Developing Intuition


Almost everyone has heard about tales where people were scheduled to travel on a certain airplane or ship and changed their mind at the last moment because they felt funny about it. This happened to people who were scheduled for the Titanic. It also happened to people who were going to fly on September 11, 2001. Sometimes you just get that gut feeling. This is intuition. Do you listen?

We are taught from a young age to rationalize everything. Let's stick with the traveling metaphor. Suppose you do have a funny feeling about that trip, but your rational mind says you have to go on that day on that plane because you have to be in San Francisco by 8 pm that night. Do you listen to your rational mind or your intuition? Now, you could go on your trip and nothing happens, in which case, you'll be glad you stayed rational about the whole thing. But, what if you did listen to your intuition and you find out later the plane crashed or had a malfunction? Wouldn't you be thanking your lucky stars that you paid attention?

Learning to Listen

Developing your intuition isn't too difficult. You may have heard you need to meditate to develop it; this method works if you have the time to meditate. This is just one path to learning to listen to your inner sense of guidance. You can also take time when you do repetitive tasks that don't require your full attention to focus inward. Pay attention when you feel those hairs rising on the back of your neck or you get a weird feeling in the pit of your stomach. Acknowledge them and examine them. When you begin to pay attention, your intuition will begin speaking more loudly.

You can make affirmations to open yourself to your inner voice. Before you enter a new place, make a note to yourself that you are open to receiving any intuitive information that may be important to you. Once you go in, remember to note any changes you feel in your body. Do you feel at ease or unwell? Does the room you've entered feel heavy or welcoming? Once you have received any intuitive information, thank yourself silently for the information. What you do with the information is then up to you.

You may notice these kinds of sensations when you meet new people, too. Listen to them. The more you listen, the more your intuition will tell you.

Don't Second-Guess Yourself

There are a few pitfalls you want to avoid when developing your intuition. Don't expect too much. If you are disappointed in yourself, you won't listen when you really need to. Don't second-guess yourself. If you get a sense that something is wrong, for instance, don't let your brain tell you that you're just being foolish. Think of all those slasher films... if only those people had listened to their intuition instead of going down to the dark basement alone, they'd still be alive. You need to teach yourself to listen to your first sensation, not your intellect when it tells you that your intuition is wrong. You must realize that you may receive symbols from your intuition... think about it before you act so you interpret it correctly. Your intuition rarely speaks directly. Follow these suggestions and watch your intuition improve.

Miranda is passionate about creating positive change in her life and helps others do the same at Creating-Positive-Change.com. More help with developing intuition is available at her Web site.