By, Chava Floryn

There is a pathway to end our suffering. And I was determined to find it.

Many gurus, clergy, teachers, and philosophers have written about the path towards enlightenment. A path where how we operate, react, and experience life are congruent. Where the reaction to our lives are not determined by the outcome of the situation, but by our own internal compass dictating the response. Is it even possible to take back our personal power; to end our internal suffering? The magic that changed my life and morphed my thinking began with this sentence:

To end suffering, just stop hustling. 

As children we crave our parent’s admiration and our friend’s acceptance. And at some point we believe that in order to achieve love and affirmation we have no choice but to abandon our truths. After time this consistent abandonment leaves us feeling overwhelmed, tired, sad, and anxious. The body begins to flare with all the signals that lets us know, “You’re doing this all wrong and your body needs you to stop.” The moment I decided to stop hustling for validation, for a label, for permission that only appeared to serve me for a short period of time, was the moment my life changed.

When I first began to notice limiting rules I created for myself to stay safe, I realized it was not keeping me safe, it was keeping me trapped. These mechanisms were THE TRAP that perpetuated my suffering in motion. And when I released these mechanisms that no longer benefitted me, everything- EVERYTHING shifted. 

The portal of pain begins with mechanisms that we put into place, which aid and abet the abandoning of our truths. These mechanisms encourage us to stop listening to the real you. They influence- no, demand you to pay attention to your inner critic .

So how did I get to this revelation? Great question!

The moment I realized this inner critic was in charge, was the moment I realized I could dethrone her.  For the first time I noticed my suffering had a seat at my table, but she did not deserve to be there. This voice had been ambushing the REAL me. These mechanisms I so craftily put into place had me falsely believing they were protecting her all along. The her, the real her…aka the real me. But they were merely masking the real me, not protecting her.

We are not this critical voice. I knew I was not her. While I alone created her, I alone also managed to deconstruct her. I birthed a new voice, a new me. And while the old me justified that voice and even felt entitled, victimized and deserving of her, the old me needed ta go. The old me who had believed that voice was in charge needed to leave. The new me who knew that voice was the charlatan dressed in King’s clothing began to emerge.

This critical voice had not been my “safety net” at all, it had been the scam created to blind my authenticity. It had been my smokescreen. Blaming others for my feelings of unworthiness, self shaming myself, acting and staying small, seeking or asking permission to be me, these mechanisms were put into place by ME. They did NOT SERVE ME. And they could just as easily be ERASED BY ME. 

Every person has 2 life forces pulsing inside their bodies. Each one has a voice. There’s the divine voice that tends to get drowned out. And then there’s this critical voice, which loves to be loud and bossy as shit. Both voices consistently compete for air time in our heads. Some call it consciousness vs subconsciousness.  Others call it good inclination vs bad inclination. Either way the voices are in play. All the time. The critical voice will spend all its energy self sabotaging the divine voice, while convincing you that it is protecting her. So much so- the mind will manage to rewire itself to believe the critical voice is the actual you. 

The morph starts slowly, discreetly- stealthily. One day it gets so loud you begin to believe you are that voice. But the truth is, that is us, and that is not us. It’s neither. It’s like a mask. We can wear it, but we can also take it off. It’s merely an accessory. It’s a shadow and it’s excellent at masking truth and hiding in the shade.

So then the question becomes- WHO IS THE REAL VOICE? What does he/she stand for? What does he/she believe? Will I like him/her? We have shut that real voice down for so long- yet it is the divine voice who longs so badly to break out. What is the real pathway for getting rid of this critical voice? It’s called PRESSING MUTE. It’s called RAISING THE VOLUME on the DIVINE ONE. That voice is awaiting to be heard, because that voice is stunning!! I have ways of raising the volume. Read it here

Awakening…true emancipation and freedom comes from the ability to shut that critic down. It comes from operating authentically from that divine voice at all costs, at all times. That’s when everything changes. That’s when we can rain blessings down. When that is the only voice we let in, the only voice we listen to, we slay life; the real living starts.

So I’m not listening to that inner critic anymore that has tormented me for so long. She’s not me. She’s this thing that hates to see me happy. She systematically sabotages every good thing I have going. 

Try it, Listen to the real you- the abundant you, the powerful, joyful, kick ass- genius- brilliant- lovable, loving, shining star YOU. That’s the only VOICE who COUNTS!

Because ALL pain- ALL OF IT, is sourced in this inner critic. And once that is let go- magical thinking truly happens. 

So who’s in charge? Who’s your mama now? Who’s you’re daddy now?

YOU ARE.