The more events I attend, the more I’m surprised that no-one is talking about this.
I was at an event the other month where four successful business owners were sharing their tips on what had helped them in their business. One of the business owners I knew personally, and know that she is totally guided by this in her business, but she never mentioned it. I was disappointed because I think it’s a skill we should tap into more as it can be invaluable when it comes to our careers.
So what’s the skill – intuition.
It’s alright, I’m not going to ask you to get your pendulum out just yet (that’s a whole other blog). I’m talking about tuning into your ‘gut’ and paying attention to that inner voice that’s trying to guide you, or paying attention to those synchronistic moments where you just happen to think about someone, and the next minute, you’re bumping into them. There is a reason!
There have been two major events in my life where intuition has played a huge role in guiding me. One was very personal so I won’t go into detail here, but it was life changing. The other was in my first year of business (I talk about this in my book). It was about 6 months in and I was out for my morning walk. The business hadn’t taken off as I’d hoped at that point (I know, I was a bit ambitious, but one can dream). It was winter, and the weather was making everything feel like a struggle. I was listening to a podcast as I did every morning, and turned it off and decided to listen to the beach instead, and I started to wonder “Why isn’t this working?”. This little voice spoke to me and said “We wouldn’t have put you on this path to fail.” That statement has given me eternal hope since that day and has kept me going, and I’m so pleased to say that I’m 5 years into my business now and am so excited about what I’ve created and how far I’ve come.
We all have that little voice inside of us, but do we listen to it? Sometimes it’s difficult to know which voice to listen to, as there is often the ego or self doubt at play. What I’ve learnt about differentiating our negative self talk from our intuitive voice is that there are two key differences:
- one is in the wording: the former being quite negative and harsh and is often loud, and
- the tone of the voice: the intuitive voice is kinder and more softly spoken.
But listening is the key.
Quite often we’ll ask a question and then dismiss whatever comes through, or not even pay attention to it. We all have intuitive capabilities, but we need to practice it in order to build that muscle. So here are some steps to help you practice and tune into your intuitive guidance:
- Spend some time in silence, ask a question and listen for the answer. Don’t force it or think, just allow. Tune out any external voices.
- Meditate – you can ask a question as you start to meditate and then see what message comes through.
- Listen to your gut – your body is a great barometer that indicates to you whether something is right for you or not. Ask yourself “Does this feel expansive (light) or restrictive (heavy)?” or sometimes you’ll get an excited feeling if something is good for you.
- Journal or write down a question and see what answer comes to you. Normally the answer pops into your head as you are still writing the question.
- Look for the synchronicities in life – are things lining up, or are you trying to make something happen, or force it. Remember, what ever is truly meant for you, won’t miss you.
My final words of encouragement are, don’t ignore that little voice in your head, or that gut feeling, and give yourself some space to practice tuning in on a daily basis. Many times in my coaching sessions when a client is trying to make a decision, I’ll get them to stop and make some space to feel into a decision, which enables them to see that they have access to the answers they need.
If you are looking for a coach who will help you unlock your intuitive abilities in your career, then reach out for a chat here.