Intuition: your personal superpower
“When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” ~ Honore de Balzac
Times are not what they used to be. We are plugged in (electronically) at all times and constantly controlled by what we think we control. In this age of advanced technology, it is extremely easy to be attentive and focus on the world around us instead of the only thing that helps us survive and that is the world within us.
We are all faced with decisions that must be made on a daily basis and most of us have been conditioned to look outside for answers. We ask our friends, family members, co-workers, and counselors who can try to tell us the best decision. Most of these people have their own biases and beliefs that guide them and they have learned to filter everything out. They only base their answers on what they think is the best decision and are usually based on their own belief system.
If only there was a magic formula that could guide us on the right path and help us make the decision that is right for us every time. If only we had a crystal ball or some kind of guidance system that knew the best decision for our highest and best. How would you respond if you knew that you actually have all your own perfect answers deep inside of you? It would be shocking! How is it possible? So many years of weighing decisions and could it really be that easy?
Naturally, we are born with our own navigation system, but most people will never know how to access it. We were created with an intuition and a sixth sense that was meant to guide us in every way. It is our own personal GPS system. No batteries required, no internet access needed, no instruction manual or updates. It’s ready to go and all we have to do is learn how to plug it in.
It’s such a strange thing for many of us. In the past, we have relied heavily on external information and data to guide our path. Most of us can clearly state that we have made our fair share of mistakes or bad decisions and that we would do things differently if we had to do it all over again. It is not too late to take advantage of this miraculous guidance system that can improve our lives. There is a power that exists within each of us like an organ in our body. This is not only our intuition or sixth sense, but it is really like a super power. Most of us at one point or another have wanted to have some kind of special power, like one of those superheroes, but what we don’t realize is that in a special way, we already have one.
Once we realize that power that exists within us, we no longer have to rely on other people’s opinions or outside influences to guide us. We have that innate power to make sure we make the right decision every time. How many times have we had a hunch or feeling about something and then realized that we were right? If we had only listened to our gut, the outcome might have been different. We are conditioned to ignore that voice or push within ourselves because we spend too much time in our head trying to weigh things up and relying on rational thought. What we don’t understand is that we were not created to live like this. We are connected to Source/God/Universe and have a deep understanding that many of us have done a great job of disconnecting.
As children, many of us were made to question our intuition. We were ashamed and guilty of doing or feeling things that conflicted with our true nature. We may have been scared and then told we had no reason to be scared. We may have gotten angry and been told that we had no right to be angry. Every time an adult told us something that conflicted with our intuition, we questioned our own internal guidance system. After being challenged so many times, we come to the conclusion that we must be flawed because there is no way the adult and caregivers in our lives could be wrong.
This started the vicious cycle of quieting down internally and disconnecting from the very source that provided that innate guidance. Although our parents or caregivers meant well, it was very damaging to the very core of who we are. He created beliefs in us that we continue to hold throughout our adult lives. How many men do you know who grew up believing that men had to be tough and show no emotion? This caused most young children to become disconnected from their own survival emotions and left to themselves. A terrifying thunderstorm and a frightened child told her there was nothing to fear and she soon realized that the fear they thought existed was possibly not acceptable. A boy who lost a pet was told not to cry and he would get another dog, he quickly learned that being sad was not okay and finding something else to distract him was the solution.
As the years go by and the same messages are repeated, we eventually start to learn that we couldn’t trust ourselves. In fact, we start to trust others more than we trust our own feelings and get misled by those who don’t even have our best interest in mind. Many people who have been exposed to this kind of non-validating and somewhat dysfunctional upbringing end up in relationships with people who are not trustworthy, yet will place more faith in them than in their own truth.
Deep down we know our own truth and many of us have stopped trusting ourselves and continue to question our intuition. We must learn to tune in again with our internal GPS. For my part, I have always had difficulty making decisions. Ordering at a restaurant became a challenging task as I was never sure what I wanted. It was easier for someone else to make the decision because I had learned that I couldn’t trust myself or what I wanted.
So what do we do? We must learn to restore confidence in ourselves. We really know what is best and we have the answers and with time and discipline we can learn to trust ourselves again and reconnect with our guidance system.
Learning to trust yourself starts with:
Letting go of the idea of ”the” correct answer and only looking for “your” correct answer.
Be aware of your thoughts and feelings and express them
Live your life according to your own personal standards and sense of integrity.
Know when you need to take care of yourself first
Knowing that you can survive mistakes, get up and try again.
Chasing what you want endlessly
Avoiding people who undermine your self-confidence
keep promises to yourself
talking nicely to yourself
Once you can start practicing these habits on a regular basis, you will begin to get back in touch with your guidance system. You will learn to listen to your inner voice more and more strongly and you will be able to identify with it more quickly.
If you think about it, every time you ask yourself a direct question, you’ll learn that you probably already know the answer. The surprising thing is that we often don’t think to ask ourselves because we are blocked from answering.
I’ve always liked the quote, “The answer is in the question.” I could finally understand what that meant. I believe that when we ask ourselves a question about something or someone, we already have the answer that prompted the question. Think when you ask a question about something… Should I leave the relationship? Can I have a drinking problem? Should I decline the job offer? Should I go to the appointment? Pay close attention to the wording of your questions and chances are the answer will be there. See the difference between “should I fight for my relationship?” Or, “should I walk away from my relationship?” In both questions, the answer is most likely there.
We have all our answers, it just takes paying attention and listening to our gut feeling.
