How do you hear your inner knower? Most people are so busy that they don’t take time out for themselves. Have you ever had a problem and not been able to come up with the answer? Finally, you went to sleep and at three o’clock in the morning you woke up with a solution. That’s no accident. You got quiet and the answer emerged.

Consider these ideas for a happier, healthier mental attitude:

•   Be flexible.

•   Tolerate frustration and uncertainty.

•   Do not be defensive about your past, overwhelmed by the present or fearful of the future.

•   Be open-minded and non-judgmental.

•   Be willing to learn from others.

•   Challenge traditional ways of doing things.

•   Make decisions without being overly-influenced by others.

•   Be sensitive and empathetic. Be aware of other people’s thoughts, feelings and needs.

Listen to yourself. The first way to get in touch with that personal part of you is by listening to the voice within. You might have to make an appointment to have quiet time with yourself. If someone wants to interrupt, explain that you are already busy at that time. Make sure you keep that appointment.

Keep a journal. The second way to get in touch with you is by keeping a journal. A journal is a personal recording of your thoughts, feelings, ideas and dreams. It is not just a recording of who and what you see each day. Several years ago, my life took a turn for the worse when I lost four loved ones almost simultaneously. I had been teaching about the power of writing one’s feelings in a journal. I had unbearable grief and didn’t know what to do with it. I pulled out my pen and began to write. I wrote for hours; I wrote until I was exhausted and able to sleep. Something miraculous and healing happened as I transferred the feelings from my heart to the paper. I began to feel relief, and as the months passed, I could see just how far I had come. I only had to look at the writing I had done months before to see what I had overcome. Richard Bach in his book Illusions tells us “We teach best what we most need to learn.” I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to learn what I had been teaching.

Find your joy. The third way you get in touch with yourself is by identifying what gives you joy and making time for it. For the next few moments, think of some of the things that bring you joy. Make a list of ten things that you do for fun. Next to that list, write the last time you did each thing. Are there things on your “fun list” that you cannot remember doing? You may also still be doing the exact same things today that you did ten years ago. That’s not all bad, but the point is that you may not be allowing new people, opportunities and challenges into you life. Maybe you are stuck in the same old rut. Have you changed your appetites and are you open to all the best life has to offer?

A few months ago, I lost a friend. He was young and healthy by all accounts, but one morning he didn’t wake up…a heart attack. None of us know how long we have so we need to live each moment as though it were our last.