inner compass – Page 2 – Ruthann M. Wilson

Live Simply and Authentically Through Your Values

Rocks by the sea modified

SIMPLY: without ambiguity, clearly

Simplicity is a principle as well as a practice.

As a principle, simplicity is foundational to our lives—a core value from which we build our lives. When our aim is to live simply, truth becomes our guide. We tap into our personal truth with questions like “What is true for me?”, “What do I value most in my life?”, “What is best for my life?”, “What matters most in my life?”.

As a practice, simplicity is a process of staying focused, planning, organizing, and letting go of things that no longer bring you joy or serve your highest good.

Living simply is not about living without. It’s about living with intention from the inside out. Take the first step—identify, clarify, and prioritize your values.

Do you need support? Be True to You is designed to help you clarify what truly matters and create the life that you desire.

Feel free to share this post with others via a share button below.

All the best,

Ruthann

Why Clarifying Your Values Matters

why

The next time you find yourself looking for a reason why you haven’t started, completed, or followed through on something, take a step back and ask yourself if it is really important to you. If the answer is yes, spend some time exploring why it is important. When you ask yourself why something is important, you are tapping into your personal values.

Your values are always at work in your life whether you are fully aware of them or not. Clarifying them and using them as a guide can change your life. If you haven’t taken the time to clarify your values/what is most important to you in writing, I encourage you to make it a priority. Life flows when you are clear on your values.

We are likely to struggle to keep commitments when they are not clearly connected to personal values. When this happens, commitments tend to be rooted in fear and obligation rather than rooted in your heart.

Today is a great day to evaluate your commitments to ensure they are in alignment with your values. If not, give yourself permission to make changes or let them go.

Clarify what is most important to you and why. It will help you manifest what you desire.

Clarifying your values ensures that your career choices are authentic and sustainable, guiding decisions about roles, promotions, and leadership.

Need support? Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path is designed to help you clarify what is most important to you and bring it to life. Click here to learn more about Be True to You.

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All the best,
Ruthann

The Power of Silence: Embracing Solitude for Inner Peace

“Let silence take you to the core of your life.”

—Rumi

When I was growing up, my mom used to make me and my siblings spend time alone on a regular basis. She felt it was important for us to learn to enjoy our own company and not feel compelled to fill our time with other people or activities to be content and happy.

Spending time alone was never an issue for me. I am an introvert by nature and quiet time alone is how I recharge and reenergize. I looked forward to and enjoyed my time alone.

As I look back on my childhood, I feel a deep sense of gratitude to my mom for laying the foundation for what has proven to be a very important daily practice, time alone in silence to cultivate patience, peace of mind, and trust in the process of being internally guided.

If you don’t already have a regular practice of spending time alone in silence, I encourage you to create time in your day to be still and silent. Strive for 15-20 minutes in silence each day.

If sitting in silence is new to you, start small. Take five minutes or ten minutes out of your day. Set a timer so that you can be fully present to the moment and not watching the clock. You may want to consider using your breath as a focal point for your time in silence. When the timer goes off, bring your quiet time to a close in a spirit of gratitude for the gift of silence. Capture your experience of going within in a journal or notebook.

In the beginning, the benefits of spending time in silence may not be obvious, however, as you continue with this practice, I believe you will feel a deeper sense of peace, calm, balance, and openness to inner guidance. Give yourself the gift of silence.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

You are welcome to follow the blog to receive new reflections, subscribe to the mailing list for updates in your inbox, or connect with me on social media, whatever feels most supportive.

All the best,
Ruthann

Strategies to Stay Focused on What Matters

What we choose to focus on magnifies in our lives. Here are a few strategies that can help you stay focused on what truly matters and create the life that you desire.

Capture what is most important to you in writing

Writing things down can help you focus, plan, organize, and bring your dreams to life. Make a commitment to capture what is most important to you in writing – your values, vision, goals, etc.

Clarify your personal values

Values are qualities/principles that are most important to you. Your values are the foundation for your life. They inform your life choices and help you prioritize what is most important in your life. Take time to identify, clarify, and prioritize your values in writing and put them into action.

Create a vision for your life

A vision is a desired future state. Give yourself permission to dream BIG. Create a detailed vision of what you desire for your life and create a plan of action to bring it to life. You may find my post on vision boards helpful. Click here to read the vision board post.

Create awareness of how you are spending your time, energy, and money

Keep track of how you are spending your time, energy, and money (in writing) on a daily basis for the next seven days. It will help you see the degree to which you are (or aren’t) focused on what truly matters. This exercise is seriously eye opening!

Need support? Be True to You is designed to help you clarify what truly matters and create the life that you desire.

Feel free to share this post with others via a share button below.

All the best,
Ruthann

Walking a Spiritual Path: Cultivating Clarity, Purpose, and Confidence in Life

What Is Spirituality? Defining Awareness, Belonging, and Higher Presence

It depends who you ask. Spirituality means different things to different people. I define spirituality as awareness/consciousness of a higher presence working in and through our lives. It is experienced as a sense of belonging to something greater, timeless, and infinite in possibility. It is the means through which we feel a deep sense of purpose and connection to all of life.

What is a spiritual path? Truth, Empowerment, Heart-centered living

Heart-centered/Truth-centered path and process of empowerment.

How to walk a spiritual path: Practices for Clarity, Reflections, and Authentic Growth

There is no right or wrong way to walk a spiritual path; it is a deeply personal path that is influenced by your values, beliefs, trust, experiences, introspection, reflection, and practices. It is an internal process of awakening and discerning what is true for you and living from that truth.

Truth is the light that guides your way.

Are you seeking a deeper sense of clarity, purpose, and direction for your life? Do you feel stuck in one or more areas of your life? Do you feel less than confident about making changes to your life?

Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path is designed to help you step into your power, clarify your vision, and move forward on your path. Click here to learn more about Be True to You.

Feel free to share this post with others via a share button below.

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

Navigating Change and Life Transitions: Reflection Practices for Clarity

If you have read my book, you know there is a recurring theme that the nature of life is change and transition for the purpose of growth and evolution. Change is an inevitable and necessary element of life. It can be self-initiated or the result of external factors that might be out of our control (e.g., death of a loved one, loss of a job, health crisis, economy, sociopolitical environment).

Change is difficult whether we initiate it or not because it requires us to release/let go of something or someone and venture into the unknown. The unknown can be exciting or frightening depending on your perspective. Being able to reflect on the changes and transitions that have occurred in our lives enables us to learn and grow from our experiences.

As a part of my year-end process, I look back at the changes that occurred over the course of the year. I put the changes into two categories: 1) changes that I proactively initiated and 2) changes that were in response to external factors. I look at them separately for two reasons: 1) I am committed to personal growth and it is a way to hold myself accountable and 2) I recognize that some events/circumstances are out of my control, however, they provide me with an opportunity to learn more about myself, as well as others, and make changes accordingly.

PowerPoint Presentation I invite you to look back on the year in the context of the changes that occurred in your life. Look back with the following questions in mind.

What did you learn?
How did you grow?
What did you do for the first time this year? How did it make you feel?
Did you proactively initiate any changes in your life? If not, why not?
What did you learn about yourself and others as a result of external factors that were out of your direct control?

If your desire is to create your life from the inside out, commit to setting goals and proactively making changes in your life. Choose how to respond to external factors that are out of your control and stay focused on your goals.

Feel free to share this post with others via a share button below.

All the best,
Ruthann

The Journey to Authenticity: My Journal Reflections

JOURNAL ENTRY: I realized over the break that I am living a double life.

I have kept a journal most of my life. I have found it to be an invaluable tool for recording my dreams, clarifying my thoughts, and processing my feelings. It has also helped me to see how much I have grown over time.

As a part of the writing process for Be True to You, I reviewed some of my older journals. I was looking for themes in terms of what I was journaling about as well as statements that were related to breakthroughs and turning points. One of the statements that I found during the process inspired this post. I made a note in my journal that I felt like I was living a double life. I was driven by a need to be accepted and, in the process, not openly sharing the part of me that loves to explore a variety of topics and finds inspiration in many things.

At the time of my journal entry, I was exploring spirituality through a different lens (e.g., the Divine Feminine, symbolic systems, etc.). My interest in the topics was real, however, I wasn’t comfortable sharing what I was exploring because the topic was outside of “normal” conversations within my circle of friends and family. I did not want to be seen as “eccentric” or a “new ager”. In reality, I was judging myself and assuming what others might think about me. I noted in my journal that I was out of integrity by not sharing that part of me. I made a decision to stand in my truth and start sharing my interests with others; not only for my personal integrity, but as a way for them to get to know me at a deeper level.

For the most part, it seems the more authentic I am with others, the more authentic they are with me. Being authentic and vulnerable opens the door for deeper and more meaningful relationships.

Is there a part of you that you are hiding/not sharing with friends and family because you are afraid of disapproval, rejection, or judgment? How might you begin to bring that part of you forward?

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

You are welcome to follow the blog to receive new reflections, subscribe to the mailing list for updates in your inbox, or connect with me on social media, whatever feels most supportive.

All the best,
Ruthann

Walking a Spiritual Path: Cultivating Clarity, Purpose, and Confidence in Life

Nature Path

What Is Spirituality? Defining Awareness, Belonging, and Higher Presence

What is a spiritual path? Truth, Empowerment, Heart-centered living

Heart-centered/Truth-centered path and process of empowerment.

How to walk a spiritual path: Practices for Clarity, Reflections, and Authentic Growth

Truth is the light that guides your way.

Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path is designed to help you step into your power, clarify your vision, and move forward on your path. Click here to learn more about Be True to You.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

You are welcome to follow the blog to receive new reflections, subscribe to the mailing list for updates in your inbox, or connect with me on social media, whatever feels most supportive.

All the best,
Ruthann

Who Looks Inside Awakens: Tap into Your Inner Wisdom

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”

—Carl Jung

Are you living your life from the outside in? Do you feel disconnected from your true self and power within?

A new way of living begins when you choose to live from the heart and guidance within. Your heart is your spiritual core, center of truth, inner compass, and extraordinary guide.

You tap into the wisdom of your heart when you ask questions like ‘What is true for me?’, ‘What is best for my life?, ‘What do I value most in my life?’. Your heart knows the answers.

Take the first step:

Be still. Be quiet. Be open to inner guidance.

Thirty-Day Challenge:

Take time each day to listen to the wisdom of your own heart.

Commit to 15-20 minutes of daily silence.

Learn more – YouTube

Who Looks Inside Awakens: Tap into Your Inner Wisdom

Go Deeper on Your Path

Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

You are welcome to follow the blog to receive new reflections, subscribe to the mailing list for updates in your inbox, or connect with me on social media, whatever feels most supportive.

Clarity is powerful and it comes from within

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace