Our unfailing compass

Last week we discussed how you can avoid repeating your mistakes, and this week I want to look at the other side of the coin. How much would it change your life if you could make the right choice the first time around, every time? True, we’ll always make mistakes. Even knowing the right choice, we won’t always be able to follow through. But I believe we do each have a perfect tool inside of us for determining our best course of action in any situation, and that if we can identify it and consistently try to follow it, good things are sure to follow.

Ancient manuscripts say that those of us who have not heard the truth will be judged based on how we follow the law written on our hearts, which is called our conscience. Of course, I grew up hearing a lot about the conscience in church, but even after distancing myself from my religious upbringing, I’ve never heard a single person deny that it exists.

Think of it this way, I believe that what those manuscripts called the “heart” is what we now know as the “subconscious.” I’m sure that all of you reading this can think of many times when you felt a moral, subconscious impulse toward a certain way of behaving—maybe you can remember a sense of satisfaction from having followed that impulse, or a sense of guilt from having ignored it. Most of you can probably remember all three. Whatever you believe about its origins, it seems that we really do all have some kind of law written on our unconscious.

My good friend, Dr. Bruce Lipton, calls this a “vibe.” I told a story of his about it in my YouTube video for this week, about a neighbor that just gave him a bad feeling, even though there seemed to be no reason for it. The guy just felt untrustworthy, but Dr. Lipton didn’t really have any logical reason for thinking that, so he felt kind of bad about it. One day, he was moving to a new house, and that neighbor volunteered to help him. He was evidently a really hard worker and very pleasant, so Dr. Lipton found himself feeling even more guilty for his unexplained mistrust.

Then the guy stole a bunch of expensive photography equipment from him. Dr. Lipton had asked him to mail the stuff to his new house for him, and the guy evidently just took it and left. Moved away somewhere he couldn’t be found. Afterward, Dr. Lipton just kept asking himself, "How did I know?"

I’ve often said that the unconscious mind is a million times more powerful than the conscious mind. Usually, I give it as a reason why we shouldn’t expect to change our lives through conscious willpower, but it isn’t always a barrier—it can work for us as well.

Each of us has access to a sort of internal compass—what I sometimes call the Love Compass—which draws on far more information than our conscious mind could ever consider. Memories we don’t even remember that we have, even memories from our ancestors, as researchers have recently discovered. But it’s a skill you have to practice. Keep ignoring it, and its voice becomes harder and harder to hear. Use it consistently, and you’ll find it starts to come easier.

This week, I encourage you to try and find your own compass. You can use it for just about anything—I even know some people who regularly use it to decide what to have for lunch! Use it for the most important issues of your life. Use it for the most mundane choices. Just use it. It’s too valuable not to try.

Have a blessed, wonderful day!

Alex Loyd