From Fixing to Listening — Five Practices for Reconnecting with Your Inner Wisdom
Are you ready to leave self-improvement behind?
I know I am, and not because I’ve given up, but because I’m tired of living life as a perpetual project. Which may be a strange statement to come from a life coach, but I am ready to leave behind the constant churning of dissatisfaction with myself, others, and my circumstances.
I am ready to walk away from thoughts of, “if I could only fix this one thing, then my life would be better.” Laughably, this “one thing” you want to fix has changed dozens of times in your life, sometimes a half-dozen every damn day.
What I want this year is to go deeper into self-understanding, self-acceptance, and self-trust. Deep, honest self-understanding is often much harder than self-improvement, because it asks us to let go of the constant urge to change ourselves or our circumstances and instead learn to ride life’s waves of discontent, uncertainty, and emotion. This has always been the heart of my coaching, not fixing or improving who you are, but guiding you toward greater self-understanding, self-compassion, and self-celebration for yourself and the life you are in. As we come to understand our true nature, the more we can walk the path our Soul wants to follow and use our energy for living and enjoying life more fully, based on conscious choices.
When I say Soul, I mean that deep, intuitive knowing beneath our habits, fears, and shoulds, the part of us that recognizes truth before we can explain it. Your Soul always knows the way. It is the seed of knowing deep down, shyly tucked away in the many folds and layers of our being. So how do we start to connect with our Soul?
Here are the top 5 ways I connect with my Soul:
1. Ask for guidance and trust what you receive.
I have a daily journaling practice, and most mornings I begin by asking, “Soul, what would you have me know today?” Then I let whatever wants to come forward arrive, without judgment or editing. The practice isn’t about getting an answer; it’s about listening.
2. Engage in creative practices.
Creativity softens the mind and opens the door to deeper listening. For me, that looks like collage and poetry; for you, it might be knitting, music, or cooking. When we create, we move out of anxious mental loops and into a more receptive, intuitive space where the Soul can be heard.
3. Make time for your body, not for fixing, but for well-being.
Physical movement can quiet inner chatter and ground us in the present moment. When we engage our bodies without an agenda of weight loss or self-correction, we create space for clarity to emerge. For me, this happens through yoga, walking, and hiking.
4. Spend time in nature.
Nature has a way of sweeping away the cobwebs of thought and reminding us of the larger rhythm we belong to. Time outdoors helps me slow down, turn inward, and reconnect with what feels true beneath the noise.
5. Be in meaningful community.
My deepest moments of Soul listening and self-understanding have happened in community, hands down. Enneagram groups, poetry circles, walking-and-talking-about-life groups, all of these have offered mirrors that helped me see myself more clearly. Find spaces where you can be fully yourself and leave feeling more alive, not depleted.
Connecting with your Soul isn’t about fixing what’s wrong. It’s about understanding what’s true, and letting that truth gently guide your next step.
What if the path forward isn’t found by effort or improvement, but by listening for the quiet knowing that’s been with you all along?
Soul Geography 