It’s been a long time since we dove deep at BeAwesome 365. If you’re not in the philosophical mindset today, you my want to save this one for later. It’s got a message, though. An Important human note. What would really be nice is a little feedback. This is one of my seasonal calls for “leave a message, let’s get some chatter going!”

As I drove into work today, I had an inner feeling telling me just to take a different route.  I was curious whether it was the boredom with the usual commute or, conversely, me being more aware of the surroundings and instinctively knowing to change directions.   Perhaps it was GOD, or my inner self, or the whispers of Deepak Chopra and his rules of the Universe and its infinite wisdom that I have somehow passively become attuned to. 

Either way, I changed routes and made it to work intact and alive.

It would be both horrible and amazing if I had some sensational viral-making headlines on how I avoided a disaster of a gas truck sliding into an overpass. But, nope, there wasn’t a severe wreck or “Final Destination” type accident that would force the hooded figure of death to hunt me down for because I “cheated him” by avoidance of my usual route – Nope, it was business as usual in Corpus Christi.

So what was the feeling?  And Why did I listen?

We all have our own set of beliefs and experiences that lead us to interpret these ‘premonitions’ and gut feelings.   I’d argue that out of 100 people, 100 of us would explain it differently. 

I don’t so much care what it is, that’s debatable and a never-ending circle discussion – I’m not searching for a debate here; instead, I’ll focus on that it actually IS something.  

Nearly everyone gets these feelings; more often than not, they are ignored as irrational little blips in our subconscious and forgotten nearly as soon as they’ve entered the picture.  They are virtually unnoticed.  

Today’s article is a shout-out to simply start experimenting with yourself and listening for a change.   To begin to notice.

As many of you know- I like to read – a lot.  I’ve been dipping my toe into the fringes lately about all kinds of things.   Add to that that I like to think, and I’m interested in what other people think – especially people from different walks of life who have different experiences.

The last year has been impressional on me as I am in such a better place mentally, physically, and emotionally than I’ve been for a long time. I think this idea of the little voice in our heads having validity has had a lot to do with it.

Some of you may also be interested in this stuff, the borderlands of our consciousness.  A large part of why I set up BeAwesome365 is to lead you to your own path and help you sift through the millions of bytes of info –

I’ll drop some names today – These are the guys  I’ve taken some bits and pieces from during the last year.   If you want to dive deeper, by all means, let me lay out the red carpet.  Click the links and dive in.   

My advice and takes – 

For the religious type – talk to your spiritual leaders – they can help you cultivate this inner/Greater power relationship.   From the idea of inner consciousness to the actual Voice of God, the ideas are out there.  I have a nun I like to talk to that is very strict and set on the rules of Catholicism as concrete – her faith is like stone: “the world is like this (period).”  But at the same time, she is entirely cool not knowing the hows or whys – she has a great view of the rules and what is laid out while at the same time saying, “that idea is above my paygrade…it’s a gift you should use but not question too much.”

I had a religious expert once explain it as, “God speaks to us all the time, but it’s usually not in words and is more like a whisper than a shout.”

My new guy in the clinic is a JW. These guys are just confident and at such a level of calm with their religious beliefs that it’s been great talking to him about the inner workings of God and the Universe and how they, as a religious group, explain things.

In the science realm, there are, of course, your usual suspects, Jung, Maslow, Skinner, Pavlov, and My dad – my dad is smart as hell and has decades of psych and soc data to pull from and take bits and pieces from – he’s retired now, hit him up!

For those seeking the inner self/inner voice for self-help – Deepak Chopra is as good as it gets.  He is an MD with 30+ bestsellers, and he uses his teaching as medicine to heal yourself in all aspects.  From Mental clarity to actual physical medicine through becoming aware of your body and circumstance.  I also really like the Dalai Lama – he has that air of himself and is fun.

Aubrey Marcus gets out there deep  -and fast, and his podcast with channeler  Paul Selig is like riding a roller coaster.  Paul is a Channeler talking to his “guides” on the other side…wait, wait before you throw it all out – the guy has some incredible things relating to life and just what the heck we’re doing here.   Even if you can’t stand this stuff and think it’s all BS, a strong message is involved.

Aubrey himself is HUGE into this stuff and has interviews with Jordan Peterson (a massive name in the game) and many others on this exact topic. So dive into this stuff if you’re interested. I’m not telling you to believe it all.  I’m telling you, you’ll come up with your ideas based on others’ explanations.   

 This is where I first heard the ideas of the BIG SELF and how this internal dialogue is trying to help you compete and wrangle in your ego, which lies to us and justifies everything regardless if it’s the best decision or not.   The SELF vs. EGO but explained much differently than psych 151 in the college rotunda. I use that idea and like the whole angle.  

Many of these guys use the whole idea of GOD, the universe, and the inner self as all-encompassing, as the same thing.  Interchangeable and beyond total comprehension. While this may appear blasphemous to some, I think at the level they’re talking. It may have some accuracy.  

Attempting to teach, discuss and debate this entire idea when it is so encompassing, gigantic, and complex that there just isn’t a way to properly wrap our heads around it. It’s a paradox.  But, that’s cool by me.      

The Left of Greg Podcast focuses on self-preservation through law enforcement and the military. They talk about the Three I’s.  Using Instinct and Intuition to then turn on Intelligence.   If the first two click something, use number three and make a decision.  Don’t ignore the signs.

In any case – the revolution, these ideas, the deep thinking – It’s going on right now all around us and at a higher level than existed just a few years ago.   Technology has made this info and groups so much more accessible, and now the petri dish of life changes so much faster.  Exponentially!  

Big Thinkers are out there and are going off on tangents that are often incredible and nearly always entertaining and insightful.  I think these BIG THINKERS happen every generation or so, and we’re definitely on overdrive as a planet right now.

Part 2 

Things happen for a reason. They just do – you truly have to be a stubborn, fun hater to think it’s all randomness and nothingness.   This inner SELF tries hard to affect your life. 

This is the second part of the coin flip I really have got significant results from.  Let it happen and process this – The decrease in stress alone is staggering.  The basic idea that things happen FOR you, not TO you, is a slight shift in vocabulary and a monster shift in perception and life.

Were you stuck in traffic? Maybe not moving for twenty minutes saved you from whatever unpleasantness caused the standstill. Perhaps you lost your keys this morning, so you weren’t the one in the car accident. That’s basic “motherhood rationalization.”  

Now use it.

If you’ve been in line for 26 minutes for McDonald’s Drive Thru?  It’s time to forget it – McDonalds isn’t in your cards today. So drive away. Someone or something is trying to tell you that you don’t need it today.  Maybe it’s not randomness. Maybe there is a higher purpose for you missing out today.   

Navy Seal David Rutherford is a great guy to listen to. You’ll find his positivity on all the big blogs and his podcast, Team Never Quit.    He says, “We get the signs we need when we need them, and the more open you are to this type of thing, the bigger the signs appear, making them a lot easier to read.”

I think that’s an excellent summary.

I know, on the surface, it maybe sounds a little crazy – I know this article isn’t my norm on the health/life front, but I’m telling you it’s a HUGE part of our health and mental as well as physical well-being.  My life is significantly enhanced when I’m dialed.  I’m happy – and I think we’re all, as a species, chasing happiness way too much – it’s right there for the taking. We’re just looking the wrong way.   If nothing else, it’s fun to play with, and if your big SELF is like mine, it’s funny.  It Enjoys feeling happy.   It works to make me happy.  

At the end of the day – that’s good enough. 

Just like the inner voice – Different religions have different ways of looking at “why things happen,” I’d love to see comments below that discuss this further. 

And What if it is just intuition?  Your gut feeling?   Left over from our days as earth-roaming animals and instinctual to our survival and propagation?  Well, if that’s the case, we need it! Yeah, guys, as humans- we’re just not really dialed in as much in modern society or nature as our ancestors were.   It’s still real.

 Andy at Headspace ran a drill yesterday to show how truly “out of touch” we are.   All we had to do was be aware each time we sat down or got up.  It was that easy – just one thing.  Count the reps for the day.      I made it to 2.  And then, I started paying attention to everything else in my day.  Fail… 

No, I didn’t just get up and down twice. I did it probably 100 times but only thought to be aware of it twice despite instructions to pay attention.   The point is that we’re all on autopilot for most of our day in all aspects.

Cheers to some part of our body/mind for just paying attention and sublimely suggesting things we most definitely overlooked.   Here’s my call out to listen.

Yes, There are dozens and probably hundreds of other takes on this idea encompassing all kinds of religion, psych, and sociology.  You get to decide what it means to you. I’m just here to suggest you listen up and stop ignoring. Now, look, before you make a determination on me – “Chad’s finally cracked.”  I’ll let you know. I’m just up for it.  I don’t ride a hard line here. I don’t know what it is – really, I don’t care – it’s beyond me needing to understand – The learning, the paying attention, listening to my inner voice or the Universe is deep stuff that I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand, nor do I need to. 

What I’m suggesting here is what MILLIONS of people present.  That listening to these subtle “feelings” have chilled them the hell out, helped them progress in life, and improved their quality of life by not letting the little things get to them.  It directs them to more happiness, and that’s what it’s all about.   It has helped them make significant decisions and tiny decisions.  It has helped them get on with life after tragedy and, if nothing else, just made life fun.

I have an article I wrote about healthcare for my clients entitled “It’s called a Clue.”  it’s about all this obviousness they miss while trying to diagnose themselves and why their treatment is often in direct contrast to what I’ll find after an exam.   It’s the entire pillar of my clinic’s philosophy, yet I have to repeat it daily.    It’s draining.

These clues are all out there.  Our eyes and central processing may overlook them, but at some level are being picked up.    Everyone from law enforcement to religious leaders to guys like me, just interested in bettering our lives, is urging you to pay attention, get to know this voice, and while developing this, get to know yourself.