Why Develop Insightful Perception Through Intuition? (Part 2)

The name "Sherlock Holmes" conjures in most of us an image of the brilliant fictional detective created by the Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle. More importantly, we recall Holmes's ability to deduce reality from observation as one of the most striking characteristics of his personality.

Our inner voice or intuition can be awakened through various techniques, other than through meditation and an exploration of our senses. One of which is sharpening our observation skills. With the multitude of stimuli in our environment constantly seeking our attention, fine-tuning our observational skills are challenging yet not impossible. As humans, we are prone to bias and prejudice unless we consciously bar them from affecting our attitude or relationship with others and the environment. One of the critical steps to follow when observing is to concentrate on the communication (verbal and non-verbal) we are having with others. By carefully focusing on the process of communication, we learn to ignore distractions (including random thoughts). We can also improve our observational skills by reflecting on what we remember after meeting an individual. Last but not least, it also helps to know some information about the person we are about to meet (when possible of course), like the background, culture, language and so on.

Interestingly, our integrity and value system can support us in sharpening our intuition skills too. Years ago, in her early twenties, one of my close friend's challenges while communicating was standing up for what she considered incompatible with her values. Every time her thoughts to stand up for what she believed was based on her values, these intentions were overcome by random lame excuses. She stayed silent in these situations until one day; she was distraught with her lack of confidence to help vulnerable people receive the support they are entitled to. That was when she decided that she shall never remain silent when situations call for action against exploitation or oppression and does not support her value system. After making this resolution, the change she experienced was transformational and positively affected her personal and professional life. It also meant that she could somewhat comprehend the nature of the communication process she was experiencing and understand the values of the people she was speaking to through a perception based on the standards of integrity and beliefs she had set for herself.

When it comes to heightening our intuitiveness, no other ability probably comes close in supporting us to understand people of situations better as EQ or Emotional Intelligence. Emotional Intelligent people rely extensively on their comprehension of empathy, compassion, and judiciousness in relationship management through their awareness and control of emotions. With the sharper perception and understanding of human nature derived from honed comprehension of motivation and social-behavioural expertise, tapping into intuition becomes easier in personal and professional life.

The power of intuition is also tapped through our sensitivity to what our body is communicating with us. Intuition emerges from awareness, an awareness that includes knowing ourselves well. Understanding the self may not be a critical priority for many of us. This is often because we desire to understand others as part of our personal, social and professional relationship-building exercise. The more we listen to our body's discomfort during times of crisis or challenge, the more intuitive we would be when making a decision or a choice in life. Our body communicates stress and anxiety through physical discomfort (like a headache); hence the keenness of our attention to what our body speaks is crucial in making a judgement. Stress can alleviate mild health issues into severe issues like breathlessness, panic attacks and even diseases when ignored for long.

Nature is an influential teacher in improving our ability to be intuitive. The animals, flora and fauna, and weather all encourage us to recognise the importance of nature's ancient teachings. Spending time with nature awakens a more profound respect for understanding existence and all living forms.

Last but not least, the cultivation of intuition relies on our humility to understand that we are not perfect. The acceptance of our imperfections is part of our understanding of self-awareness. By embarking on a lifelong quest for learning and development, we become keener to improve and unlearn. We also become more enthusiastic about learning through experiences, so much so that these experiences become our lessons in developing our power of intuition. Dreams hence can be considered as powerful communicators of intuition. The interpretation of our dreams evolves from the depth of our self-discovery and the resulting awareness of our insecurities, anxieties and causes of happiness and life satisfaction.

Each of us possesses the ability to be intuitive, and we can nurture this skill through the acknowledgement and investigation of our hunches or instincts. This ability also develops from cultivating a tranquil approach to life that emerges from the wisdom of listening with respect and depth.

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