Trust your intuition
Despite the importance of rational thinking and researching data: Listen to your inner voice. Trust your intuition.
There are many valuable sources to rely on to take a decision: Looking at evidence, researching data, studying the alternatives, best practice sharing and asking for advice, and many more. But at the end of your day it’s important to at least listen to that inner voice. That’s why you have it.
Whenever I talk to people about this topic, they admit they have certain ideas, sensations, feelings, visions … in a process they are going through, without knowing why. It’s as if our body already knows, what would be the best or next step to take, but our mind keeps us from doing it. I spent a long time “fighting” against this inner voice, until I learnt to use it, to take decisions that are more aligned with my needs and essence. Intuition is what led me to taking a sabbatical from my corporate job, traveling for a longer time, exploring new countries, studying more about yoga, creating my business and so much more. I can only hope this inspires you to keep reading.
What is intuition?
Some say it’s an “additional sense”, some say it’s what your gut says, some say it’s a voice inside, some say it’s knowledge. From what I have personally learnt and experienced: it’s a mix of all these things. Intuition definitely has to do with having some kind of previous experience related to the topic you are thinking about, because without that it’s hard to have that kind of “gut feeling”. For example, I have traveled a lot with my backpack so whenever I decide to go to a new country and travel for a longer time, it’s easier for me to just follow my intuition when I have to take a decision. But what I have also learnt: The more you follow your intuition in one area (in my case: traveling) the more you can also “use” it for decision-taking in other areas (in my case: my business). It’s especially helpful when we have to decide very quickly or when we have too many alternatives. And don’t we always have a lot of alternatives and possibilities? Intuition comes stronger when we are very closely connected to our body, very present in the here and now, to understand what we really need in this moment. And again: No, it does NOT mean to never follow any logical thinking or not reviewing other evidences first. In fact, I’m a person who loves data and I often start with a rational analysis: What is the status quo? What information do I have? How can I get more insights? What are the pro’s and con’s? Etc. But once we have looked at different options, we need to take a decision and this is where the “gut” comes in. If you’ve read my article about nutrition, you know how directly the gut and brain are connected, so I do believe 100% that it’s crucial that our gut feels aligned with the decision we take. Here’s the article: https://littlehealthyhabits.com/eat-healthy-and-in-silence/
What are the benefits of trusting your intuition?
Once you have (at least quickly) analysed your options and alternatives in a logical way, it’s beneficial to listen to your intuition, because:
- it usually taps into your subconscious knowledge and experience so it might provide a holistic understanding of the situation,
- it reflects your true, (physical) feelings and (emotional) desires which represent your deeper values and needs,
- it leads you to unique, personal results and solutions which fosters creativity and drives innovation,
- the more you learn to trust your instincts and it leads to positive outcomes, the more you learn to trust yourself which leads to a higher self-confidence,
- the more you learn to trust your intuition, the faster you will become in decision-taking.
If you still don’t believe the benefits: Think about how kids learn. They are far more curious, watching and imitating others, trying different approaches until they find their own, but above all: Kids follow their instincts.
How can you “practice” listening to your intuition?
Create space and time for yourself and find a quiet moment, to be able to listen to your body and hear that inner voice, to sense what you need or how you feel concerning a certain topic. Just observe what your body and gut tells you.
I highly recommend you to meditate: “Vipassana” is one of the most ancient meditation techniques to look into a certain topic, to create the necessary silence, to get “insight” on what’s really going on. It fosters well-being, mindfulness and relieves stress, as we don’t judge our thoughts and this calms our nervous system. Just sit, breathe, observe, accept.
Another tool is to travel or walk without a destination. Just flow with it, don’t decide in advance where you are going to go, let your inner voice guide you, see what streets you feel like taking, and maybe you discover a new place?
Choices about food can also be highly intuitive: Take time to look at the ingredients in your fridge/kitchen or the menu at a restaurant and think about what you actually feel like eating. What does your body need, what would make you feel good? This can create a whole new relationship to eating, you have more details in the article I mentioned in the beginning.
I also shared a video on this question on Instagram almost one year ago, after coming back from my trip: Opening up to your intuition
I hope this article brings you a bit closer to trusting your intuition, and as a consequence, a bit closer to your dreams.
To sum up, I will share this beautiful quote by Rumi: “There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.“
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