How To Solve Life’s Problems “Inside Out”

We live in a society where opinions, advice, and counsel overwhelm us.  It is given to us at the water cooler, dinner table, and in casual conversation with friends.  Workplace meetings are fraught with one person cutting off the other, at just the right time, to get their opinion in.  Think about it.  When was the last time you talked to someone who simply listened to understand?  That just isn’t how we communicate in today’s fast paced, information flooded world.

Our social media lives with Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter follow the same opinion oriented trend.  Google organizes the electronic world to allow constant access to a myriad of articles and blogs on how to think and what to do.  There is, of course, a place for this type of consumption but, I believe, all this noise is deafening us to our inner voice. The voice, which if listened to, can provide the answers that yield more balance, meaning, and happiness.

This inner voice is constantly trying to direct us towards our values. The movie Inside Out does a masterful job of illustrating this inner world reality. As depicted in the life of Riley, an 11 year old girl, each one of us has been born with an inner wisdom meant to guide, inspire, and problem solve.   Much like a musical instrument learning how to effectively use this wisdom requires tuning, practice, and patience.

Think on the last time you were faced with a challenge. How did you approach it?  Did you seek answers through Google?  Pinterest?  Talk to a friend who gave their opinion on how you should proceed?  How many of us took the time to sit down in a quiet atmosphere, isolate our focus, and sincerely think through the problem or challenge?

The crazy thing is nobody knows your situation and values better than you. You are, therefore, best equipped to provide solutions to your unique problems.

There are five tuning principles that, with practice, will make you an effective musician:

1. Confidence: You have been endowed with the ability to solve life’s problems. Accessing your inner voice requires sincere belief in this truth. Have faith in yourself. Without this confidence you will be challenged to hear the sweet music of inner wisdom.
2. Clarity:  Be clear on the problem, challenge, or hurdle you are trying to solve.  Oftentimes we make the problem more complicated than it really is.  Try to summarize the problem in one sentence.
3. Values:  What are your values?  Many problems will solve themselves if we are clear on our values. The author of that Pinterest article does not share your values regardless of their religion or political association.  Values are as unique as your fingerprint.  Help with identifying your values see post on Mission Statement Builder.
4. Expression:  Expression can be writing or talking.  The benefit to writing is that one can express without judgement.  It is just you and your inner wisdom that are clarifying the problem, identifying values, and entertaining various solutions.  If you decide to talk with another, ensure that he or she is trustworthy, nonjudgmental, and has the ability to listen…I mean truly listen.
5. Listen: Listen to what your inner voice is gently whispering or, in some cases, screaming. At times, we know the answer but find ourselves plugging our ears. The answer may not be what our weaker selves wants to hear. It takes courage to follow certain answers.

The next time you are faced with a challenge think “Inside Out”. Recognize you have an inner world that is begging you to listen. Take the time to face life’s challenges and avoid the temptation to default to the advice, opinion, and noise that constantly surrounds us. Learning how to fish for our own answers will yield great dividends in providing a more peaceful and meaningful existence.