‘The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you and you don’t know why or how.’ – Albert Einstein
‘I rely far more on gut instinct than researching huge amounts of statistics’ – Richard Branson
‘Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself ‘- Oprah Winfrey
We are conditioned to use our common sense and business acumen to analyse data and make best decisions in the workplace, but there is another level of intelligence available to us that can help us truly soar towards professional success.
Humans have access to a powerful inner guidance system that can give us instant guidance whenever we need it. All too often we override the information it sends us because our intuitive sense opposes what the facts and figures indicate. Sometimes it seems easier to dismiss our ‘gut feelings’ and rely on rational thinking, but this usually results in making initially unseen mistakes for which we later pay the price. How many times have you thought ‘I knew it’ after the event!
If we pay attention to our aptly named gut feelings – the sinking in our stomach when we meet someone who seems untrustworthy or the butterflies when we align with something wonderful – we can instead direct our decision making towards the most powerful possible results.
Neuroscience has proven that our intuitive abilities are well worth paying attention to. We absorb and retain information using all of our senses. Intuitive information is processed using our unconscious mind before our brain has the chance to catch up consciously. A powerful example of this is the phenomenon of ‘blind sight’. Blind sight is the term used to refer to people who have gone cortically blind and do not consciously see because of brain damage. Studies have found that, rather remarkably, using intuition alone they can still find their way around an obstacle course and identify emotion on people’s faces!
We all have the ability to do this. The only thing we need to build in order to increase this ability is our trust in the messages we receive. In the same way that we develop the physical muscles of our bodies we can strengthen our intuition by using it more often.
Hone your intuition and you will be able to more easily manage uncertainty, hear your inner voice of caution, face fierce decisions, stay open to new ideas, sense when things are ‘off’, identify potential problems ahead of time and size up situations even without complete information.
Top Tips for Improved Intuition
The most valuable way to enhance your awareness is meditation – even spending 15 minutes a day would be a great start.
Begin your day in a calm way to help soothe your nervous system so that you can more easily notice the signs and signals of your intuition that come through sensations of your body. Create a morning ritual that supports a sense of ease rather than rushing.
Before you launch yourself into your inbox ask yourself “what would be the most powerful project for me to work on today?” Notice what your inner guidance indicates and follow it – even if it hints towards doing the very thing your old pattern of procrastination wants to put off, or the thing your rational mind feels you can’t fit in. When you are focused you can work more powerfully with amazing results.
When you interact with people at work, pause before you speak and notice how you are feeling. Choose how you respond rather than reacting as if on autopilot.
Take a break at lunch and go for a gentle walk or find somewhere relaxing to sit, imagine your stresses and strains easing away and tune-in instead to the most positive intention that your intuition would like you to set for yourself for the afternoon.
Be kind to yourself in the evenings. Unwind from work before bed, your unconscious mind will then process the information it has gathered throughout your day and give you further messages through your dreams and inspiring ideas with which you wake.
Emotional Wellbeing Coaching
I also offer mentoring on developing your intuition, so drop me a line or call me 020 8894 7343.