Have you ever thought about how you learned to trust yourself? (Or whether you've learned to trust yourself!)

I've been having some great conversations lately with people about how they learned to listen to and act upon their own inner wisdom. It's no small thing.

One of the common themes for people, myself included, is the practice of trying out simple and benign guidance that seems to drop in out of nowhere. Take your umbrella just in case. Turn left here instead of on Maple Drive. Call your mother and check in. Buy that book for Henry. Don't leave your sunglasses there. Sign up for that workshop.

One of my friends told me a great story the other day about how she listened to her inner wisdom about riding a particular bus at a particular time and voila — she met someone who offered her a job. The results of listening to ourselves aren't always that dramatic, but it can be fun to notice what does happen. And even more fun to imagine what would have happened if we hadn't listened. (What a downpour! I would have been soaked clear though if I hadn't listened to that little nudge and grabbed my umbrella on the way out this morn!)

As the clatter and clamor of the outside world seems to grow ever louder, it is key for us each to be more conscious about turning inward, listening to that "still small voice," and following through with the guidance we receive. In this post I'm talking about trying it out with little things as a way of testing that muscle and building it up a little. But think about how important trusting oursleves is when it comes to the really big things!

I'm curious if you have thoughts/ideas on other ways you've helped to teach yourself that you can trust your own inner wisdom? I'd love to hear!