Last week, an old dream I had resurfaced: I was alone in a tiny Citroën 2CV on a pitch-black country road. Towering trees pressed in from both sides, and the headlight switch was nowhere to be found.
Fear knotted my stomach. Then my fingers brushed a small lever, the lamps flared to life, and a soft cone of light showed just enough pavement to keep moving.
What strikes me is how the feeling of that dream lingers more vividly than many moments from my waking life. I can forget details of a perfectly pleasant dinner last month, yet the rush of relief in that imaginary car is still printed on my nervous system years later.
Dreams can tag our bodies with emotion, just as a favorite song becomes ingrained in memory. The scene may be unreal, but the sensation is indelible.
Client One: Promotion News in the Headlights
That same feeling appeared during a session with a client who wanted to promote a valued team member. The only private moment they would share in the coming weeks was a two-hour car ride, yet he convinced himself that announcing a promotion there would be awkward and unprofessional.
He rehearsed and rejected a dozen scenarios until he paused, took a breath, and said, “Come Monday morning, I will know exactly what to do.”
In that moment, his inner headlights switched on. The worry lifted, and on the drive, he simply spoke from the heart. She was over the moon, and the unheard-of setting only made the news more memorable.
Client Two: Vacation Logistics and Cat-Herding
Another client is about to take her extended family to Europe: teenagers, a toddler, parents, and cousins. She pictured pool-loving teens clashing with culture-hungry adults and a toddler melting down in the heat.
“Does it feel a little like herding cats?” I asked.
She nodded, already exhausted by the trip that had not yet begun.
“What if you rely on your real-time intelligence?” I asked.
Her eyebrows rose. “Meaning?”
“Become quiet inside, notice what is happening around you, and trust yourself to know the next small move.”
Just like the 2CV, her wisdom would light only the next few feet of road, yet that would be enough.
She smiled, and I could see her shoulders relax.
How Experience Gets Built From the Inside Out
We live our lives through a constant swirl of thoughts. Roughly sixty thousand thoughts stream through the mind each day; a few stick and generate the feelings that color our moment-to-moment reality. When a thought feels true, it seems like the only possible interpretation, even though it is just one of many lenses you could wear.
Change the lens, and your entire experience shifts.
The Quiet Source of Inner Wisdom
Beneath that mental chatter sits something deeper. Think of a tomato seed: all the instructions for a thriving plant are packed into its tiny shell. In the same way, because you are alive, you have access to an intelligence that offers insight, clarity, and direction. It whispers before thought, before feeling, before interpretation.
Return to that quiet space, and problems become simple. Answers that once seemed hidden appear obvious. You no longer need to map every mile of the journey in advance; you only need to see the few feet that are lit right now.
Your Next Step Is All You Need
Whether you are announcing a promotion or orchestrating a multi-generational holiday, start by calming the inner noise. Notice the scene in front of you. Let your built-in wisdom turn on the headlights. Move forward the short distance you can see, then allow the beam to move with you.
That is all you need.