I know my conscience gets on my ass. As far as I can tell, no one ever escapes their conscience. That said, everyone tries, but resistance is futile. Here’s what I learned after decades of trying to dodge my conscience—it’s stressful. It’s stressful because dodging your conscience causes your talent to go to waste, and wasted talent leads to regret. My futile efforts to dodge my conscience resulted in regret, resentment, anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.
Now, that’s anecdotal, so I can’t say that’s the case for everyone. But I can say that we are experiencing an epidemic of despair in the USA. In 2023, 50,000 people killed themselves, 100,000 died of drug overdoses, and millions of prescriptions were issued to treat anxiety and depression. Given the first two statistics, it seems safe to say that the pharmaceutical interventions are less effective than we would like them to be.
Twelve-step programs treat addiction through service to a higher purpose. I treated my despair through service to a higher purpose. What if the most effective treatment for despair is service to your community as found through following your conscience? If ignoring your conscience is stressful, it’s likely that following your conscience is therapeutic. This is not a prescription. This is an invitation.
Are you experiencing some form of despair: regret, resentment, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and/or addiction? Have you been ignoring your conscience, the voice that calls you to become your most authentic, most courageous, most extraordinary self, and calls you out when you fall short? The embodiment of futility is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Are you looking for different results? What are you going to do differently?
Would you like to try following your conscience in the face of every obstacle and every sacrifice? Would you like to devote your time and attention to your authentic, nonnegotiable priorities? Would you like to prioritize complete expression of your talent by mastering your craft? Would you like to confront and overcome all of that uncertainty by developing unshakable faith in yourself, audacity, and integrity?
Your conscience is going to get on your ass, no matter what. You might as well follow it. Would you like to start today?