inner mentor is a North Star that can serve as your compass. She’s not a destination at which you ever fully arrive.”
I began thinking about ways to rediscover my own inner mentor, and tap into that wealth of knowledge and sage wisdom that we all have within us. I realized that along the way, some of my life experiences both, professionally and personally, had left me feeling uncertain, drained and questioning my own judgement. And as a result, over time, I pushed my inner mentor somewhere deep down inside of me and allowed my inner critic to own a larger space in my head.
Having a sense of an older, wiser and more authentic version of myself, cleared the way for me to recognize my own inner mentor still existed as a voice within me right now. All I needed to do was practice getting quiet, go deep and get comfortable trusting myself again. I’m grateful for the reassurance I received in that experience, and want to share with you five ways to develop your own inner mentor. If you’re patient with yourself and trust the process, you’ll learn how to find your inner mentor, access her regularly and find the answers that are right for you at every turn.
Here are five ways to grow into your inner mentor:
1- Journal about your inner mentor. What is she like? What are her daily habits? What do you admire the most about her? What are her thoughts on resiliency?
2- Visualize yourself meeting her and spending time together in a quiet place. What do you want to share with her about your life? What questions do you want to ask her? What fears do you want to get out on the table?
3- Listen to her messages and trust her encouraging words.
4- Take your time with this practice and embrace having an inner mentor. Cultivate this practice and trust in yourself. Know that your inner mentor exists for you, and there are absolutely no competing elements.
5- Know that the same way, your inner critic attempts to hold you back by instilling self doubt, your inner mentor is stronger, and works to help you move forward. Empower your inner mentor and let her guide you towards peace and light.
Please share with me ways that you have discovered your own inner mentor, or let me know if you have tried a few of the ways mentioned above, and how it’s going for you. I appreciate your comments and am always happy to connect with you.
You can email me at denise@everythingemile.com.