All of us have pretty much experienced a gut feeling or a hunch of instinctive knowing which felt just right! That grand AHA! moment that comes when you suddenly realize you weren’t listening to yourself all along. More frequently referred to as the “spidey sense”, intuition is our inner guidance system which unconsciously propels us to do something without a logical thought process. It is that inner voice that helps us gather the courage to find our true calling. It is the universe in disguise that talks to us through our intuition and steers us in the right direction. Steve Jobs called it, “more powerful than intellect.” Scientists have recently discovered that intuition stems from feelings that are generated by our heart centers as opposed to the intellect which stems from the mind center. Relying only on our intellect is not always the right way to get the most out of life. In order to make our best decisions, we need a balance of intuition and rational thinking. Our intuition is always there, whether we are aware of it or not at all times, always studying the situation and trying to guide us on to the right path. We all have goals in life which we believe will help us find happiness, whether it is making changes for self-improvement, which direction to take in our career, finding a life partner and so on. Our wants and desires maybe different but we all have the same unlimited access to our inner guidance through which we can all achieve a more fulfilling life. But the irony is — can we hear it? Are we paying attention or are we living a life that keeps the doorway to our intuition always blocked? So how do we tap into this inner voice? Here are some tips. Keep in mind that the fundamental secret is to trust that you have all the answers inside you.
1. Personal space
It is very important to allot some personal time to ourselves in order to tune in and listen to our inner guidance speaking to us. By learning to quiet all the outside voices, opinions and suggestions, you can listen to the quiet voice that comes from within. We are so busy with the everyday humdrum that we don’t often pause to slow down and take a moment to just BE. Meditation is a very effective tool to quieten and clear the mind from all the clutter. So is being in nature. When we are able to fully relax the mind and body, we are more open and receptive to the energies around us. Even 15–20 minutes of personal time dedicated to slowing down the mental chatter in our mind helps us to be more in tune with our inner guidance. In these few moments of silence, try to tune in and just observe your thoughts floating by without giving them any attention. If you are faced with a decision, notice how your body feels. Sometimes a choice might feel like a tight sensation in the stomach which usually is a strong ‘NO’ or you might feel a light floating sensation which is usually a strong ‘YES’. Once you start paying attention, your body will teach you it’s own cues.
2. Trust your feelings
Our feelings are our superpower. We don’t need to wait for life-and-death situations to start tuning in to our intuition. When your intuition speaks to you the next time through your feelings, start trusting it even when your mind says you don’t want to. If your intuition screams “don’t trust the new neighbor”, take note of it. Likewise, with new potential partners/friendships. Listen to your feelings so that you can realize your fullest potential as a person and as a whole. Also, our feelings are our most important cues to learn from our mistakes and grow. We all have had times when we wished we could rewind time and make a different choice. We all have experienced the feeling of regret that comes immediately after making a ‘not so right’ decision. No one likes regret. Maybe we did it out of compulsion or we were probably forced to do it for some reason. Whatever the reason, we start obsessing about why we made that decision. Next time you feel that guilt/regret creeping in, make a mental note and ask yourself, what is this feeling trying to teach me? When you learn to listen to yourself, the ability to control your own life is so powerful.
3. Be consciously aware
The universe not only speaks to us through our inner guidance but it also shows us many signs to let us know whether we are on the right path. The signs may come in many different ways in the forms of coincidences, synchronicities, repeating patterns etc. ‘Synchronicity’ is a term originally coined by Carl Jung, refers to the events in our lives that have meaning, yet cannot be explained. We call them miracles! In order to accept such synchronicities into our lives, we must learn to live consciously. When you don’t follow your intuition, your path gets harder. The events that follow after the wrong choice is made, tend to send us down the path of most resistance until we finally see the light. Once we learn to quieten our mind and surrender, the universe will guide us and show us the way. We start to become consciously aware of situations and activities in our life and the manner the universe is guiding us. You can also try playing with your intuition to sharpen it. Is the phone ringing? See if you can intuit who it is. Going to a football game? Can you intuit who will win?
4. Live an organized life
In order to make the best out of our inner guidance, we must try to manage and keep the clutter in our lives to a minimum. Our minds are often in a muddle with too many things to do on our list and not knowing where to start. It’s important that we find time to keep things organized so that we stay on top of things and don’t get too overwhelmed. My most favorite thing to do to stay organized is to keep a journal and write down a list of to-do items. As an experiment, write down a bucket list of items. Make three different lists and write down the things you want to achieve or complete this week, this month and this year. Write down everything: shopping lists for groceries, holiday gifts, home decor, work stuff and important dates like meetings and birthdays. Then write down what you need to do to achieve them. Make schedules and deadlines. Trying to remember things will not help you stay organized. Try to do one thing at a time and practice mindfulness while doing so. Multitasking only leads to more confusion and stress. Keeping your life organized also means keeping your things in their proper places. Declutter your home regularly and try to keep only what you need. A healthy environment leads to peace of mind which makes it much easier to be aligned with our true guidance.
With a little time and dedication, it is perfectly possible to find our inner voice and to learn to pay close attention to the signs. By feeding and nurturing our intuition and by living a life which is in alignment with our true desires, we have the ability to thrive in all walks of life. You will be amazed at how clearly you can be guided to a fun and fulfilling life.
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift” ~Albert Einstein~
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