Blog | Entrepreneurship

Learn the Key to Master Your Little Voice

Sometime’s your little voice is right… but not always. Knowing when to listen to it or not could be the key to your success

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been asked over the years what is the “little voice” I discuss in my book “Little Voice Mastery.”

The best way to explain it is by dissecting the difference between the conscious and subconscious mind.

Let’s say your best friend asks you for a little bit of money to hold them over for a week or so. Everything between you two is going great and you have a great relationship. If you’ve been burned before, especially from someone close to you, your little voice is going to pop into your head screaming, “Great! I’ve heard that one before. The last time I heard that I got stung… bad.”

That childish outburst surfaced from your subconscious. That simple request from a trusted friend shook that memory loose. That innocent request from a completely different friend triggered a prior experience that had some volatile emotions attached to it. At that point, your little voice gave you a little warning.

The unfortunate part of the story is that a bad memory from your past could ruin an otherwise beneficial and healthy relationship today.

We have to be careful with the thoughts in our heads. Even though the thoughts belong to us, we can’t follow them indiscriminately. That one thought from your little voice is only a small leftover fragment or unresolved issue from your past. That that one little thought could break apart a great friendship or a genuinely lucrative business opportunity.

Good or Bad Advice

We’ve all seen (or probably even used) the metaphor of an angel and a devil on our shoulders. That simple visual is powerful in the way it communicates good advice and bad advice.

I once had an amazing opportunity to invest in some land overlooking Kealakekua Bay, on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was around $10,000 which, at the time was a big sum of money to me, but for the investment itself, it wasn’t asking too much. I had been burned a few months prior on a real estate deal in Colorado. I had lost everything and when this opportunity came along I was still feeling a bit raw from the experience. My little voice was in overdrive, “Don’t you dare do it. You’ll get burned again. It’s too risky, blah, blah, blah.” So, I let it go.

Shortly thereafter, that same property in Hawaii had been subdivided, developed, sold multiple times, and were then worth millions.

It was a long time ago but the feelings associated with that deal still pop into my head when new real estate opportunities come my way.

Even now, I need to take a second and understand whether my fear is based on issues from the past or if it’s just common sense.

As you read that story, I’m sure you had similar stories projected into your thoughts from your own subconscious. Relationships, business, it doesn’t matter. One voice said, “Do it!” while the other screamed, “Don’t it!” Generally speaking, the little voice that holds you back from success is the one telling you not to do something. “Play it safe,” or “You’re not ready,” or even, “Don’t take a chance.” These are all your little voice.

The Real Issue

It’s been my experience that whenever that voice is telling me not to seize an opportunity, that’s when I need to look deeper and ask myself, “Where is that little voice coming from? What is the root cause of the emotions tied to it? What is a previous experience I’m thinking about? What is the real issue?”

If I can locate the root cause of my emotions, I can decide whether or not I want it to control me. I can make better decisions consciously based on the reality of the moment… not an emotion tied to a passed outcome.

When I’m working on my own personal development with Robert and Kim Kiyosaki, or fellow Rich Dad Advisors like Ken McElroy and Any Tanner, or even my personal trainer, Mack Newton, we’re all battling the same “little voice.” These are people who are incredibly successful in their fields of expertise. Yet, they all continue to battle their own “little voice.”

What separates us from people who are still struggling to “make it” are the questions they ask, not the answers they give. It’s important to question who you’re taking advice from. Are they telling you what to do or more importantly giving you the right questions you need to answer?

If you want to learn more about mastering your little voice, get a copy of my book, Little Voice Mastery.