Inspiration Monday: BFFs Forever

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A blogumn by Kalimba Bennett

A couple of years ago I had a crisis come up, and I desperately needed the outside advice of a trusted confidant.  A creative partner asked me to fire someone I was very close friends with from a project we were all working on together.  It was a terrible situation and to make matters worse, it was time sensitive.

So I called my trinity of counsel –  mother, boyfriend, best friend – no one answered.  The clock was ticking and I felt immobilized by fear.  I sat, staring at my cell phone, waiting for a return call.  No one came to the rescue.  Overwhelmed, I closed my eyes and tried to relax by taking a deep breath.  Within a few moments a question that changed my life popped into my head – “What if I was my own best friend?”  and then another “What advice would I give to a person I loved deeply who was in my same situation?”

Of course I had made tough decisions on my own before.  But, this was the first time I could remember feeling ill-equipped and rather than reaching out, I consciously choose to reach within.  I kept my eyes closed and visualized stepping outside of myself to take a look at the situation.  Instantly answers starting coming in.  It was powerful beyond words.  By trusting myself I cleared away the fear and made room for my own inner wisdom to speak to me.

I believe we all have a well, infinitely full of strength, intuition and wisdom, that’s available to us at all times, in all circumstances.  So often we look outside ourselves to get validation or direction, when we have the capacity to be our own greatest counsel.  The more we listen, the stronger that voice becomes and the more truthful and clear we become in every facet of our lives.

Obviously having people we trust to turn to is an important, beautiful gift of life.  But I want to offer you the opportunity to turn to yourself first next time a situation arises that you think you can’t handle on your own. You know what you need, you know what to do, and you know how best to do it – all the answers are waiting for you.

Here’s a mini meditation you might want to give a try after the jump:

1.  Find a quiet space with few distractions.
2.  Place a pen and paper next to you.
3.  Close your eyes and begin expanding and deepening your inhale and exhale.
4.  Take 10 long, deep breaths.
5.  In this relaxed state, bring the situation you need advice on into your mind.
6.  Ask yourself “What advice would I give a person I loved deeply in this situation?”
7.  Breathe and listen for your inner voice
8.  Ask yourself any questions that you would ask a best friend.  For example:
What should I do?
What is the best outcome for everyone involved?
How can I create that outcome?
9.  Breathe and listen to your inner voice.
10.  Slowly open your eyes and write down any and all thoughts that came to you.

Let me know how it goes.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time…

Bless your bones,

Kalimba