Before working with my coach, Hillary Schneider in 2015, which really catapulted me on my spiritual journey, I thought intuition was a big flash. That it involved a séance and a crystal ball. I thought it came through with rainbows and fairies and it felt, well, spiritual. I had no idea it was simple nudges, feelings or ideas.
“I want to write a book.” I’ve heard this several times from some of my amazing and inspiring friends.
The next thing they usually say is, “Do you know how I would get published?”
Yes, you may get an urge to write a book, but why wonder about the publisher when you haven’t even put pen to paper yet?
Intuition usually only tells you what the next step is – why show you step 5 when you haven’t even take the first step?
Intuition - The Next Right Step
I remember reading “Eat, Pray, Love” and when Elizabeth Gilbert was on the floor one night, sobbing because she knew she wanted out of her marriage and her fancy home (with all the trappings of success that she thought she needed or should have), she was praying. She was pleading for help when she heard, “Go to bed, Liz.”
That was intuition.
Her intuition wasn’t going to tell her to travel to India, Italy and Indonesia because that wasn’t the next step – that was step 5. The first step was to get some rest and go to bed.
Intuition is Simple (and it is talking to you every day – whether you realize it or not :)
While I love to cook, there are some days when just making a salad is too. much. work. I had a taste for a beet burger and kale salad from one of my favorite restaurants, so I called and placed an order for take-out.
When I walked into the restaurant, the bartender looked over my shoulder and said, “You might want to say hello.”
Sitting in the back of the restaurant was my good friend and her mom!
What a coincidence, right?
This is intuition – having the urge to eat at that restaurant connected me with a friend I needed to see.
Synchronicities, coincidences, “just thinking” of someone and then they call, is a nudge from your higher self (which is always guiding you to love, joy, health and abundance).
One more story….
When I launched this site, I also launched 2 online courses to go with it – How to Be Your Own Guru : Starting Your Spiritual Journey and 5 Easy Ways to Reduce the Toxins in Your Life Right Now, (you can check those out here and here.), an idea came through to post the information about the toxins course on LinkedIn.
A few days after this idea came through, I got a “random” email from LinkedIn, promoting some new service. I knew this was a nudge to get. That. Post. Up.
I created a post explaining the course about how to reduce toxins from your life and a few days later, a former style client signed up.
Two days after she signed up, she emailed me and told me that she had be diagnosed with cancer in the spring, had been through a grueling surgery and was now focused on reducing the toxins in her life. She told me the timing of my course was perfect and to keep up the good work.
I was overcome with emotion (that morning I couldn’t stop sobbing), but her story enabled me to use her testimonial to promote the course to others. That was the first step and my intuition had led me there.
I don’t post often on LinkedIn, but my intuition could see the way forward (NOT my analytical, "always thinking" mind).
If I had followed the advice of a marketing firm or a specific schedule, it would have taken me longer to find her because LinkedIn wouldn’t have made the list of “best places to post”.
Intuition doesn't follow logic, which is what the ego mind (and our society), rewards. Our society emphasizes the things we can see and touch at the present moment - not the things we can sense and feel. This is a limited way of living and keeps us in lack and fear. It's time for more.
One Other Important Thing to Know About Intuition
While meditation is great because you get to quiet (or at least try), to quiet the mind, many times ideas, nudges or urges come through in quiet, every day moments. Most of the time this guidance doesn't come through during my daily meditation (so don't worry if you're not a mediator!:)
I will get an idea or finally understand why something happened when I am chopping veggies, taking a shower, or walking my dog.
These are all quiet moments when I’m not “plugged in to a headset”, watching TV or analyzing what to do next (which the ego mind loves to do!).
It’s so important to have quiet moments to yourself --- to not always be with people, talking or checking social media.
* Intuition comes through when it can be heard and when there is space for it.
* Intuition is subtle and doesn’t come from a place a fear.
* Intuition can be consistent feelings or urges to contact someone, try something or go somewhere.
* Intuition may not make a lot of sense as your limited ego mind can’t see the end result, but your intuition can, but it’s only going to tell you the first step – NOT how it’s connected.
* And lastly, many times you may be acting or doing something that you didn’t even know or feel was intuitive! How many times have you had a coincidence or synchronicity and said, “I was just reading that/doing that/ordered that because I liked it!” Even that is intuition at work.
The goal is to strengthen it (just like a muscle). It is a skill so it needs attention and practice.
Keep following what you naturally like. Pay attention to reoccurring feelings, ideas – that is your intuition leading you to the right healing modalities, greater prosperity, your dream relationship or career – all the things that are already yours, but it’s waiting for you to drop the (societal, childhood) veils to be brave and live an authentic life – one that is filled with people and things you love, not just kind of like!