Written by: Andrée Funnell, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you had that experience when all of a sudden you just had this huge hunch that something is about to happen, and to your surprise, that intuition was eventually translated to reality?
Often referred to as “gut feelings,” intuition tends to arise holistically and quickly, without thinking deeply about it or without mentally processing information. Research has proven that information can register on the brain without conscious awareness and positively influence decision making and other behaviour.
Is intuition the same as gut feelings?
Intuition is often referred to as “gut feelings”. These feelings form deep within us and are often based on past or current experience and knowledge and are delivered to awareness with considerable emotional certainty. In fact, they are the product of brain processing that automatically relates to those experiences.
Intuition is a form of knowledge that appears in consciousness without obvious deliberation. It is not magical – it’s where our hunches are generated by the unconscious mind rapidly sifting through past experience and cumulative knowledge.
Should I trust my intuition?
Gut feelings do have their value in complex decision-making. When we sift through piles of data and analyse the results what we find is that the information does not tell us what to do, it merely provides statistical information that can lead us to do comparisons, identify a number of options but does not necessarily provide the solution or decision.
This is where intuition is a guide. People typically cite rational-seeming criteria for their actions and do not disclose the subjective preferences of feelings that arise spontaneously.
Intuition is... An ability to understand or know something immediately based on your feelings rather than facts. Instead, it is based on deep-seated knowledge, the process feels natural, almost instinctual.
And yet, while intuition is quick and usually beneficial, it is not always entirely accurate. The subconscious brain attempts to recognize, process, and use patterns of thinking based on prior experience and a best guess.
Paradoxically, intuition feels unknowable. After all, you cannot explain the thinking behind a snap decision that appears out of nowhere.
Furthermore, it just happens.
While intuition occurs in your day-to-day life, it is sometimes most apparent in the decisions of experts. The specialist draws on years of experience, held in unconscious frameworks, to make fast, high-quality decisions
Intuitive decision-making is based on our past experiences and, therefore, repeatedly successful in similar situations, where previous outcomes and learning were useful and accurate.
Books based on intuition
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking – Malcolm Gladwell
What it is NOT
Logical
As a result of a set of considered steps that can be shared or explained.
How can we use intuition to our advantage?
Intuition is an incredibly ‘powerful tool’ for decision-making. It ensures we respond in the moment, freeing up valuable mental resources to tackle novel experiences and optimise learning.
While not infallible, intuition is invaluable.
Intuition provides us with a “gut” response – an inner voice – beyond logic or learned responses, revealing both who we are and the knowledge we have gained.
If we listen, we can benefit from the creativity it offers and the feeling of confidence that it brings. Let intuition help you grow and make time-critical decisions based on resources that are not always easily reached.
Recognize the circumstances when you are at your most intuitive. Find opportunities to recreate them and tap the potential for creativity and fast, insightful decision-making.
Sensing clearly is basically what we refer to as "hunch" or "gut feel." This is the time when you are overwhelmed with a feeling and you can't explain it and all you can say is "I just know."
When you feel strongly about something without logical basis to it, that's called INTUITION. It comes in three impressions: clairvoyance or "the third eye", sensing clearly and feeling through listening.
Clairvoyance is when your eye goes beyond what it can see. This is when you know what is happening somewhere.
On the other hand, feeling through listening or clairaudience is being able to "listen" between the lines. Intuition also happens at times when a certain sound, whatever it is - be it a car's honk or a bird's twitting - ushers in an intense feeling.
They say only a number of people are gifted with intuition. Astrologers even insist that people born under the Scorpio or Pisces signs are naturally intuitive it almost borders on E.S.P. But studies have been sprouting left and right that proclaim that anyone can develop intuition.
Why do we need to develop Intuition?
Why not let your emotional and psychological state remain as it is? You could say that Intuitive people are more Emotionally intelligent as they are able to understand both themselves and others at a deeper emotional level.
First and foremost, intuition promotes good communication. It makes you more sensitive to the people around you; it often keeps you from hurting those you love because you are intuitive enough to understand them. Intuition also makes you far more creative than ever. Intuition means releasing more creative juices for any means of expression. Lastly, intuition has a healing power. This healing power is not in the physical sense, but in delving deep into your soul to eradicate some negative energy buried in it.
With that being said, are you ready to develop your intuition? Here are some ways to unlock this gift:
1. Hypnosis
Oh yes, get yourself hypnotized. Hypnosis is not limited to watching a pendulum move back and forth. Perform self-hypnosis or you can avail of hypnotic programs that can strengthen your intuition.
2. Meditation
Meditating means finding peace in yourself. If your mind and heart are cluttered with too much baggage and hurt, you wouldn't be able to quiet down that part of you that could eventually initiate intuition. There are so many ways to meditate: take a yoga class, or just simply practice some breathing that could bring you straight to Zen.
3. Think positive!
A worry-free, fear-free state could do so much to improve your intuitive ability. By staying positive, you attract good energy that would be able to easily recognize imminent feelings and events.
4. Just let go.
What does this mean? If you are on the brink of making a huge decision, let go of all the inhibitions and head to a quiet place where you could find out where the letting go has brought you. Sometimes you just have to listen to the voice within you, and that voice wouldn't come out unless you let go.
5. Never expect.
After letting go of the inhibitions and all those things that stop you from thinking and feeling clearly, never expect for an answer right away. Never expect that the "hunch" would fall on your lap immediately. Give it a little time then you'd just get surprised that -- wham! -- now you have your answer.
6. Believe in your first impressions.
When you see someone for the first time and think that he is a bit too arrogant for your taste, chances are that impression actually holds true. Most of the time, first impressions are brought by intuition.
7. Stay happy and confident in your own self-worth!
See? All you need to be intuitive is to stay happy and confident. Someone who is happy and confident will attract immense power and such power includes intuition. In tapping your intuition, your motivation must be happiness and contentment. Given that premise, intuition will fall to you easily.
Intuition is helpful, because sometimes it leads you to something that cannot be achieved otherwise. A lot of lives have been saved by intuition alone. Decisions are easier done if armed by this gift.
Finally, -develop intuition now and reap benefits you have never imagined. The more you trust your gut instinct and make decisions based on intuition the more your confidence will grow.
Want to find out how to improve your confidence and learn to trust your intuition, then contact me to book a one-to-one 30-minute discovery call with me to identify how you can do this.
Don't hesitate put that call into Andrée today on 07702 818665 or complete the contact form. Look at our website for coaching programmes and our infamous Behind the Mask programme.
Andrée Funnell, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Andrée is a multi-award-winning Coach, Learning & Development Consultant, best-selling author and speaker, who is the founder and driving force behind the success of Aspiring Future Competence (AFC). Since its inception in 2002, AFC has helped clients across a wide range of business sectors to get visible, get heard and get ahead by applying inspirational ways to bring about positive change and empowerment. She has over 20 years HR & training experience working in corporate organisations and a further 18 years delivering development solutions that make a difference to people’s careers and lives. She is a qualified coach, professional trainer and NLP Practitioner. She discovered that Authenticity is the key to happiness, fulfillment and success and is keen to get the message out there to others. ‘Behind the Mask’ is Andrée’s literary debut about ‘Authenticity’. It’s an essential interactive step-by-step guide to turning your life around and achieving the kind of life you deserve by living authentically.
