Intuition is a gift we all have but many times it is asleep or ignored. But, what is intuition? Laura Day, who is a Bestselling author, Intuitive, Lecturer and Healer defines intuition as the ability to make a correct decision on the spot, in a split second without traditional information.
We can also see intuition as an inner voice, also called "gut feeling". You have probably listened to your intuition at some point in your life during those moments where you just knew it! When making a decision felt like a breeze. So, why do we have intuition and why is it helpful? Intuition is there to help us make better decisions, help us develop empathy and choose the right path.
Steve Jobs one said "Intuition is a powerful thing, more powerful than intellect". If it is powerful, why do we ignore it? Many studies suggest that the reason why we don't use intuition more often is because of it's lack of evidence. When our intuition talks to us, we don't have enough evidence to make a decision so we either don't pay attention to it or our intuition is so asleep that we don't even realize is there.
Many successful people have been described as very intuitive including Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs. There is a quote from Albert Einstein that says, "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift". So, how can we awaken the intuition and reclaim our gift?
There are some practices to make intuition more present. These include:
- Pay attention to how you feel. Whenever you have to make a decision, pay attention to your feelings. Do you feel uncomfortable, uneasy, insecure, etc.
- Take your time. Take time to digest your feelings.
- Meditate. Practice connecting with yourself so the two sides of your brain get synchronized.
- Actively listen to your intuition and trust it. When you make a decision based on your intuition, it can be wrong or right, but it would probably be right most of the time.
I can't help but connecting the topic of intuition to our health. When you know you ought to do something related to your health, listen to your intuition. Your inner voice knows what is best for you. It may be changing your stops at the bakery every day after work, finding places to be outside or maybe finding a coach that can support you and help you improve your health.