Truth is simple; ego is complex.

There are times I feel disconnected from myself, lost from my truth, full of doubt and fear. Questions rise: Where is my inner guidance? Where is that voice that tells me which way to go?

I  wonder if it has abandoned me.

Then, sitting in silence, bobbing in a sea of confusion and frustration, I hear it. The tiniest, itty bittiest, smallest little whisper. I’m about to let it pass by in the breeze, when I spot it. As calm and as quiet as ever, but still here.

I’d spent many recent days listening to another part of myself, my ego-voice. In the midst of any sort of change, growth or upheaval this part of me sits up extra tall and gets his megaphone out. Yelling and hollering, bitching and moaning, he drags his feet in the ground.

Change is his enemy; growth—his greatest threat. Stagnant sameness is his best friend.

He makes such a fuss that I begin to believe him. After all, with such loudness, it’s easy to listen, to turn my focus towards him. He’s persistent, too—jabbering on and on, until, without even realizing it, I’m siding with him!

I start to believe all his doubts, fears and reasons why I shouldn’t push forward into new terrain. He’s suddenly arguing what seems like a really good case for my limitations; I hear his reasoning and accept that he must be right, I am not worthy or good enough to manifest my dreams.

The more I allow my ego to yell, and the more I buy into this garbage, the less I can hear that steady, calm whisper of my soul—my truth.

What is this soul-voice? It’s the wise advisor who will always tell me calmly, simply and surely my next move, if I will only listen. If I allow its guidance to fly by me, and I don’t act, I distance myself from it. I feed my ego, instead. If I hear those little words of wisdom, step-up and say “OK! Lets do this!” , then I nurture my truth.

Choosing to be guided by my soul is deciding to trust in that part of myself that may not be the loudest, but is the surest and simplest—deciding that I have nothing to lose by believing that my greatest visions are within reach, and that my limitations are mere illusions.

It is easier, more convenient and self-serving to listen to and believe the ego. It is harder and more vulnerable to tune in and respond to the soul.

The soul has no need to yell, it is never oriented around fear or negativity—it knows that all is in its perfect place. My soul knows that I must choose to listen and step into my greatness, to trust the process. Each day it speaks its piece, offering me no self-serving b.s., no pity parties, no victimization.

And that, is precisely why it is so easy to ignore.

Pity parties feel good, they allow us an excuse to remain right where we are. They validate our “limitations” and give us permission to turn away from our boundless greatness. The soul will not feed what holds you back, its only interest is in moving you forward. The ego will lavish us in our own pity and sadness, but still the soul will gently, gracefully persist.

To choose the more subtle of the two, is to choose the most powerful.

To feed the gentle, courageous voice within rather than the yelling fear-monger gives the soul more permission to speak. With each step taken in it’s direction, we become closer to it. As we choose to listen and invest our energy into this piece of ourselves, its voice grows louder, clearer.

As we prove to ourselves that soul-steps are transformational steps, we begin to trust and thrive on the cut and dry simplicity, and we build up our own courage.

As we become more courageous, we become a warrior for the soul, and subsequently, our ego-voice—though it will never abandon us (we do need him around to survive), is less of our focus—we become more aligned with a quieter, calmer soul-driven self.

Our soul’s guidance will not lead us astray, it knows exactly where we need to go. What does it sound like? It’s that quiet, bubbling up from the heart: confident, simple and clear. So easy to push aside or ignore, as it won’t feed us what we want to hear.

But it knows,  if we only give it a chance. If we begin to listen and muster our courage, if we decide that we want expansion more than we are afraid of it, and allow the wisdom of the soul to guide us, we launch a catapult into all that we can be.

Both the guidance of the ego and the soul will always be present, and we will always be faced with a choice: which one will we listen to? Which one will we feed?

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Editor: Bryonie Wise

Photo: Tyler “Wyldman” Alcorn