I truly believe that each of us has all the answers we need inside of us but how do we access that? If I was to sit down and try to access my “wisdom” all I’d hear would be thoughts, so I have a few tricks that help me side-step my overthinky brain and tap into the part of me that’s far wiser than the face I show the world. It starts with a piece of paper and a pen.

Without a doubt journaling is one of the fastest ways to get to know who you are on the inside. You can use paint and collage, write gratitude lists, use prompts and keep five-year diaries — and all of that is fantastic — but the method I return to again and again is the simple act of writing stuff down, stream-of-consciousness style, in a notebook. I write the date at the top of the page and then scribble down whatever is on my mind. It might end up being three pages of hormone-fuelled angst or a paragraph outlining an idea that came to me over breakfast. I don’t journal every day but I’ve made it my practice to check in with myself in my journal at least once a week, usually more. I don’t write anything particularly profound — most of my journaling reads like a messy brain dump.

However.

Getting into the habit of journaling — however that looks for you — is the doorway to accessing your inner wisdom. In that way it’s a bit like meditation: for the first few minutes after I’ve closed my eyes I’m like a dog trying to get into a comfortable position. My neck suddenly itches, my hands feel cramped. My head immediately fills with everything I must do and my monkey mind starts jumping around. But after a few minutes of letting myself settle, things quieten down and I can bring my focus to the mantra, if I have one, or I simply ‘sit back’ in my head and pay attention to the space inside me (best way I can describe it). If I’m lucky that’s the point when I start to feel more connected to the bigness of everything, but even if I don’t get there, I still feel calmer when I eventually open my eyes.

So if we translate that into journaling, first you get everything out of your head onto the page. Concerns, worries, half-baked ideas, preoccupations. He said this, she said that. The what ifs? The resolutions. Get it all out. And then keep writing. Start asking the questions and see what you come up with. Once I’ve dumped everything out of my brain I find it’s much easier to start looking at things from a different perspective. Sometimes I’ll keep my notebook by my side all day, adding more notes as they occur to me. What started as chaos in the morning might look very different by the evening.

Another journaling technique I use a lot is letter writing. You can write letters to people, places, things, feelings — anything and everything, really — but it’s especially powerful when you write a letter to yourself as yourself. Try writing a letter as your future self, one year older than you are now. Or five years older. Or as your 80-year-old self. What does she have to say? What clarity can she share about your current situation? I like to imagine that my future self knows a heck of a lot more about the world than I do, so when she writes me a letter I feel I’m accessing the part of me that’s wise and loving. Doesn’t matter that it’s the me of today who’s writing it — I’ll often read a letter back and wonder where did that come from?!  

 

 

Checking in with my inner wisdom and intuition is how all my decisions and plans are made these days. We live in a noisy world filled with people telling us what to do and how to live but the fact is nobody knows YOU like you do. You are the ultimate authority on your inner and outer world but it can be hard to hear yourself think let alone listen to anything more subtle! And intuition is really beautifully subtle, so I’ve created a new course to help you not only hear your own inner wisdom but to act on it too. Think of it as your sense of knowing — just like your others senses it’s possible to strengthen your intuition through daily connecting and creative practices — and yes, journaling plays a big part in that!

Your Soul Speaks feels like the next evolution in my teaching. In all my courses I want to empower you to be able to know, trust and express yourself better. It’s time we tune in to ourselves to become fully empowered to steer our own ship. A world full of people who trusted and followed their inner guidance would be a world that changed overnight! And it starts with us.

 

The giveaway

To celebrate the launch of Your Soul Speaks I have six special journal packs up for grabs! Inside each pack is a gorgeous OLA journal, a copy of Project Calm magazine, a stick of palo santo and a pack of my absolute favourite incense.

There will be 12 winners in total — 6 peeps get a journal pack and a place in class PLUS! another six peeps will also get a place in class.

** If you win and you’ve already enrolled in class I will send you a refund! **

I’m happy to mail the packs anywhere in the world, so this giveaway is open to everyone.

How to play

You can enter up to five times in the following ways:

1. Leave a comment on this post sharing something that has already made you smile in 2018

2. Pinterest: Pin one of the images in this post (and include a link back to this post) then leave a comment saying you’ve pinned it

3. Instagram: Share any of the images in this post and include a link to my IG profile @SusannahConway and the hashtag #yoursoulspeakscourse (then leave a comment saying you’ve shared the pic)

4. Facebook: Share this post on Facebook (then leave a comment saying you’ve Facebooked it)

5. Twitter or anywhere else: Tweet/share this post with your peeps (then leave a comment saying you’ve tweeted/shared the post)

Comments will close on Friday February 23rd at 11:59pm GMT and I’ll contact the 12 winners on Saturday 24th (please make sure you type your email address carefully when leaving a comment)  The winners have all been notifed x

Good luck and thanks for helping me spread the word about Your Soul Speaks! xo