That Little Voice in your head telling you something

Some call it a sixth sense. Others define it as deep subconsciousness with a nagging propensity for the truth. Still others feel it's a deeply spiritual connection.

Perhaps it's all those things: It's that little voice inside your head, the one that tells you that you missed your exit, that admonishes you for going too far in criticizing a coworker, and the one that nags you when you should have said no, but your mouth had other plans and instead said yes.

We all have this clandestine voice. Some are more aware of it than others. Mostly, we all choose to ignore it anyway. Rarely do we stop and just listen to what it has to say to us.

No, I'm not some crazy dude who should seek professional counseling because of voices in my head. To the contrary, we all have this gift; it's just that some of us can't believe it's being handed to us, wrapped in a bow.

There are two significant times in my life when I truly quieted myself enough to hear this voice out and take stock in its direction. I'm sure there were other times when I heard it too; but these are the times that really stand out as two epiphany-generating events. The first was in 2006, when I was miserable in my job and feeling completely disenchanted with my career direction. The little voice spoke loudly and without hesitation. It convinced me to quit a compensated corporate job. So that's exactly what I did.

The second time was more back 2010, when the little voice convinced me to quit my latest full-time engagement job and moved to different scaled domain. Listening to a phantom voice that isn't really even a voice can be most disquieting, especially when a career and substantial earnings are at stake.

But I have to give that little guy credit. He had it right. Both times and maybe it would be for the third time.

Everything turned out for the better. The voice's prodding was the mid-course correction that I needed, and had I just ignored it like most of the other times in my career, I would likely not be writing in my blog, nor would I be very happy in my life.

So if you were like me at one point in my various jobs, running from meeting to meeting, or bouncing from one project to the next, or juggling multiple priorities at warp speed and just trying to stay above the corporate water line, ask yourself: Is that little voice talking to you, and are you ignoring it?

I've talked to many people over the years who are simply tired of their jobs. Yet despite all the warning signs, they stay at it, plodding along, full of anxiety while their insides get eaten alive by stress and mental torment. At some point the little voice, who's been screaming and jumping up and down trying to get their attention, must instead become an ambiguous background buzz, something akin to the incessant clanging an infant might make upon discovery of the kitchen's pots and pans, only to go mercilessly mute in the atmosphere around them due to constant, infernal, mind-deadening repetition.

If you haven't taken the opportunity to do so, I highly recommend getting in touch with the voice that really wants your ear. After all, how many times in your life have others sought you out to give you unsolicited advice? If you're like me, it hasn't been that often, at least not with advice that's all that good.

Yes, a most unusual blog, with no tips, no bullet points, no steps to take in ending it. Your job is to accept the fact that the little voice that's clamoring for your undivided attention might be just the ticket you've been looking for in order to make your next personal or career move.

The one piece of homework for you? Sit back, and listen.