Intuition is not a rare quality confined for the clairvoyant few. Intuition is something we all have access to. Like any muscle, the more you pay attention to your intuition the stronger it gets.
Often we look outside ourselves to find the answers. Or we'll design a pro and con list. Yet even after all the rational equations are done, there's a feeling, an inexplicable knowing that the seemingly illogical choice IS the better choice. That's your gut speaking.
Intuition is always calm and clear -- yet at first glance it's not always logical.
The way to figure out if what you're feeling is intuition or a wave of fleeting emotion is that intuition will never leave you. If you don't act on it -- it will persistently and calmly continue to speak to you.
Some people spend years of their life ignoring this persistent gentle voice that tugs on them on a daily basis. People stay in a top managerial position when a constant voice is telling them to leave. People stay in a dragging mediocre relationship -- yet their intuition quietly whispers for years that it's time to move on. Some people hear the call to head out on a solo-quest, yet ignore it and make up excuses for years of why now is not the right time.
Time after time we ignore the inner voice and then tell ourselves that we're confused.
Yet we're not confused -- we're simply too afraid to stop and listen to the inner voice. When that happens -- years or decades can go by where we persistently ignore the voice of the soul. Eventually we find ourselves amidst a dark depression, lethargy, or a physical illness that physicians cannot explain.
In Linda Kohanov's The Way of The Horse, she eloquently speaks about depression being a stop sign from the soul. It's the soul's way of saying: STOP -- You are on the WRONG path.
We are living in a culture where depression rates are higher than they've ever been, and instead of listening to the depression as a messenger, as a final attempt from the soul waking us up to shift directions... instead too many people numb themselves with pills, work, shopping, eating, or whatever distraction will dull the intuitive voice long enough to make it through another day.
There is another way.
It's actually quite simple, yet on the surface, it feels tremendously scary. It's scary because it's uncomfortable, not mainstream, and will call on you to leave the life you know.
Yet as Lao Tzu teaches: "When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be."
In order to hear the clear voice, you must be still. In silence, we can begin to hear the inner voice -- and often it calls us to let go of the life we've been numbed into.
The alternative to hearing our intuition is returning to perpetual distraction, numbing yourself, and drowning the voice in noise and busy-ness -- convincing yourself that what's happening is fine.
Fortunately, intuition is a persistent force -- it will gently and consistently tug at you, until you fulfill your soul's desires. The question is: Are you ready and willing to listen?
4 Steps to Hear Your Intuition:
1. Set aside 5 minutes to an hour of doing nothing. This means sitting silently and alone in a room or out in nature -- digital-free.
2. Go through whatever withdrawal arises while you're in stillness. This usually will entail thoughts like "Why am I wasting my time doing nothing?" to feeling sadness, fear, or un-ease. Withdrawal is common and often why people fail to hear their intuition -- the discomfort can have them hopping back to distraction in a minute. This is why you need to breathe through this uncomfortable phase. It will pass and then intuition will have an opportunity to emerge.
3. Pay attention, listen, and trust the emotions, messages, or visions that appear. It may take a single sitting to hear the inner voice clearly, or it may take a week or month of consistent practice to truly hear the voice of the soul. The longer you've been ignoring it and burying it--the more dirt you'll need to sweep away to uncover the truth and clarity.
4. Be willing to get the support you need as you dare to make major transitions. Sometimes it's as simple as committing to a daily You-Practice (taking time for yourself all alone) and sometimes what's needed is professional support or a radical change -- completing transforming your current lifestyle.
Have you already done this? Have you made a major shift in your life? Is there a voice you've been ignoring? Share your experience of intuition in the comments below:
Tova Payne is a writer and intuitive consultant who helps people gain clarity and take action on their soul-inspired work. Get your free copy of The 5 Keys to Start & Finish Your Dream Projects and a Meditation Audio for Clarity by signing up here. Learn more about Tova by visiting www.tovapayne.com Her newest book Soulful Entrepreneurship will be coming out later this year.