Finding and Following Your Intuition

I am going to try to put into words something that literally sometimes can’t be put into words.  Now would be a good time to wish me luck! 😂

One of the things that comes pretty natural to women is the ability to know something deep within us without necessarily being consciously aware of it.  This is referred to as intuition. We are intuitive beings!  The problem is we often call ourselves crazy and squish down any intuitive notion that we get.  We ignore what our intuition is telling us.  

Why does this matter?  Well, when we ignore our intuition whether it is something big or small, we end up in a situation where we are experiencing anxiety or dealing with a frustrating yet avoidable situation (or worse).  I will share with you a story about a time when I did follow my intuition and how it worked out beautifully and I will share with you a time I did not follow my intuition and how that panned out.  I am hoping that by sharing these stories that it will help put into words a feeling that is deep inside of us that is difficult to describe.  

According to Google, the definition of intuition is “the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.”  It is that “feeling” that something isn’t right but you can’t put your finger on it.  People who tend to be more intuitive will have those feelings often and trying to navigate them can be a confusing maze.  I once had a boss tell me I am really intuitive and at the time that she said it, I had no idea what she meant.  Years later her words popped into my head and I thought “how did she know that?”  Well, I would say she was likely an intuitive being herself.  Intuitive beings have the ability to make almost superhuman decisions or predictions - except that when we can’t consciously make sense of it we often IGNORE that feeling.

Back in 2022, I was looking for a new car.  My car was 11 years old and my husbands 12, so we decided to get a newer vehicle so that we wouldn’t be in a situation where we both needed a vehicle at the same time.  Well, the car that I had been dreaming of (a blue Lexus) was for sale and within our budget and it was just a couple of towns away. Now, please remember this was during the time that used cars were in hot demand and new cars were back ordered for months!   I went to look at it but it was already under contract.  A couple days later the salesman called and said the deal fell through and it’s mine if I want it.  I thought THIS IS A SIGN!!  So I immediately drove up and took it for a ride. The problem was while it was a boatload of fun to drive and was sooooo pretty - I had a feeling.  A feeling I couldn’t put my finger on.  I was worried about how small it was and the dogs being able to fit.  The cup holders were so small I couldn’t fit my water bottle.  But this was THEE car.  And I had the money. And these were hard to come by in this color.  As hard as it was, I ended up walking away and not buying that car.  I followed my intuition.  I ended up getting a beautiful Toyota SUV that I absolutely love!  I have been so happy with my decision the last couple of years, but it wasn’t until just a couple of weeks ago that it hit me as to why this was so significant.  Whoever is responsible for intuition, God, the universe, guardian angels, they are brilliant.  The truth is, I need this vehicle.  I need the taller vehicle, the all wheel drive, the space.  I couldn't have known that two years in the future I would be making a life shift that would necessitate a bigger vehicle that can handle weather better, but here we are.  Had I not followed my intuition, I would be worried and wondering what the heck I was going to do! 

Sometimes it really is just a feeling!  Sometimes you really can’t know why that feeling matters.  One area of my life I have had to be especially mindful of my intuition is while interviewing.  What I noticed is when I interviewed someone I had an immediate gut reaction.  When I followed my gut reaction it always worked out great, but when I didn’t and I always ended up regretting it!  One example of following my intuition was when I interviewed a young lady for an entry level position but I knew immediately I wanted her in my open supervisory position.  I had to seriously convince my boss that this was a good idea, then I had to convince HER that this was what she actually wanted (lol) and technically the position wasn’t even open yet! But i had this intuition about her and I was willing to bet on it.   Because I followed my intuition and this move was meant to be, even after a couple of months she still was available to be hired and she was very interested in the role I had for her.  (She still works for me btw).

Here is an example of a time I didn’t follow my intuition.  My hubs and I have been wanting to get a sectional couch.  Out of nowhere we got offered a two year old sectional for free.  I was so excited and I thought it was a sign because why would this just pop up in our life if it wasn’t meant to be?!  Well that night I got hit with a wave of anxiety and I couldn’t stop thinking about the couch.  Nonetheless, I pushed through, said we would take the couch.  After committing to picking up this free couch it hit me… IT WON’T WORK IN OUR SPACE.  I hadn’t even thought about the direction the sectional was in.  UGH.  Now, it’s just a couch, no life or death here, but it was a powerful lesson in following my intuition and I appreciated the reminder.

So how can you hone in on your intuitive sense?  

• I think the first thing to do is start acknowledging to yourself when these feelings pop up.  It is actually pretty easy to just ignore the feelings, so much so you are barely even acknowledging it.  So that is where you start.  You can say it outloud to yourself or share with a friend or your partner.  Just say - “I don’t know why but I just have this feeling.”  It is OKAY to not know WHY.  You will not always know why and if you try to make sense of it you will shove away the intuitive feeling that is there for a reason!!
• If you are having obsessive thoughts about something or anxiety around a decision (such as “do I get the couch or not”), that is your intuition speaking to you.  Now is the time to acknowledge it.  You know yourself best and the more you start to acknowledge your intuitive feelings, the more you will learn to trust it (not gonna lie sometimes it is hard).  If you can’t make a decision to say YES with a high level of peace, then the decision is no.  And once you make that right decision, you should feel PEACE!
• Use hindsight as your guide.  Did you have a feeling and then in hindsight you find yourself saying “I had a feeling.”  If so, this is a great thing to acknowledge and go back to how that feeling felt.  The more comfortable you are with those feelings, the more you will be able to recognize it in the future. 

I will tell you, sometimes certain decisions are SCARY as heck, but if it is the right decision you shouldn’t feel super anxious, instead you should feel peaceful about it.  You should feel aligned.  You should feel like it's the right move.  Only you will know that feeling - and again the more you lean into following your intuition, the more you will know what that feeling is when you have done the right thing.  There are ways to differentiate between fear that you just need to push through and your intuition that is telling you something.  Fear generally comes up when we are going to do something we have never done before or something that we know gives us the scaries - like public speaking for example.  I used to feel fear before every long training run because my mind would be racing with all the questions. “What if I need the bathroom?” “What if I get hurt and can’t get home?” These are things that are overcomable and it was just my brain attempting to keep me safe.  It did not mean that my intuition was telling me I was doing the wrong thing.  Using the couch example, however, there was no danger in getting this couch but my body was screaming at me via anxiety and obsessive thoughts about the couch.  They were totally different circumstances and different feelings altogether.

If you are a #goalgetter like me, you are often going to be pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and you are going to have fear creeping up.  However, these fears are going to come up around things that are mostly predictable and maybe even planned.  Yes, going on a live video can be intimidating, but you are in no danger and once you actually START doing the thing, the fear dissipates immediately.  

If you are really struggling with a decision, meditate on it.  Sit in silence, distraction free and let your mind be at peace.  As thoughts come into your head, acknowledge them and go back to focusing on your breath or the feeling of your body against the surface you are on. This is an actual amazing way to have breakthroughs.  When your mind is quiet you allow it to explore all sorts of things in a safe and quiet place.  It will give you insights and breakthroughs you didn’t know were possible.  

And if you read my blog post or take part in my coaching, this won’t surprise you at all - journal on it!  I love journaling.  I love putting all my thoughts on paper.  I have had some great insights through journaling.  My favorite way to do it is with pen and paper, set a timer for 30 minutes and give yourself a distraction free environment.  Maybe a cup of coffee or cocoa too?  Anyway, just write, without censoring!  

To sum it up, you should be searching for that feeling of peace.  I firmly believe that if more of us learned to tap into our intuition we would have a lot less anxiety and depression overall.  I believe that we would be safer and happier.  Women KNOW when something isn’t right, and it is about damn time that we start tapping into that super power.