Let Your Intuition Decide
Unsure about a decision you need to make? Here are two surefire ways to make the right choice.
1) Lean into a YES or NO.
Stand straight, feet beneath your shoulders. State one of your possible choices and then ask, “Is this the right choice?” If your body leans forward, the answer is YES. If your body leans backward, your answer is NO.
Even a slight response indicates your answer. A dramatic response is a resounding YES or NO. If your body sways back and forth, the decision is not clear yet, or this is not the right time to decide. Try stating your question differently. If the answer remains unclear, set the decision aside to ask another time. Hint: You can use this technique first to learn if now is the right time to ask.
I use this technique to decide what to clear out of my life. “Should I keep this?” If the answer is NO I toss it or give it away. A YES confirms it’s still relevant in my life.
Staring at my uninspiring winter wardrobe one autumn, I used this method to clear my closet. One huge black garbage bag later, I had a roomy closet, and every time I stepped into it I felt a huge relief. I use this when purchasing furniture, clothes, and even food. It’s proven itself to me countless times. Best of all, you can do it unobtrusively in public.
2) Expand or Contract
Sit or stand straight. State a possible choice, one at a time. With each statement, notice whether your body feels more open and uplifted (expanded) or if it feels more clinched and tight (contracted). Your breath will flow more freely when expanded, and more tightly when contracted. Expanded means YES. Contracted means NO.
This is my favorite technique when deciding whether to take on a project, accept an invitation, or make major life decisions. I recognize some of my most valuable lessons are gleaned during challenging circumstances, so I don’t want fear or dislike to keep me from facing an important life experience. This method has also prevented me from jumping into seemingly good opportunities that held no real value. Sometimes a YES leads me into a temporarily difficult situation, yet it has always been the right choice in the long run, taking me to new heights.
The answer may not make logical sense.
I’ve learned to trust the results even if I don’t agree.
I once asked if I should keep a swimming suit that I hadn’t worn in two years. And the answer was a clear NO. I ignored it because I loved that suit. A few months later we went water skiing with friends, with me wearing that suit. As I pulled up from the water on my skis, my suit’s top didn’t come up with me. The old elastic which held the top in place totally disintegrated from the water pressure. Everyone was thoroughly entertained! Me? I learned to listen to my intuition!
Practice these techniques to develop confidence.
To develop the skill to use these when making important choices or to respond in confusing situations, first practice them around home with non-essential decisions. An example might be deciding whether to get groceries on a Saturday or Sunday morning. While logic might say Sunday will be less busy at the grocer, there might be a valuable experience waiting for you on a Saturday. Perhaps something special is on sale, you meet an old friend, or your friendly smile helps brighten the cashier’s day.
When running our human resource company, I attended a Friday morning business breakfast. for several months and then stopped going. One Friday morning, I considered whether to resume attending. My logic and interest clearly said not to go anymore. I asked my body for a Yes or No response and it gave a resounding YES! Seeing no value in it, I ignored my intuition for an hour but kept remembering the importance of not allowing my logical brain to override my intuition. So I hurriedly dressed and drove to the cafe.
Walking in, late, I noticed a colleague I’d met a few years earlier had an empty seat beside her. I re-introduced myself, was seated, and we reconnected. When she asked what I was doing now, and I responded that I had formed my own human resource company, she lit up.
“Please come meet with my husband and me. We’ve been considering hiring a consultant. I seldom come to these breakfasts, but something told me to come this morning. I think it was to meet with you again!”
Their company owned five franchise locations. I was contracted to train and develop their personnel over the next six years. They became one of the mainstays of our business, thanks to my willingness to ask “Yes” or “No”. And, my willingness to listen to the answer!
Why this works:
Our mind’s job is to stick its nose into every situation so it can assess, evaluate, logically explain, justify, and protect. This necessarily keeps our biological self safe.
Our mind also holds memories and beliefs that we depend upon for protection, but in doing so, this imprisons us in a stale comfort zone, limits the potential of new insights, and diminishes opportunities. We remain stuck in our history and fears.
Body intelligence and intuition carry our wisdom. This awareness bypasses the mind, allowing us to connect with something “beyond and greater”. Something more. Potential. Possibilities. Finding our heart’s content. Fulfillment.
To develop the skill and comfort of trusting this intuition, the best practice I know is the practice of silence and meditation. I’ve meditated for over thirty years and the longer I have meditated, the deeper my body and intuitive awareness expands. Meditation deepens our connection with that fulfillment we inherently seek.
