5 Tips for Following the Nudge

The voice of intuition may be quiet, but it's powerful. Intuitive information comes from a deeper place--our inner being--a source that knows what weversus what we.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Ever get a "nudge" to do or say something? Ever wonder where that nudge is coming from?

You'll be happy to know that the nudge is coming from within you, and it's the most natural part of your human being.

Allow me to explain.

I learned early in my writing and coaching work to give a voice to my thoughts, feelings, and intuition--a way to better understand the language of my mind, body, and spirit.

Usually the loudest voice--the mind--is analyzing information, making conclusions, and forming our thoughts. Simultaneously, the body is translating the visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli of our environment and giving us feedback through our feelings. The voices of our thoughts and feelings easily become the loudest voices in our daily lives.

However, while our bodies and minds are doing all this, the spirit is just being. The voice of our spirit--our intuition--comes from within us. It can be interpreted as a gut feeling or a sensation in the pit of the stomach. Dead center. And if we can be quiet long enough, we can start to hear it more clearly.

The voice of intuition may be quiet, but it's powerful. Intuitive information comes from a deeper place--our inner being--a source that knows what we really want versus what we think we want.

The voice of our intuition gives us little nudges and hints throughout the day. The nudge may tell us, "I should hold this door open for this person" or "I can spare some change for the man ahead of me in line." Sometimes the nudge can be as simple as smiling at a passing stranger. Since it's our most natural and loving voice, our intuitive nudge is always leading us to better and more joyful experiences.

Try these tips to help tune in to your spiritual nudges on a regular basis:

Begin within. When you're not sure what you are thinking or feeling about something, pause, get quiet, and allow your inner spiritual voice to be heard. It may take practice, but once you can quiet your mind, calm your heart, and learn to be patient, you can start to sense deeper feedback and hear the quiet rhythm within you. Intuition begins within.

Seek solitude. Our world is noisy and busy with little time for silence and solitude. Create space. Allow yourself time to breathe, unfold, and soften back into your life. Connecting with silence and solitude may be one of the only ways you will find better balance in your busy world, so make the commitment to consciously seek silence more often. The benefits will emerge, for intuition is loudest when we are quietest.

Trust the process. Even though we all believe that we think we know what's happening, we really don't know. We convince ourselves that our past creates our present, but it's not true. We are continually creating our experience. Just ask someone's who's been laid off from his or her job recently. Sometimes all we can do is trust that things will work out for the best, which--in hindsight--they always do. Trust your intuition.

Just do it. Have a hunch about something? Feel like saying hello to a stranger? Sensing the impetus to send someone a friendly card or email? Do it! As long as the action isn't harmful--which a spiritual nudge never is--then follow your instincts and see what happens. Impulses come from the brain, but intuition comes from the soul. If you are truly following your nudge, the results will always please you and others.

Practice, practice, practice. Paying attention to little nudges throughout the day can get you closer to hearing your natural intuition on a regular basis. Once you start accessing those messages, you can begin to activate that knowledge and bring your thoughts and feelings into better alignment with your intuition. Practice hearing your intuition by following your nudges.

Find more tips for reconnecting with your intuition in 21 Days to Better Balance, or another book from Michael's collection at michaelsunnarborg.com/books

Image: Getty Images

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE