The Teacher Within

“You should not have snoozed the alarm”

“You should have thought before snapping back at the colleague”

“You should not have eaten that chocolate cake”

These may sound like the sermons from a parent, but actually these are a glimpse of voices coming from within.

We mostly ignore these voices as trivial disturbance in the head and choose hedonic rewards over these feeble suggestions. Many times, these voices seem more irritating than those of a nagging relative.

Besides, we don’t have patience to listen to this inner advice, as it cannot match the lightning speed at which instinctive brain broadcasts the commands.

On top of it, this voice is so close to us and so constant, that it begins to feel like interference, rather than support.

Gradually, we begin to lose it!

What we don’t realize is that this voice is our biggest coach, mentor and teacher. Not only it constantly analyses our reactions and tries to stop us from taking any damaging actions, it also proactively guides us towards the right path.

Nobody can understand our situation, needs and aspirations better than this voice. Even with all the efforts, people around us cannot understand us beyond a limit.

While it understands us so well, we don’t even make an attempt to understand it or even listen to it. When was the last time, you sat with an open mind trying to understand what your inner voice wants to tell?

As this voice becomes feeble through neglect, the instinctive and emotional centers keep gaining strength. We shouldn’t be surprised as our reactive behaviours show up more often.

But the biggest loss is somewhere else. We miss out on the real expertise of this inner teacher.

The ‘parental rebukes’ it gives us are just the first layers of its vast functionality. It’s actually a large reservoir of insights, ideas, creativity and wisdom – only if we choose to pay attention and listen to it. If we look at the lives of legends more closely, we would realize where they derive their purpose, inspiration, drive, determination and creations from.

So how do we actively listen, understand and strengthen this voice? How do we bring this profound inner teacher back into our life, to its rightful place?

We can make a beginning with two simple steps:

• Ask the Teacher: Next time, you get tempted to vent out anger or to succumb to temptations, just ensure to ask what the inner teacher wants to tell you. Even if you don’t follow the advice, it’s a great breakthrough to at least listen to it.
• Dial-in to the Teacher: Whenever you are waiting for someone or something, don’t take out your mobile phone, but dial-in to your inner teacher. Just pay attention to what all your inner voice wants to share with you. Dedicating 10-15 minutes daily for this exercise could bring magic in your life.

As the voice might have been choked for long, it may take little time for it to surface strongly. But once you have re-established the connection, it could prove to be the most precious connection in your life. Hope we all get seamless access and connectivity with our real Teacher!