Steve Jobs once said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your inner voice.”

Through early conditioning, most of us blind ourselves to the best of who we really are. We become untrusting, too busy, too intellectual, too committed to rules and ideas that, in the end, hinder awareness of our authentic self, limit insight into our deeper purpose, and restrict our growth and development. We collude with the internal Border Patrol – that invisible mental force that, out of fear, limits self-expression and access to what is best and right for us.

Do you hear your inner voice? If so, do you honor it? If you answered, “Yes,” you’re a true Spirit of Purpose who is nurtured and guided by the internal spring that is your own unique and individual truth.

If you can’t hear your inner voice, or you tune it out in favor of others, try this: first, ask your self, “What do I long for?” A word of caution — your inner self is not the incessant chatterer. It is the part of you that notices the chatterer inside your head. Direct your question to the part that notices. Wait patiently, trusting that the answer will come. It may show up as a feeling, a memory or an image. Or it could ride in on something someone says that stimulates an idea. Once you get your answer, as long as it causes no harm to you or anyone else, step out of your comfort zone and act on it. Take baby steps if necessary. But move intentionally and deliberately toward what you desire.

To learn more about recognizing and living a fulfilling life guided by the sense of purpose conveyed via your inner voice, read my book, “LIES That Limit.” It will help you cut through the LIES — the Labels, Illusions, Excuses and Stories — that stifle your inner voice, your Spirit and Purpose.