Know Your Mind: Orange or Sweet Lime?

If impulse and intuition were fruits, one would be an orange and the other a sweet lime. And if you have never gone to the market all by yourself to buy either of them, there is a massive possibility you will take one for the other.?

Knowing the difference between impulsive and intuitive, can be life-changing and help you reap the fruit of your choice (pun intended). Though as easy as it is to say, in the spur of the moment, with thousands of thoughts and opinions it becomes difficult to know which is which. Many times it is almost like dealing with identical twins, so then what is the differentiating mark?

To start with let us understand the difference between them both:-

Being impulsive is taking a decision, or action without giving a thought, so most of the time it will be seen as irrational or impractical. On the other hand, being intuitive would mean believing in a certain truth, even though it might seem irrational, i.e. you have analyzed all the logical ways to make the decision, but there is an unexplainable pull towards doing it otherwise.

Now the catch here is - as individuals our idea of thinking through a decision, as well as what we consider to be rational differs. Even though there is a great amount of subjectivity associated with what you think to be true, and what is objectively the right decision, there is a way this puzzling problem can be dealt with.

Before we get to that, we need to understand that both being impulsive and intuitive, can turn your life in a good or bad way (at least in the short-run), so one needs to be ready to endure the change and emotions that come with it. Anything that has the power to alter your life, requires the willingness to change with it. When a tree wishes to blossom in the spring, it has to show preparedness to shed its part and withstand the scorching sun even if it borders on being ablaze by it. There is a risk in being impulsive or intuitive, the only difference between them both is if you want to increase your chances of life going in the direction of what you deserve or if you want to survive through the consequences of your actions, respectively.?

To start with - ask yourself the end goal of taking a decision. Is it to impress someone, is it to prove someone wrong, or is it to gain some material happiness that will last a very short time? Ask yourself these questions again and again, till you get an honest answer from yourself. The best idea to fully understand your own thoughts is to write them down. Think of it as an essay and keep writing about - what you want to achieve by taking a certain decision, till you finally know the root of it. At first, it will seem like you are aimlessly writing, and there is no use for it, but once you start indenting questions to your answers, you will understand where all of it is stemming from.

A short exercise that you can follow is to ask “what”, “why” and “how” three times. To give you an example:-

______

Q: What will I achieve by booking a ticket to Mumbai?

A: I want a change of environment

Q: What is it that requires me to have a change in environment?

A: I am tired of working and being in the same place. It will be good for my mental health

Q: What is it that brings fatigue?

A: It has been too long that I have not taken a break and plus office has been hectic

Q: Why do I think Mumbai will do me good?

A: Because I can meet Xyz people and experience a new city

Q: Why do I have the urge to meet Xyz people?

A: Because it has been some time and their presence will make me feel good

Q: Why do I need the help of other people to make me feel good?

A: Because lately human interaction has been very limited, and I believe a little social life would help

Q: How do I plan to use social interactions for my own good?

A: It will help me distract from current worries and possibly give me a fresh perspective

Q: How will a fresh perspective help?

A: It will help me see things more clearly and get me out of the routine

Q: How is the routine limiting you?

A: The inability to do anything except the said tasks feels confining

There you have the base answer! Now, this is obviously a short version. You might have to go through cycles of what, why, and how before you reach a place that feels like an answer.?

If the above example ended with, "I want to go to Mumbai because I want to run away from my current responsibilities and think that having a peaking high for a few days will do me good," you could easily tag it as impulsive. But if it ends with, "I feel drawn to visit Mumbai because I think there, I will find the answer by meeting Xyz people or just by being there has something for me. Even though I could easily just revamp my current routine to get a new perspective there is an unexplainable pull towards Mumbai which is independent of any short-term pleasure," then this my friend is intuition!

By writing it down, you are structuring and being mindful of your thoughts. Practicing this will soon equip you with the ability to differentiate between impulsive and intuition without a book and pen. So, trust yourself and go to the market!

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