The Truth about Intuition: It’s as Unique as You Are (Part 1)

PART 1 OF 4

“Intuition enlightens and so links up with pure thought. They together become an intelligence which is not simply of the brain, which does not calculate, but feels and thinks.”—Piet Mondrian

AS SOCIETY BECOMES MORE EVOLVED, there is a greater emphasis placed on processes, habits, logic, and mental toughness.?Modern society can also feel a little empty and meaningless, too.

We’ve been ignoring our intuition in order to fit in. We choose comfort over pursuing our purpose.?We choose a life that we think will impress others rather than living a life we find fulfilling. Our intuition is a form of wisdom that is unique to us. Your intuition is different from your neighbor’s. Your intuition can guide you to where you should be.

You?can call it a gut feeling, a connection to God (that's what I call it!), or wisdom that you’ve developed throughout your lifetime. Regardless of how you want to describe it, everyone knows what intuition feels like.

You have intuition, but have you been using it? Have you been training it? Put in the effort to discover more about intuition, how to develop it further, and how to use it effectively.

Get acquainted with intuition

“Have the courage to follow your heart and your intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”?— Steve Job

WHAT IS INTUITION? There are many definitions of intuition. What is your definition?

The Value of Intuition.?What can intuition do for you? Does it have any real value, or is it just another distraction to avoid?

Obstacles to Intuition.?There are a multitude of things that can make accessing your intuition more challenging.

Intuition-Boosting 11 Exercises.?These exercises are sure to help you develop your intuition. You’ll be challenged and amused as you implement these exercises. Train your intuition and see what happens.

Using Your Intuition to Make Effective Decisions.?When the quality of your decisions improves, the quality of your life improves, too. Learn how to use your intuition to make beneficial choices.

Using Your Intuition to Find Your Purpose in Life.?You’ve been misled by society and your urge to follow the norms. If you don’t enjoy your life, this is the chapter for you. You can finally find your purpose in life.

9 Tips to Use Daily to Enhance Your Intuition.?This final chapter will provide some ways to bring using your intuition into your daily routines.

There are many ways to view intuition depending on whom you ask.?It also depends on the part of the world and the era.?Intuition means different things to different people.

Wikipedia defines intuition as “the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning.”

Plato considered intuition to be derived from pre-existing knowledge that all people potentially have access to. This is along the idea of a shared consciousness. What one person knows is available to everyone, even across time.

Freud had little to say about intuition, but made it clear he didn’t believe it was a viable means of acquiring knowledge or information.

In modern times, there are also many differing opinions on intuition that range from the supernatural to the idea that intuition doesn’t really exist.

Others insist that intuition is the brain rapidly evaluating your current situation, your knowledge, values, goals, and past experiences to provide a recommendation. This recommendation is provided in the form of a physical sensation that varies from person to person.

How you choose to view your intuition is entirely up to you.?But there’s no doubt that most people do experience gut feelings, hunches, an instinct, a sixth sense, or an inkling.

The real questions should is this: Do you follow or reject your intuition. And if you think it’s valuable, how do you develop and use your intuition?

Allow your intuition to benefit your life

“We have no reason to expect the quality of intuition to improve with the importance of the problem. Perhaps the contrary: high-stake problems are likely to involve powerful emotions and strong impulses to action.”— Daniel Kahneman

Intuition has great value when used properly and regularly.?Your intuition is always available to you and can greatly enhance the quality of your life. Once you understand the power of your intuition, you’ll be sure to use it in your daily life to make positive changes in all aspects of your life.

Make wiser decisions.?There have been several studies demonstrating that people who include their intuition in the decision-making process make faster and higher quality decisions compared to those people who rely on logic alone.

Imagine making better decisions in less time! The quality of your life is largely the result of the quality of your decisions. The world is very cause-effect in nature. Your decisions are the cause, and your life is the effect.

Open up to new ideas.?When we rely on logic alone, we reject many ideas that should be given consideration. After a certain age, we tend to rely too much on what we know and reject that which is unfamiliar. Intuition allows the unknown to become a possibility.

Avoid disaster.?Think about all the times that your intuition saved you from doing something stupid. Then consider all the times you ignored your intuition and misery was the result. Our brains are very protective. Your subconscious will do all it can to help you avoid making a foolish choice.

Increase your creativity.?Creativity and intuition are closely related. Think about the most creative people you know. They are much more likely to follow their gut than to rely on logic and rationale.

Find your purpose.?Your intuition is trying to tell you what you should do with your life. It knows what you like and don’t like. It understands the great potential you possess. Your true purpose in life isn’t a secret to your intuition. Get in touch with your intuition and you’ll find your purpose.

Enhanced relationships.?Your intuition doesn’t just put you in touch with yourself, but it also enhances your ability to read and respond to others in your life. You become much better at understanding others and noticing their emotional states. Your intuition will also help you to make more effective choices of how to react and relate to the people in your life.

Boost your happiness.?Better choices lead to a better life. Your intuition allows you to avoid many of the avoidable challenges in life. Plus, finding and living your purpose can certainly add a lot to your happiness.

Your intuition is free and always available to you. It has tremendous power when used appropriately. Better decisions, greater levels of happiness, and increased creativity are just a few of the benefits you can expect to receive if you listen to your intuition on a regular basis.

Remove these obstacles to get the most from your intuition

“Intuition is the key to everything, in painting, filmmaking, business — everything. I think you could have an intellectual ability, but if you can sharpen your intuition, which they say is emotion and intellect joining together, then a knowingness occurs.”—David Lynch

Your intuition is often quiet and subtle.?Distractions and stress are just two of the obstacles you’ll face when learning how to tap into your intuition more fully. Eliminating obstacles is an important part of becoming maximally effective at anything.

Diet.?Your mind and body need to be operating well if you want to be able to sense your intuition clearly. Anything that negatively alters how you feel can throw off your intuition. A healthy diet is always the best policy. Think about the foods that don’t work well for you. A few possibilities include:?Gluten. Caffeine. Alcohol. Processed foods. Nuts.

Notice how you feel after eating a food and make note of it for future reference. Avoid those foods that don’t allow you to feel your best.

Insufficient sleep.?Intuition is referred to as a gut feeling for a reason. It’s a subtle feeling. It’s subtle enough that you might not notice it if you’re exhausted. Get enough sleep if you want to tap into your intuition fully.

Stresss.?Stress can be another powerful blocker to intuition. Your mind is all over the place, and your body is stressed. The message that your intuition is trying to deliver might not be noticed in all the noise.Learn how to relax. Experiment and see what works best for you.

Doubt.?Intuition requires trust. If you keep ignoring your intuition, it might decide to stop trying to help you. Follow up on your intuition in a responsible manner. Be brave and give your intuition a chance. Start small and grow from there.

A lack of practice.?Practice reaching out to your intuition and noticing the messages it provides. You have to practice something to become good at it. Your intuition is not an exception. Use your intuition throughout the day. There are several suggestions later in this eBook.

A need for certainty.?Certainty and intuition rarely go together. There’s often a vagueness to intuition. If you need certainty, you’ll rarely benefit from your intuition. Be prepared to act on less-than-complete information. Give your intuition the benefit of the doubt. It’s not necessary to understand everything in order to take the next step.

Your preferences.?Our wishes can taint our intuition. For example, if you have the opportunity to date two people, but one is much more attractive than the other, your intuition might not be able to overpower your preference. Our desire to have things be a certain way is always an obstacle to making a smart decision. Be open to new possibilities.

A scattered mind.?If your mind is unsettled, tapping into your intuition may prove to be very challenging. A calm, centered, and relaxed mind is optimal. Remove as many distractions and sources of stress from your life as you can. Only look to your intuition when you are relaxed and focused.

Fear.?Fear is a major obstacle to intuition. For example, your intuition might be telling you to approach a particular person and strike up a conversation. However, your fear of rejection might be a more powerful force in your decision-making process than your intuition. The only way to become bold is to move forward in spite of your fear.

You’ll notice that many of these obstacles are common in life.?It’s challenging to hear your intuition if you’re suffering from financial stress or if you have too many distractions in your life.?Review the obstacles and do your best to remove as many of them as possible from your life.

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