Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness.

So today, we're going to explore

the topic of being your own or

authority and trusting yourself.

So developing a trust in

yourself and your feelings is an

integral part of mindful living.

So taking an advice from teachers

and taking in guidance from

others can be really helpful.

It has a lot of value.

But many of us take this

a little bit too far.

We have a tendency of always looking

outside of ourselves for the answers,

and we tend to ignore or overlook

what our own instincts, intuitions

and feelings are telling us.

So some people who are we're

exploring a personal growth or

spiritual path get really caught up

in believing that a particular teacher

or leader knows better than them.

They might idolize them or do

whatever they say without question.

You know, but this giving away of

our own authority has led many people

down unhealthy and unhelpful paths.

Hey, if at any time something doesn't

feel right for you, then why not

listen to and honor those feelings?

Why should you ever ignore those

feelings if some authority figure or

group of people think differently?

Why should you write off your

own gut instincts as invalid

if somebody else disagrees?

So for many of us, it's become

a bit of a habit to ignore our

feelings instead of honoring them.

But it's important to know that

emotions and sensations can be like

guides and the body has its own wisdom.

So here's a really simple example.

You know, when we've been

working too hard, the body just

gets tired or overly revved.

If we honor those feelings, they can

teach us to take rest when we need it.

A feeling of loneliness instead

of being avoided can be a signal

that we need more connection, and

we can seek that in our lives.

A sense of sadness about the state of

the world today when fully felt and

honored can be a powerful motivator to

take compassionate action for positive

change, no matter how big or small.

So this capacity for trusting yourself

is the foundation of basic wisdom.

And wisdom grows the more you listen

to your feelings, intuitions, and

sensations with an open-heartedness.

So the more you cultivate this

ability to listen to yourself and

trust your own being, the more you

naturally become your authentic self.

So instead of imitating someone else

or following along with the status

quo, you'll be better able to beat

to the tune of your own drum and

live the life that's true to you.

So if it feels right for you, perhaps

make an intention to start listening

to your own feelings and trusting

them to guide you because remember

teachers and texts can only be guides.

The ultimate authority

on your life is you.