E-couragement: Your Answers Lie Within
January 2008 "You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." -- Christopher Robin
On December 26th my wife, Ivy, and I were waiting for her appointment at a local oncology center. We began a new journey last spring when metastasized breast cancer was discovered in her bones. As we sat and waited, I scanned the room studying people’s body language and listening to conversations. What I found was discouraging. We are a great country. Technologically and medically advanced. Yet I see people that appear helpless and dependent. Observing our health care system, it appears that we are looking for answers outside of ourselves. We are not convinced that our healing can come from within.
From the beginning, our strategy has been to educate ourselves on cancer survival. Along with support from family and friends, doctors and the internet, we’ve had some great books recommended to us. Our learning has been eye opening, scary and encouraging all at the same time. Here’s what has intrigued me the most. Greg Anderson, himself a cancer survivor, interviewed and surveyed over 15,000 survivors of “terminal” illness. In his book, Cancer—50 Essential Things to Do, he writes, “Survivors speak more about aligning themselves with the body’s immense natural power to heal itself. Indeed, survivors come to recognize that health and healing spring from within.” Patrick Quillin, PhD, RD, CNS author of Beating Cancer With Nutrition states, “The crucial missing link in most cancer therapy is stimulating the patient’s own healing abilities.”
How empowering. Clearly, utilizing conventional medical treatment while stimulating the cancer patient’s internal healing abilities (mind, body, and spirit) holds great promise for dramatically improving chances of success against cancer.
One of the ironies for me in this new learning is how relevant it is for the work I do. Let me explain. My business partner and I help people along their own journey of growth, development, and change. Our clients call on us to provide the “right answers”. That is a dangerous position to be in. We must constantly remind ourselves that the answers our clients seek reside within themselves. Our job is to assist others in uncovering the answers they already possess. Yes, conventional learning does play a role. Attending workshops, reading books, listening to audiotapes, mentoring, working with a professional coach—all of these modalities are helpful. Yet, long-term sustained growth and development must take root from within.
How do you uncover these “inner” answers? The solution is simple yet not easy. Listen. Yes, listen to yourself. For far too long we have blocked out the value of our own thoughts. Believing the lie that real answers exist outside of us, we have stopped paying attention to ourselves. Ralph Waldo Emerson so eloquently stated, “To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius.” What can you do this year to stoke the genius within and be more aligned with your answers? Here are a few ideas:
• Get Quiet: Commit to scheduling time for yourself in silence. Herman Melville stated, “Silence is the only voice of our God.” Silence is where your authentic voice resides. Make time to escape the world’s incessant distractions and chatter. Don’t worry about learning complicated with meditative strategies. Simply start with a few minutes and build up as you get more comfortable…
• Listen To Your Thoughts: Now that you’ve given yourself the gift of silence—listen to your thoughts. Pay attention. Allow your random thoughts to be heard. Believe that your thoughts have value. Trust your own genius.
• Collect Your Thoughts In Writing: Yes, write your thoughts down. Spelling and penmanship do not matter. In the silence pay attention to yourself, trust your thoughts and then record them. Your answers and understanding will begin to appear. Clarity will emerge.
A few evenings ago I saw the movie August Rush. It’s a movie about listening—primarily listening to the music that surrounds us. It’s also about listening to our hearts, our thoughts, and our dreams. The main character is an 11-year-old boy. In his closing line he states, “The music is all around us. All you have to do is listen.” To that I add: the answers are all within you—all you have to do is listen.