Brenda,
Yes, for me, too, it comes down to whether something "resonates" or not. That word gets tossed around a lot, at least within the circles that I travel, but for me it's something that happens in my body, a palpable quickening of energy. I find one of the most useful questions to ask myself is this: "Is it dead or alive?" In other words, is this experience I'm having (reading this book, meeting this person, having this conversation, etc.) enlivening or deadening to me? You would think this would be obvious, but it seems to me that many people (myself included) have actually been conditioned to tune this information/feedback out. Regaining that sensitivity has been an important part of my own process.
Thank you for the feedback about my "little to show" comment (and the nice complements!) I think when you read Noah's book, it will give you a bit more of a context for where my statement comes from. To sum it up, I have had a lot of unconscious (thought based) obstacles in the way of my being outwardly "successful" (by my culture's standard as well as my own - although it's sometimes hard to tell them apart!), despite whatever talent, intelligence, education, and wisdom I may possess. To call myself an "underachiever" has, at times, just been another way of beating myself up. These days I use "little to show" and "underachiever" as short hand for the recognition that those unconscious obstacles have been largely having their way with me for most of my life. Saying it has more to do with accountability and truthfulness than it does self-flagellation.
Stevers
