My Visit To Puerto Rico

I just came back from visiting two schools in San Juan, Puerto Rico – Baldwin School and Saint John’s School – and giving a total of seven workshops! It was amazing, intense, exhilarating and so much fun! I met with a total of about 200 girls and they all had something important to share, something deep and inspiring, and at least during our short time together, they gave themselves the gift of connecting with their inner voice. Let me share a True Story with you.

During my workshops, the first thing we always talk about is the inner voice and how it speaks to us, sometimes loud and clear and sometimes softly and not so clearly. I asked if anyone had heard their inner voice, and if so, whether they had listened or turned it off. Immediately one girl shared a story, and it went something like this…

“I was at a friends house and we were talking about another friend of ours who wasn’t there. We were talking a lot. We were gossiping and when I got home, I felt terrible because a lot of what we had said and what I agreed with about this friend of mine wasn’t true. I felt really bad. I told my mom and she said that I had to decide what I was going to do. The next day I went up to the girl whose house I had been at and told her that I regretted all that I had said, and that it simply was not true.”

So far so good, right? I congratulated this girl for sharing this story with us and for not only listening to her inner voice but allowing her courage muscle to grow by confronting her friend with the truth. All the other girls in the workshop seemed very supportive as well and congratulated her for doing what seemed like the right thing, but this girl still did not seem happy. I asked her why and this is what she said….

“I still feel bad. I think I need to tell my friend, the one I spoke negatively about, what I did and apologize to her. But I’m scared she will be upset.”

Again, her inner voice was speaking loudly, telling her that there was still unfinished business and there was more to do. I don’t know whether she will tell her friend the truth but in that moment, I felt so proud of her for sharing this story with us, and for hopefully inspiring others to also listen and pay close attention to the inner voice – it always wants to be heard. When the workshop was over, I took a few minutes to sign books. When this girl came up to me, I said, “For you, I will write something different in your Matters of the Heart book…” I wrote…“Continue listening to your inner voice.”

I hope she does, and I hope all the girls I was so fortunate to meet with will also commit themselves to listening and honoring their inner voice. It’s not an easy task, trust me, I know… But ultimately, if we do listen, we will feel empowered, allow our courage muscle to grow and live a life reflective of who we really are and of what matters most…