Listen to your gut.
We have all heard that statement at some point in our lives. But do you really know how to listen to your gut or intuition?
We are all sixth sensory beings. We have simply forgotten about it and act as if we are five sensory beings. As author Anita Moorjani beautifully explains, it’s like being forced to close our eyes. If we had our eyes closed all of our lives, and suddenly open them, we would need a whole new language to explain the colors. In a similar way, when we awaken our intuition, we need a new vocabulary to explain everything that we will experience. The more you pay attention to your intuition, the more you will understand how it works for you.
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Yes, every single one of us has an inner guidance system. We might not be aware of it, but we have always been guided by it. As our busy schedules get in the way and when we are exposed to fears and cultural beliefs, our logical mind takes over the decision-making process. When this happens, our guiding inner voice gets quieter. But it never goes away.
If you have been making decisions based on logic, based on fear, by writing down lists of pros and cons, then you have been making decisions from your logical mind. Logic may seem necessary in certain situations, however, when it comes to decision making, successful people have ignored logic and followed their intuition.
Take Richard Branson for example, he often says that within 30 seconds of shaking someone’s hand, he ‘knows’ whether or not to work with that person. Nicola Tesla, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs are some of the well-known persons who have emphasized the importance of using intuition.
Marie Forleo who has built a seven-figure online business empire often talks about how her mother taught her to listen to her inner voice when she was growing up. She talks about trusting her gut in many situations and often coaches her clients on identifying intuition. According to Marie Forleo, when you have to make a decision and you don’t know whether to go ahead or not, you have to focus on how you feel. A fundamental feeling you should focus on is the feeling of contraction or expansion. When you think of applying for a job, if it feels expansive even when you are scared, you should go for it. If you feel contracted, and you feel like something feels ‘off’ it means you shouldn’t go ahead with it.
- Remember how powerful and connected that you are – you are a sixth sensory being.
- This belief will put your mind and body into an expectant and to a more open and receiving mode. Realizing that the soul is powerful and that we can receive guidance will enable us to channel and connect to the universe.
- Pay attention to how you feel
- It’s always about how you feel. When you hang out with certain people do you feel drained? Do you feel like something didn’t feel right with a new hire? When you apply for a job, do you feel a sense of ‘contraction’ in your gut? Focus on how you feel.
- Write down moments where you follow your intuition
- This practice of journaling moments of intuitive guidance will help you to practice and trust intuition more. This practice will also sharpen your intuitive ability.
- Expect your intuition to work
- Always expect that your inner guidance will guide you in the right direction. Have faith.
How do I recognize intuition?
We are often taken over by the mind. Our mind is focused on survival. With a survival mindset, we often make decisions based on fear. The intuitive voice that comes from the inner guidance is true intuition and the voice of the egoic mind is false intuition. Sometimes we might mistake the voice of our ego for intuition. How can we distinguish the two?
Leo Gura, founder of Actualized.org and a new age mystic has given a very simple way to distinguish true intuition from the ego.
- False intuitions defend themselves with justifications when they are questioned. True intuition is silenced when they are questioned, however even when you keep questioning them you are pulled into that inner drive.
- False intuitions tend to be protective and comes from a place of playing not to lose, true intuitions tend to be aspirational, coming from a place of love and beauty and it’s a playing to win feeling, not playing not to lose.
The simple answer is yes. Do keep in mind that we are all born with the internal guidance system, it’s just that we forget to listen to that inner voice. We let the fearful mind take over so that we don’t hear that inner voice.
Before using intuition, we must identify whether the ‘right voice’ is guiding us. Meditation practice can greatly improve intuition. If you are not open to meditation, there are other spiritual teachers who will guide you in activating your intuition. One such teacher is Regan Hillyer.
When the mind is still, not telling us stories, it’s easier to hear our inner guidance. Often, we receive insights or new creative ideas during meditation. Ray Dalio, an American billionaire investor, and philanthropist often speaks about how meditation helped him to identify the true self from the false self. Meditation connects us to the higher self and the universe. When we make decisions, they become much clearer due to our connection to the higher self, which is why often it has been observed that those who meditate have a much better intuitive ability.
Intuition can guide you to even choose a pet when you were not even thinking about getting one! My cat Felix is a rescue cat. Here’s how I got him… While I was visiting my parents I saw a small kitten right outside of my parents’ house. When he came running towards me, I petted him and kept him back. Then I heard a voice ‘you are taking him home’. At this point, I didn’t even know the gender of the cat, the only thing I ‘knew’ was that I had to take him home. Three years later he has been the best companion I ever had, always beside me when I’m working and he always know when to teach me a lesson on unconditional love. I didn’t even know that I was a ‘cat person’. I listened to my inner voice.
You need to practice this ability of listening to your inner voice or intuition in order to be really great at it. Know how you truly feel when you make decisions. Pay attention to your body. Pay attention to other people and the energy that you feel. Open your channels to the universe by meditating regularly. Be connected to yourself and feel the connection. Believe and be open to guidance. Then you will receive a vast amount of information that you did not have access to before. Intuition will continue to guide your soul to go along the path it is meant to take. This is why when you are in the wrong job ‘you feel off’ and you get the urge to leave that job. Eventually, your intuition will guide you along the right path.
