Smart Women Keep Their Inner Door Open

by Joy Chudacoff

Our family went to the Santa Barbara Zoo this past weekend. I love this zoo because it’s not overwhelming (you can see everything in about 2 hours) and Santa Barbara is a favorite spot of mine to relax. When we entered the exotic birds area, a sign on the door read, “For the safety of our birds, please close the inner door before opening the outer door.” That really made me chuckle. I thought, “Well, I don’t think the women will have too much trouble remembering this!”

What do I mean? Many women keep their inner door closed tight with a double-bolt lock on it and have misplaced the key to open it. What inner door am I referring to? The one that leads to our inner thoughts…our inner life. Yes, you do have an inner life. It’s that voice of intuition and deeper knowing that we all experience. It speaks almost in a whisper so that we can barley hear it. Why? Because the outer door…our outer life, is wide open. It lets everything in; the noise, traffic, emails, cell phones, iPods, co-workers, never-ending meetings, grocery shopping, homework, community volunteer work. Have I covered it all? How could you possibly have the time to locate the key and then get the door open on your inner life when the outer life demands so much?

In my work with women, this is something that is supported from beginning to end. You see, the answers about what you want in your life are all within you. In fact, I would bet they are locked behind that inner door. It’s essential to have support in helping you to create the time and space to locate the key, unlock the door and step inside to take an inventory of what’s there.

How do I know this? Well, I have some experience with this. There was a time in my life that if I had read this article, I would not have had any idea what this meant. I had no idea that I had any other life other than the one that I was living. It was busy, hurried, passionless, and one long to-do list of things that did not really provide much meaning in my daily life, let alone my future. While working with my own coach and creating the time and space to explore what was missing for me, I began to understand exactly who I am and better yet, where I wanted to go next.

Isn’t it amazing that all the answers are within us and yet we question so many things every day? It’s about getting in touch with your inner voice that’s behind the inner door. Allowing the inner voice to be heard, and not drowned out by the outer “noise”.

How about you? Do you have any idea where the key is to your inner door? Do you visit your inner life on a regular basis? If you do, bravo! It means that you are in touch with where you are going in your life, dreams and goals. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had not taken the time and allowed myself to hear my inner voice. I can tell you that it has made all the difference in my life. I am living a life full of passion and energy for myself, my family and work that I love.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.