In a world full of answers, how often do you pause to listen to your own?
During the seasonal workshop this weekend, my dear friend and nutritionist was preparing the mushroom and cauliflower soup. She asked me to add the garnish, and I said to her:
“How do you want me to do it?”
She smiled and replied,
“Don’t ask me — ask yourself.”
We laughed, and I went ahead, adding the thyme and olive oil in a way that felt right to me.
I reflected on that exchange later in the day.
The reality of our world is that our first port of call tends to be external. We ask Google, we ask ChatGPT, we ask our friends and family.
That’s not wrong — but must we automatically look outside of ourselves first?
I’ve noticed how often I do this — seeking answers, ideas, or validation — before simply checking in with my own inner wisdom.
What do I think?
What do I know?
What could I contribute authentically?
Half of my week is spent focused on the advancement of AI in our day-to-day lives. I deeply appreciate the opportunities it presents — yet it makes me even more steadfast in protecting the human qualities that make us who we are: intuition, integrity, and connection.
We’re all living through change — in pace, scale, and the very fabric of how we work and live. Amidst it all, I find myself drawn back to the grounding question of who we are. What our unique gifts are. And how we can use them — especially in times of challenge and transition.
Finding the courage to go inward and ask ourselves first requires space, stillness, and sometimes the bravery to act differently.
Dr. Donella Meadows, author of Limits to Growth, wrote:
“Systems thinking has taught me to trust my intuition more and my figuring-out rationality less; to lean on both as much as I can, but still to be prepared for surprises.”
Perhaps that’s the quiet invitation of our time —
to pause before we reach outward,
to ask ourselves first,
and to trust that the answer we find there might just be enough.
