The Big Peace

Just back from Greece. Skryos is indeed a magical island. I had the privilege of working intensively for a week, teaching The Big Peace to a group of brave and inspiring people.

I learnt a lot. I don’t usually work so intensively with one group over a short period of time. One thing that became very clear to me was how when we disconnect from what I call the inner coach (others call it intuition/gut instinct/higher self/wisest self), then we’re completely screwed.

When we disconnect from our true inner wisdom and listen to the inner pessimist instead (our inner control freak who says ’should’/'must’ a lot) – we lose our direction, our love of life and we’re found pacing like a caged tiger with a dead-eyed stare, unable to live life, to run, to leap. We’re separated from life by a wall of glass. Skyros was about shattering that glass and I saw the participants – laughing, dancing (drinking!) and gobbling up life again.

In Skyros, we worked a lot on how to recognise the ‘voice’ of your inner coach. Your inner pessimist speaks in your head, motivated by fear – a rattling, obsessive drone that takes you round and round in circles going nowhere. Your Inner coach speaks through your body, not through your thoughts. It talks to you through your gut instinct, your feelings, your intuition.

The problem I find is that often I will ignore those feelings because logically I can’t quite quite put my finger on the reason why I feel like that. But the inner coach doesn’t work with reason and neat lists of the pros and cons and woe betide if I don’t listen to her (my inner coach is innately female)! I would save so much time if I just worked from my gut instinct.

I’ve been working in the last week on really tuning in to the signals from my inner coach. And these are 10 ways I know my inner coach is talking to me:

1. My decision ‘feels’ right.
2. I ‘just know’ that this is the right path.
3. I am very clear about what it is I want.
4. I feel relaxed and happy about your decision.
5. I feel like you’re in ‘the flow’. Coincidences start happening. ‘You’ll never believe it …’ is my favourite phrase.
6. I feel a flicker of excitement in my stomach.
7. I trust my inklings and intuition even though you have no evidence to back them up.
8. Even though life doesn’t look like it’s going in the right direction, I know it is.
9. I find yourself inspired with ideas more often than before.
10. I  trust my decisions.

All very different if you listen to my Inner Pessimist – here’s the top ten of what he’s most likely to say:

1. You’re not good enough. I’d shelve this idea if I were you.
2. You’re a loser. Good try, but it’s best to quit while you’re ahead.
3. You’re really stupid! Whatever you do, don’t open your mouth.
4. Really they all despise you and laugh at you behind your back. I’d stay in if I were you.
5. You’re old, and funny looking. They would never fancy you in a month of Sundays, so don’t make a fool of yourself.
6. You’re talentless. Don’t show anyone your work or you’ll just humiliate yourself.
7. They’re rich and posh and you’re common and poor. Never the twain shall meet.
8. You might have hit a lucky streak but it will all go wrong soon. I wouldn’t celebrate if I were you.
9. You’re poor, you’re stupid and you’re ugly – and you’re thinking about doing what?! Oh, don’t make me laugh …
10. You are not doing this right. She’s thinner, brainer and a better mother and she knows how to do life. You don’t.

I know who I’d rather listen to.