The Expert and The Tour Guide: Discover Your Authentic Self
- Helen Sprague
- Dec 6, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 6, 2025
Take a moment, and just listen.
Take a moment, and just listen.
Listen past the noise of the world. Past the “shoulds” and the “have-tos.” Past the expectations that feel like they’ve been woven into your very skin.
Somewhere, underneath it all, is a quiet, steady knowing. It’s the part of you that has always been there. The part that knows your truth, your desires, your capacity for joy. It is the expert of your life.
That expert is you.
If you are in a season of change, feeling the ache of anxiety, or the weight of depression, it is often because this inner expert is speaking up. It is telling you, in the only ways it sometimes can, that the life you are living has drifted from the soul you truly are.
You are not broken. You are not a problem to be solved.
You are a person to be understood.A life to be reclaimed.
The Journey of Returning Home
Imagine you are on a journey to return to a home you vaguely remember but have long forgotten how to find. The path is overgrown with weeds—the opinions of others, the stories you’ve been told, the roles you’ve learned to play.
My role is not to tell you where your home is. You are the only one who holds that map.
I am your tour guide.
I walk beside you. I might point out the weeds, naming them for what they are: “Look, this belief—‘I’m not good enough’—see how it’s blocking the path? It doesn’t belong to the native landscape of you.”
I might hold a light, helping you see the landmarks of your own strength and wisdom that you might have missed. “Notice how you feel when you talk about this dream? That feeling is a compass. It’s pointing toward your true north.”
The work—the profound and powerful work of pulling the weeds, of choosing a new direction, of stepping forward—that is always, and only, yours. You are the expert. You are the one building the life.
Your Travel Kit: Prompts for the Path
This blog is a starting point. Your journey is your own, but you don’t have to walk it without a map. Here are a few prompts to help you listen to the expert within you. Carry these with you, reflect on them, and see what your own wisdom reveals.
1. The Weed Identification Prompt:
Ask Yourself: “What is one major ‘should’ in my life that, if I’m completely honest, doesn’t feel like it’s truly mine?”
Action: Write it down. Give it a name (e.g., “The Good Provider Should,” “The Always-Happy Should”). Seeing it on paper externalizes it and helps you see it as a separate thing from your authentic self.
2. The Inner Expert Listening Prompt:
Ask Yourself: “If no one would be disappointed, and failure was impossible, what is one small thing I would do differently this week?”
Action: Don’t overthink it. The answer can be as simple as “rest without guilt” or “finally start that hobby.” This question bypasses external expectations and taps directly into your buried desires.
3. The Authentic Action Prompt:
Ask Yourself: “Where in my life am I feeling a sense of resentment or exhaustion? What expectation is that feeling protecting me from?”
Action: Often, resentment is a flag planted by our authentic self, marking a boundary that has been crossed. Use it as a clue to where a weed has taken root.
Walking Your Path—Together or on Your Own
You can use these prompts right now, today, to begin clearing your path and listening to your inner guide. This blog is designed to be a standalone sanctuary for your reflection.
But sometimes, even the most determined traveler benefits from a guide who knows the terrain.
If you’ve tried these prompts and felt a spark—a desire to go deeper, to have a companion who can help you see the weeds you might be missing, or to simply have a safe space to navigate this transformation—then I invite you to reach out.
This is your journey. But you don’t have to walk it alone.
Whether you continue on your own or decide to reach out, remember: you are the expert of your life. Keep listening.
Comments