To stay or to leave...

Anaïs Nin: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”

One day, Elizabeth Gilbert found herself on the bathroom floor, crying, knowing that she wasn't living her own life.  "This is not my path!  This is not my life!"  But leaving (and upsetting the status quo)  was--as we all know--terrifying.

She left.
As she wrote in Eat, Pray, Love, she chose "transformation over status quo."

But how do we know for sure when it's time to leave or move or do everything differently?

Liz Gilbert's answer to this question gave me goosebumps:

There are many "voices" in your head--from the little screaming kid who wants all the ice cream he can hold to the bossy big sister who judges everything you do and calls you an "idiot" if you don't do what she says.

But how do you know it's the voice of your highest self?

Here it is:

"Any voice that attacks you is not your highest voice."
"Any voice that says, 'You screwed up,' and gives you a kick in the butt--not it."

Grace/God/Good--whatever you want to call it--says, "I don't care what you did...." and leaves you feeling exalted, never guilty or fearful.

(I found all these quotations on Oprah.com)