1. Trust – Yourself that is. Find your “internal compass” and use it.
2. Be Quick About It – Intuition is fast. That first thought that pops into your mind after you ask a question is your intuition speaking to you. Try making decisions quickly – it will give you less time to doubt yourself.
3. Be Still and Quiet – If you talk to yourself all day, then your intuition can’t get a word in edgewise. Practice being still and quiet and then hold that with you as you go through your day.
4. Allow Yourself to Be Pulled – You don’t always have to be the leader. In fact, if you feel yourself being pulled somewhere strongly, just go with it!
5. Suspend Judgment – Your intuition doesn’t care what seems logical. Allow yourself to go off course, there are some really cool things out that way!
6. Remember Your Success – When you have “followed your gut” in the past, has it ever failed you? I don’t hear a lot of people saying “Above all else, never trust your gut feeling.” 😉
7. Stray From the Path – From time to time, stop looking straight ahead and look to both sides. If you see something that attracts you, go!
8. Feel Your Feelings – Intuition usually hangs out with “excitement”, “energy”, and “passion.” If you find one, you usually can find the whole crowd.
9. Don’t Hesitate – If your intuition tells you something, don’t let that message sit around gathering dust. Self-doubt and confusion are both attracted to that dust.
Any other quick tips for developing your intuition? Please share your ideas in the comments!
Love these ideas!
I’m a huge believer in trusting your gut/intuition. I love the way you spelled these out so concisely…helps my analytical brain. I also, like the way you clarified what it is I should listen to (first thought, passion) and how to attain more of it (quiet, no judgement, feel the feelings)!
Amanda, the tips on intuition in this post can, I think, be right on track in certain cases and on some matters. The “ways” you provide can sometimes help people tune in to their intuition–I particularly like 3 and 8, “Be still and quiet,” and “Feel your feelings.”
I wonder if you’d agree, though, that it’s a complex matter, this tension and balance between intuition and critical thinking. Ways 2, 5, and 9, mentioned in the post (“Be quick about it, “suspend judgment,” and “don’t hesitate”) can, of course, if applied to decision-making in certain contexts, lead to disaster. (And I’m sure you didn’t mean to suggest that we always follow those guidelines.)
I think that part of the problem is that not only can our intuition sometimes be wrong (because it has natural sources, may have learned mistaken lessons, or may have perceived or interpreted a situation incorrectly) it’s enormously difficult for many of us to distinguish between usually-correct intuition, often unwise impulse, over-reaching ambition, unnecessary fear, and more.
I think you made some really good suggestions on intuition, and I simply wanted to further the conversation. I appreciate your gentle sharing and teaching!
This is a beautiful list. #1 hit me the hardest. Trusting myself is something that I’m learning only recently. You’re absolutely right that our internal compass is a powerful tool.
Hi Dani – Thanks!
Hi Eden – I think accessing your intuition can be simple if you know how to listen. 🙂
Hi Michael – Those items you mentioned (usually-correct intuition, often unwise impulse, over-reaching ambition, unnecessary fear) are very similar, but will definitely give you different results! As you pointed out, it’s very necessary to distinguish between them all. 🙂
Hi Meg – I think when you can really trust yourself, everything else falls into place. 🙂
Intuition carries with it a force far beyond my understanding. However, you have provided some important advice here on how we can maximize its benefit. In my experience, trust is the most important. 🙂
Amanda,
These are great suggestions for becoming better friends with your intuition. I really liked the suggestion about “letting yourself be pulled.” This is astute observation about intuition and one that often is overlooked. Intuition does sometimes tug you, like your inner kid pulling your sleeve and saying “lets go this way!” As you said, I think it is WISE to follow that pull because it will often take places you didn’t see before.
BTW I remember when you first started and even then I knew you had a talent for taking a subject and making it doable. You proven it again and again. Your suggestions are always simple and easy to comply with. Thanks:~)
Hi Walter – Yes, you don’t need to know why intuition works, just that it does. 🙂
Hi Sara – Thanks for the compliment! I’m glad you’ve found this easy to follow. 🙂 That “tug” of your intuition is such a distinctive feeling, it’s hard not to at least consider it.
[…] Ugh yes, all the time. It contributes to my indecisiveness which I positively despise. I'm slowly working to develop and trust my intuition though, so it's slowly becoming less of an issue but I think it will always be there. One of the blogs I'm reading that has a great article that relates to this issue: 9 Quick Ways To Develop Your Intuition | Look Far […]
I too am Amanda- INFP-Libra- Live in Maryland-but no longer 20 something…although still the same me I was then in all the essential ways (of course.) A little braver, a little more intuitive, and thankfully more at peace with who I am at center…though still struggling , (which is apparently my nature:) I just want to say that I am so delighted to have discovered your blog and to have found the opportunity to experience your beautifully rendered and brilliantly intuitive musings. It is so lovely that you’ve chosen to share your thoughts and experience with others of us! And such a visually inspiring site too. Your artistry on many levels is a pleasure. Please keep writing.
Doing something new everyday is a great way to see the world differently. The world is what you make of it. What are you creating?
I find that my intuition works well when I need information about other people, ie are they a nice person, well this person be interesting to know if I give it enough time, etc. My intuition has help me form great relationships with people.
However, when applying that intuition towards my goals, I get what I call too many false positives where I read too much into a situation and make a bad judgment based on faulty intuition reads. So any great insight I get from the Collective Unconscious about my personal endeavors, I have to approach more methodically before I act on that intuition.