Some people spend time doubting their intuition. They wonder if it’s really ‘real’. ‘How do I know it’s not just my anxiety,’ a friend once asked me. It was a good question and not uncommon.
It can be challenging to trust your intuition because many of us have been raised to ignore it. Instead we seek the ‘evidence’ that a choice is the right one to make. We must weigh everything up, this way and that, before finally ‘knowing’ we’ve made the right choice. This type of knowing is all about rational thought, reason and the cultural traditions of our western society.
I believe all those things are really important. We have reason and rationality to help us problem-solve, bring projects to fruition, create and develop as human beings. But what if intuition can also play a huge part in that process?
We all have intuition. Sometimes it warns us that something is wrong while other times it can shows us a better way to do things. It is an extra sense that shouldn’t be discounted just because it doesn’t ‘make sense’.
Some of the most successful people I know use both their intuition and rational thought in partnership. It is a powerful and liberating combination because it enables them to use all their skills to achieve their goals. Do they still make mistakes, feel pain, fall over and get up again? Absolutely. They are human and we’re all here to learn. But their forward progress, the development of their self-knowledge, and their surety of purpose always returns. They accept unexpected events and twists more easily although others might find it more unsettling. They understand there is often a reason these things happen. They embrace random conversations that deliver unexpected droplets of information. They realise everything is connected and, when you couple this understanding with a strong inner knowing and a clear and grounded rational purpose, things shift. Sometimes this happens in a way that you don’t want (at the time), other times it moves things along in ways that you could never have foreseen.
I believe your intuition is a gift you can connect into to make your life and the world a better place. It can help you keep on track and show you a world of possibilities you didn’t see before.
As for the question about discerning the difference between your anxiety and intuition, well, I think that’s about practice, trusting yourself and improving your self-knowledge while remaining nicely grounded with your feet on the ground.
If you’d like to explore your intuition, you might be interested in my next Nights for Spiritual Beginners – Introductory Course beginning on 19 August 2015 in Brisbane. Find out more at http://lucyandlife.com/a-night-for-spiritual-beginners/