The Magic of Intuition

Intuition has been on my mind lately – mostly because I don't always follow it, and I would like to do so more. When we are in touch with our intuition, we have an inner compass leading us forward. Often, acting on our intuition means proceeding in blind faith, since our choices may not be aligned with what our society considers "pragmatic."

This week, I'm thrilled to feature my good friend Dina Proctor, a spectacular author, speaker, and coach, writing about what she knows best: intuition. Judging by the amount of success and happiness I see in her own life, I know it has never led her wrong!

The Magic of Intuition

By Dina Proctor

Have you ever had the experience of knowing, without a shadow of a doubt and despite what anyone else told you, that you could do something? You were so sure, so confident, that the voices of the naysayers felt far away and didn’t impact you at all? For most of us these moments of amazingly confident knowing don’t happen often, but when they do they cause us to find that inner place of unshakeability within. 

These moments are the purest examples of following our intuitive guidance, the voice of intuition, listening to our “gut,” or connecting into what I call our inner source of power, peace and wisdom.

These experiences feel so powerful and so compelling because this is when we are at our best - we aren’t plugged into other people’s (well-meaning) opinions, we aren’t caught up in weighing the odds of success, we aren’t doubting our own ability. We are completely centered and at one with what we want to achieve. We are in the Zone. We are in complete flow with forces greater than ourselves which support us in our successes. It’s an amazing space to be in.

Why do these experiences often feel so few and far between? I believe it’s actually our most natural state to be in that Zone, to unwaveringly follow the inner guidance that’s available to us constantly. But most of us spend more time in our logical minds than tuning into intuitive guidance, so even though it’s always there it can feel elusive. 

What are some steps to being able to access our intuitive voice more consistently? So glad you asked! 

1 - Train yourself to quiet your mind at will. The voice of mind chatter and the voice - or nudge - of inner guidance are very, very different. Using meditation (my personal practice is 3 minutes, 3 times a day) can help you quiet the mind chatter so that the intuitive guidance can be heard, or felt, more clearly.

2 - Practice connecting your thoughts to the emotions they evoke. Not all the thoughts that pop into our minds serve us! Beginning to notice how trains of thought make you feel - repetitive thoughts like “I’m not good enough … I’m so overwhelmed … I’ll never get everything done …” feel terrible and this emotional guidance lets us know these thoughts aren’t serving us. Use your emotions to guide yourself into better-feeling thoughts like “People have started out in more challenging circumstances than where I am, I know I can do this … I know that I can find the time and resources I need to accomplish everything I need to just for today …” As we start to feel better (and think better!) we prime ourselves to recognize our inner guidance much more easily. 

3 - Base your decisions on the way they feel over how practical they are. There are amazing stories of people who’ve been in terrible accidents and told by every doctor that they would never walk again, and yet here they are walking and running marathons! What makes this possible? People who defy all odds and accomplish extraordinary feats have let go of limiting themselves to what’s practical and what even the well-intentioned experts believe is possible. They focus so intensely on the positive that their reality reflects extraordinary results! And it all starts with connecting first to that inner voice of intuitive wisdom. 

Dina Proctor is a life and business coach, and best-selling author of the book "Madly Chasing Peace: How I Went from Hell to Happy in Nine Minutes a Day." Supported by Jack Canfield, Dina's 3x3 Meditation method is helping thousands to transform their personal and professional lives all over the world. Meet her at www.madlychasingpeace.com.

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Dina Proctor

Photo by: Kimberly Quackenbush Photography