Life’s journey can be tricky, filled with moments of self-doubt and a struggle to listen to our inner voice. It’s easy to feel lost, especially when it comes to trusting ourselves and following our intuition. But there’s good news! Ashish Kothari and Jesse Janelle, Founder and CEO of Gemini Leadership, bring to light a unique perspective to this.
In this article, based on a conversation between Ashish and Jesse Janelle, we offer tips on how you can rebuild self-trust and equip yourself with practical techniques to awaken and amplify your hidden intuition.
“Building self-trust over time happens when the voice of your intuition slowly becomes louder than the voice of your inner critic. It starts by being able to distinguish between the voice of your inner critic and the voice of your intuition, which is a very big and difficult first step.”
– Jesse Janelle
The problem many of us face is that as we grow up, we lose the freedom and self-trust we had as kids. Jesse points out that when we’re young, we’re free from worries and expectations, trusting ourselves effortlessly. But as adults, we get caught up in what society wants from us, and it weighs us down.
But imagine the possibilities if we can break free from these pressures and rebuild that self-trust. By doing so, we can get back to that feeling of freedom we had when we were young, now enriched with a deep trust in our own choices. Remember that true happiness comes from living true to ourselves, free from all the stuff that society throws at us, and anchored in a renewed trust in ourselves.
A Tarot-Inspired Journey to Self-Trust
Have you ever felt disconnected from your thoughts, gut feelings, or what your body is telling you? Maybe past hurts or life’s twists and turns have muddled that inner connection. Jesse found a creative way to bridge this gap. After facing her own tough times, she brought the magic of tarot cards into her coaching practice.
Jesse’s approach, known as tarot-based coaching, externalizes issues, providing a third-party perspective through tarot cards. Jesse uses tarot cards to help clients challenge their own misconceptions and redefine success. In her sessions, cards are shuffled and drawn randomly, each believed to carry a unique message. This method is like viewing life through a new lens – it offers fresh insights and swift changes in perspective, gradually rebuilding an individual’s self-trust.
This method accelerates the coaching process – it’s a fast-track to deep personal and professional insights, making your journey of self-discovery and decision-making more insightful and efficient. It demonstrates the effectiveness of unconventional tools like tarot in breaking habitual thinking and deepening self-understanding, making it a transformative tool for growth.
Three Elements of Self-trust
Self-trust can be hard, especially if past traumas and core wounds have left you feeling disconnected from who you really are. Jesse talks about this in her TED Talk, sharing how she rebuilt her self-trust after a tough time when she was 11. She focuses on three key things that help build self-trust:
- Reliability – This means keeping promises to yourself and sticking to your goals and intentions. It’s about being someone you can rely on, especially when it comes to your commitment to your own well-being.
- Competency – Jesse talks about believing in your own skills and abilities. It’s having the confidence that you can do things and achieve what you set out to do.
- Sincerity – Past traumas often lead people to wear masks, concealing their authentic selves. However, hiding yourself can be tiring and it can hurt your self-trust. Sincerity is an element about being real and true to yourself, showing the world who you really are.
Rebuilding Self-trust and Intuition
Rebuilding self-trust means reconnecting with your true self and tuning into your intuition. According to Ashish, it involves making the voice of your inner cheerleader become stronger than the nagging doubts of your inner critic. It’s often hard to distinguish between these two voices. But understanding the difference between the voice that holds you back and the one that gently guides you forward is key. Jesse highlights that one way to do that is through listening to your physical body.
“When you doubt yourself, others can feel that doubt in what you’re saying. So, once you reduce that inner critic voice and stand confident in your intuition, people will feel it. There’ll be higher resonance, higher connection, higher love.”
– Ashish Kothari
As Jesse describes it, the inner critic or fear feels constricting, diminishing, and can make you feel shaky or cold. On the other hand, the feeling of love, the voice of intuition, feels expansive, opening, and warm. When you combine an introspection practice with a body practice, like yoga, walking, or exercising, it helps you test what you’re hearing in your physical body. When you blend introspection with physical activities, it empowers you to make decisions with confidence, guided by the nurturing voice of love and intuition within you.
Conclusion
Trusting yourself and connecting deeper into your intuition can significantly improve your life and make you happier. Jesse explains that when you have a strong self-trust, you make decisions faster and more effectively. You don’t waste time worrying if you made the right choice.
This trust also changes how you interact with others. When you build self-trust and the voice of the inner critic gets quieter, you’re able to relate to people better. You come across as more genuine and relaxed, which makes people feel more comfortable around you.
“When we’re growing up, we will go through a core wound that leads us to armor up. We armor up because we are afraid of letting the hurt in, but we also prevent our love and goodness from reaching out and we limit others’ goodness from reaching us.”
– Ashish Kothari
Ashish adds that when you stop pretending to be something you’re not, you feel lighter and more energetic. This makes your relationships better because you’re more open and confident, and people can sense that. They respond to your confidence and authenticity, which in return creates a stronger connection.
Jesse is an ICF certified transformational coach, and her TEDx talk on the power of self-trust is in the top 2 percent most viewed talks of all time. Her mission is to help mystic-minded millennials reach new realms of possibilities for their lives.
Learn more about Jesse at her LinkedIn.
Listen to the podcast with Ashish and Jesse below.
Access and subscribe to all of the episodes of the Happiness Squad Podcast here.
Visit the REWIRE Program powered up by the HAPPINESS SQUAD Community and experience your shift within your 30-day risk-free trial today. Cultivate your Self-Awareness, Gratitude, Purpose, Community, and personal growth more through the 9 Hardwired for Happiness practices. Integrate simple and proven micro-practices grounded in the science of happiness and neuroscience of habit formation in 5 minutes a day.
Make Happiness Your Competitive Edge.
