3 Ways to Reteach Yourself to be a Free Independent Thinker
We are constantly being overwhelmed with more. The do more, achieve more mantra in ads, commercials, and social media are redundant and undermines our God given intellect. Each time we click on that video or read that article we give those relentless encouragers a chance: a chance to confuse us, change our direction, or scare the hell out of us.
How about we stop giving all those chances by limiting what information we consume? Choose which outlet gets your precious time and attention.
Therefore, it gives you the opportunity to trust your own wisdom from within.
How often do you give yourself the opportunity to think for yourself without relying on a Google search to look up answers to your uncertainties? Have you forgotten how to trust yourself and value your own inner wisdom? I see more people that have more trust in man-made systems than anything else. But how can I blame them? Our society was engineered this way. Our country didn’t become the powerhouse it is today by being one with ourselves and the earth.
It’s time to reconnect!
I began to understand that there was more to life than just the physical when I was a child. I had feelings in my gut that warned me if I should or shouldn’t do something. I remember sharing it with my father. He then shared with me that his side of the family has a gift of intuition and when a voice speaks to us, we must listen. He taught me how to trust my gut by doing two things, listen and follow.
Naturally, I am more of a listener than a talker, so the first half of my father’s advice wasn’t hard to follow. I began paying more attention to the signs my gut instinct said to me about people, places, and things. Now, doing the second half of that advice was more challenging as a child. Children typically want to do what they want to do and sometimes it’s to their own detriment. Unfortunately, that’s another way children learn.
As a pre- teen my actions often went against my gut feeling. Like I mentioned before, hearing it was easy, but following it was a bumpy road. I wanted to do things my way and with little thought. I faced consequences, but thankfully they weren’t devastating. They did hurt though. For instance, I remember a particular moment when my gut told me to use a tray to carry my plate of food while walking to the living room. I didn’t listen, and once I sat down, my plate sat down with me. It fell in my lap and seeped down to the carpet. Oh boy, my grandma gave me the longest tongue lashing ever. I couldn’t wait to go to sleep that night. 😂
As you begin to trust that inner voice, it becomes easier to hear.
As an adult, my intuition has gotten stronger the more attention I give to it. It gives me insight on lifestyle choices and precautious warnings of people to stay clear of. Each of us have a sense(s) that we should get to know better. It may be natural inclination to sound, smell, or sense that gives us a deeper understanding of the world around us. Hone it! To connect more with our inner sense, we have to lessen our outwardly distractions.
Let’s take an objective standpoint and focus on a common area that takes a lot of our time: our phone, internet, and social media.
Here are three ways to get started and lessen your distractions:
Give yourself a time limit for each social media platform. The “mighty scroll,” the habit that keeps you locked in on your phone and wagging that index finger up and down the screen as you mindlessly pass over post, after post, after post. Entertainment is fun! But it’s time to decide how much of your time will you give to it on a daily basis. Set a time limit!
Pre-determine the number of videos and or articles you will view for a duration of time. Have you ever looked up a topic on YouTube and found yourself watching four or five videos all on the same topic? But you validate your time spent in the name of research😂. It’s easy to get lost in the information while actually retaining little of it. As a way to save yourself time and energy, decide how many articles and or videos you will view before beginning your search. Thus, you’ll approach it with direction, and it can help you narrow your focus to the most relevant information.
Approach the information you’re taking in with discernment. Question it’s integrity, accuracy, and if it’s worth your time. Not all information is good information. Your discernment empowers you to think for yourself. Keep practicing this and you might even find yourself cutting off videos or articles before completion because you’re realizing what is and what isn’t beneficial for you.
These are three important ways to connect with your inner voice or sense. This will support you on your journey to become a free, independent thinker.
Choose wisely the information you fill yourself up with.
