Practical Intuition

When my son was about 2 years old I took him to his daycare center where he had been going for about a year. One day we visited the new toddler room that he would be attending the following week. He hesitated to walk into that new room and held tightly onto my hand (which was quite unusual behavior for him). It took him several minutes before he would let go and explore his new surroundings.

My practical mind told me that he was just being an average child who is cautious about entering a new environment. His intuition was most likely telling him that this new room was not going to be a nice place. For nearly one year, he cried almost uncontrollably each day I left him there. It broke my heart as I rationalized it away saying that he must be going through a stage since other children cried as well. Later on, I found out that many of the other parents also had concerns and subsequently pulled their children out of that daycare. Since then, I pay more attention to the times when my son shows apprehension in a new environment.

Intuition is the internal sense that one receives about an idea, decision, person, place, etc. Many times it comes as a “gut feeling” or a sense of discomfort and at first glance we can’t figure it out. This intuition is sending us a message that many times is often misinterpreted or ignored completely. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink” the author suggests that many decisions can and should be made based on our “snap conclusions” (or intuition) since our ultimate decisions would most likely yield the same result.

How do you use your intuition at work? Work (business especially) is thought to be very practical. Decisions are typically based on sound research, analysis, preparation and then implementation and follow up. Does intuition have a place in the workplace and where might it be? Can it be a gauge for our decisions?

The next time you are faced with a work related decision (preferably one that has two or three options), try this:
1) Think of one of the options and notice the immediate sensation you get when you think of it. (It could be strong or light or even a tingling sensation)
2) Notice where in your body this sensation is. Is it in your gut? chest? throat? hands? face?
3) Try to name the feeling that comes along with that intuition. Do you feel fear? anger? nausea? elated? excitement?
4) Repeat from step 1 holding the other option in mind
5) Decide which option feels better relative to the other (s). This may be slightly different for everyone and each situation. The option that brings more feelings or deeper feelings of lightness, ease or peace is generally the more effective decision.
The more you practice this the easier it will be to notice the sensations and make the most effective action!
Keywords: Intuition, Senses, Feelings