The Cure for Inspiration Deficit Disorder
by Jonathan H. Ellerby, Ph.D. • Tuscon, AZ

“How do I know what my soul wants? If I’ve been disconnected from my essence for so long, how do I begin to feed it and make decisions with it in mind again?”

Fortunately, the Essential Self never goes away, and it never stops speaking to us. It does get covered up, and we can get out of practice with it, like a language we once studied years ago but rarely use. The wisdom and clarity of our essence is always waiting to be expressed. In fact, the Essential Self expresses itself in hundreds of ways and in every facet of life. From simple things such as taste in clothing and music, to the hobbies, foods, people, jobs, and pets that attract us, the soul is always being revealed.

There are four dominant ways in which the Essential Self will let you know whether a situation or choice is in agreement with it: intuition, vitality, love, and connection. To know what your essence wants, you simply need to listen closely; then start trying things out and pay attention to the response you feel inside. Mentally, emotionally, physically, or spirituality, you will get an answer.

1. INTUITION: How Your Essence Speaks to Your Mind

Intuition is more than the accumulation of old information in an instantaneous brain blast. It’s the gut feeling, the hunch, or “knowing” that defies experience or understanding. We’ve all had these experiences at one time or another. Some dismiss them and some, like me, rely on them for the most important decisions in life. Research has shown that intuition, understood or not, is a vital quality of a successful person in any field. Mothers say that “a mom just knows,” business people call it “acumen,” and medical doctors consider it “good judgment.” Often, it is nothing more than the small voice inside that gives us a clear sense of direction or action. Although we can’t explain its origin, some part of us knows that it’s correct. So listen to your gut! When you make a decision, pay attention to the way your inner voice affirms or cautions you. Few people regret following their intuition.

2. VITALITY: How Your Essence Speaks to Your Body

   Have you ever been involved in a cause you were passionate about? Have you ever loved something or someone so much that you were able to tap into an “energy” that allowed you to work extra hard, stay up extra late, or apply yourself more fully than you’d ever thought possible? Parents, entrepreneurs, performers, rescue workers, and artists do it all the time. When what you’re doing is directly affirming or expressing your Essential Self, your vitality will increase. Quite literally, you’ll have more energy. Pay attention to when your choices raise your energy and excitement, as well as when they leave you feeling drained. Over time, you’ll notice the difference between vital energy and attraction/addiction energy. Take time to examine your energy levels.

3. LOVE: How Your Essence Speaks to Your Heart

   In any moment, you can always ask yourself, What is in the highest good? or What would be most loving and empowering? Despite your wounds and habits, you know what kindness is. Holding a door for someone whose hands are full, picking up a pen that someone drops, or being forgiving with a customer-service attendant when addressing a failed product that they personally didn’t design — these are all easy examples of the way most people know to be “nice.” Nice seems simple, but it lives on the same spectrum as love and compassion. When you feel love, you act out of compassion with respect, gratitude, accountability, and kindness. When you commit a loving act, you are in your Essential Self.

4. CONNECTION: How Your Essence Speaks to Your Soul

   Think of a time when you experienced a “felt sense” of relationship to the world around you. You might call the feeling interconnection or connectedness. Maybe you were playing a sport, enjoying art, or taking a walk in nature, or perhaps it happened while giving birth or making love. It feels like the immediate personal awareness of the interrelationship of life. It’s a moment in which more than thinking, you feel that you are a thread in the tapestry of creation and that every action you take ripples throughout the universe. In those moments, you know that nature, humanity, and all of the past and future are somehow connected. Perhaps it was a feeling of Oneness.

Such powerful moments are rare for some, and then there are the fortunate ones who come to those experiences with ease. When you encounter them, you’re immediately reconnected with your essence, even the Original Source. Choices, worries, fears, and regrets fall away. In a moment of feeling “connected,” the wisdom of your Essential Self is easily reached, allowing trust and hope to rise naturally and tells you that you’re moving into the domain of the soul.

Jonathan H. Ellerby, Ph.D, is the author of the highly praised Return to the Sacred (Hay House, 2009) and the Spiritual Program Director for the internationally acclaimed Canyon Ranch Health Resorts in Tucson, Arizona. www.jonathanellerby. com.

Reprinted from Inspiration Deficit Disorder: The No Pill Prescription to End High Stress, Low Energy and Bad Habits by Jonathan Ellerby, Ph.D. with permission of Hay House, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Jonathan Ellerby.