Once I was in a job that didn't feel right. My instincts told me to quit, and I did. I never regretted that decision.
Have you ever had a moment where you felt as though something wasn't right? You are in a job that just doesn't feel right; you met someone and feel this is it, or feel negative around someone without knowing why? And if you've experienced this before, have you shrugged it off, dismissing it as illogical nonsense? Often we realize that we actually did have good intuition, but we chose to ignore it.
As a culture, we have learned to believe that traditional process of thought is always critical when making decisions about anything from launching a product, acquiring a company, or even to what to wear. But what about that "inner voice", that gut feeling, that little something instinctual from within that tells us how we feel beneath those layers of logic?
Intuition is a supra-logic that cuts out all the routine processes of thought and leaps straight from the problem to the answer – Robert Graves
When you’re poised to make a big decision with lasting repercussions, like choosing your life partner, buying a house, taking up a job or making most important business decision you’re best off deciding from the gut.
I have made all the most important decision in my life based on what my instincts directed. I am proud of all of them. Based on the bulk of the research into the cognitive mechanisms of decision-making, it is always recommended that you “think less about those choices that you care a lot about.”
We analyze all the data, consider all the options, chart every outcome and become so overwhelmed that making the decision become agonizing.
A study from the University College London found that people are more likely to perform well if they don’t overthink situations and simply trust their instincts. Intuition is also a means of creative self-expression, especially in the worlds of art, music and literature. But it is not only restricted to the creative arts. Many have achieved remarkable success in the fields of science, business and entrepreneurship, often amassing great fortune and fame due to their abilities to make important decisions by following 'hunches', or intuitive, 'gut feelings'.
Intuition can be a powerful business tool. Used in equal measure with intellect and emotion, intuition reveals opportunities and allows companies to prosper and mature even in the midst of a complex array of problems.
Steve Jobs is also famous for giving his intuition much of the credit for his success. In his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, Jobs told the crowd to “have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
This principle helped guide Jobs to iTunes and the iPod — two projects that were seen as monumental risks when first released in 2001. Jobs made a quick, intuitive decision to green light them even as many doubters said it would sink Apple into a bottomless hole of development costs.
Interesting Fact:
When your conscious mind is not working on a problem, this doesn't mean that your unconscious mind is also not at work. Sometimes when you are not consciously thinking of a certain thing, the unconscious mind is thinking about it and the answer pops up. This is called Unconscious Processing. For example,
You: What should I wear today? Your Unconscious: Red. You: Red why? Your Unconscious: I don't know. You: Why? Your Unconscious: Feels good. You: But I have an interview today; isn't red too aggressive? Your Unconscious: You're missing the point. You: What's the point? Your Unconscious: It makes you feel happy. You: What has happiness got to do with this? Your Unconscious: Everything. You: How? Your Unconscious: You'll see; just trust me on this.
And perhaps in doing this, because you simply feel good, your confidence exudes more at your interview, and you receive the job based on this. Perhaps your interviewer loves red, and enjoys that you were bold enough to wear it.
Here are some well researched ways to reprogram your unconscious mind to hone instinctive skills:
Listen to Your Gut There's a reason it's called a "gut feeling". Many times, a decision that you "know" is wrong makes you feel discomfort in your stomach area. Science associates these feelings with a “brain” in the gut called the enteric nervous system, a network of neurons that process information almost instantaneously. Before your thinking mind kicks in, start to train yourself to check in with your gut. How is it reacting to other people? Is it in knots? Do you suddenly feel nauseous, acidic or have cramps? Do you feel relaxed around a certain person and get a sense of trust, or does something feel off? Be careful not to talk yourself out of these intuitions. If you’re unsure about your gut reaction to a relationship, try to avoid taking action until you can get more information.
Pay Attention to Your Body’s Signals. Your body provides powerful information about
your health, decisions and other people. On a basic level, when you’re tired, rest. If you’re sad, cry. Stressed-out: Take a break and have some fun. On a deeper level, it’s also instructive to notice which people give you energy and which sap it. Use this information to create a positive circle of support around you and work to avoid or limit contact with “toxic” people.
When your intuition signals that you've found something or someone truly right for you, the choice often becomes strangely easy. “It feels healthy; it feels good; it doesn’t feel like you’re forcing it, there’s not a lot of conflict,” says Orloff.
Allow for failure and don’t punish it. Recognize that new ideas are inherently risky and come with the prospect of failure. Don’t make a guaranteed win or a home run a prerequisite for implementing a new idea.
Thomas Watson Jr. According to legend, a vice president failed on a project that cost IBM about $10 million, and brought his resignation letter to Watson. Instead of firing him, Watson told him he couldn't leave, because the company just paid $10 million for his education. Watson knew that it was a failure resulting from an intuition and thoughtful experimentation that taught everyone a valuable lesson.
Exercise the right side of your brain. Intuition is drawn from the right hemisphere of the brain, which is the same side that controls nonverbal, holistic thought and expression. Dancing, painting, visualizing, brainstorming are some other ways we can "work out" our intuition.
Learn to anticipate. When you anticipate questions, responses or outcomes, those become factors in successful decision making. Facial expressions, posture and gestures are nonverbal signs that reveal a great deal about the subtext of any conversation. Look at the person you’re speaking with: Is the person smiling and leaning toward you? Or is his/her brow furrowed or posture distant? - Understanding body language allows you to anticipate their moods and needs and to act accordingly. When you’re attentive to the people and situations around you, you are already on your way of further honing your intuitive skills.
Audit your instinctual abilities: This means analyze and think through past experiences and search for appropriate memories where we have experienced identical or similar situations. This audit is about examining the key uncertainties in a situation and determining if you have sufficient similar experiences to be able to make sound judgments about them.
Finally, remember that the best choices almost always hang in the balance. "Decisions involve taking in plenty of facts the rational way, from books, the Web, or our doctors," Schulz says. "But then we can also use our intuition—a feeling, an image, a dream, whatever that little bit of inside information is, to make the choice that's best for us."
It’s a balanced amalgamation of intuition and logic that trigger all the resources within our brain to help us make the best decision that has a lasting impact. Your inner voice is always speaking to you. Did you ever stop to listen?
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