There’s a big idea related to our inner world and personal journey that I’ve been processing lately. It offers one explanation for the internal longing that so many of us experience—often after our early career years are behind us.
This longing can feel elusive, yet somehow, we know this desire is for something true, authentic, and aligned with our deepest self. We also know that whatever it is, it will require more of us in some way.
This phenomenon is something that many of my clients have referenced over the last several years, and it’s something I’ve experienced in my own life. In fact, this inner longing was the key driver that eventually led me to coaching.
The Big Idea
The big idea is that when we were in the womb, we existed as a tiny mass of raw essence, potential, and, dare I say, pure unconditional love. Then, upon exiting the safety of our mother’s womb, we immediately experienced the world as “strive or die,” as psychiatrist Dan Siegel says.
As we grew through childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood, we gradually added layer upon layer of self-protective adaptations to keep us “safe.” These layers of story, ego, identity, and possibly even personality, which we learned from our early environment, became our beliefs about who we are and what is possible—or not possible—for us.
With each passing year, as we added layers to our identity and solidified our understanding of ourselves—our commitment to “that’s just how I am and who I am”—we grew further away from the pure essence and potential we once were and still carry within us.
So perhaps that deep internal longing for something we can’t quite name or put our finger on is an invitation from our soul, calling us home. Home to the essence of who we once were—and still are—if we can peel away enough layers to reconnect with that part of ourselves once again.
If we open ourselves, even for a moment, and accept this big idea as possible, what are the implications for you?
If we open ourselves to the idea that our pure original self longs for us to return home, what possibilities emerge for you?
What shifts inside of you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this. Feel free to reach out to me at keith@voyagercoachconsult.com.