Your Own Personal GPS
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Intuition
A primary definition of intuition is the ability to understand or know something without conscious reasoning.
It’s that sneaking suspicion that something is not right, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.
It’s that strong feeling that ‘now’ is the right time to pursue something, but you still wonder if it is worth the risk.
We often hear ourselves or others say, “My mind thinks one thing, but my heart feels another.” As parents, many of us have advised our children to listen to or follow their heart when life’s meaningful decisions pop up.
It seems many people feel the heart is a far more effective source of guidance than what our minds alone can offer us.
So, why do so many of us struggle to follow this inherent guidance system?
It’s Time To Move
About six years ago as I was entering into a new stage of life as a single mother I had a very clear and distinct gut feeling that was guiding me to move myself and my children to a different state. This was an idea I had not even considered or thought about at all.
It was a spring morning and I was walking my dog before the kids woke up. I wasn’t thinking of anything in particular - I was simply in the moment. However, in that moment I had a clear knowing that we would be moving and we would be moving very soon. When I returned home from my walk I felt confident and assured about this impending move and had no fear or uncertainty about it whatsoever. Later that day, I even informed friends and family of the fact that we were moving. Over the course of the next few days I started making the necessary moving strategies and arrangements.
Inevitably, I was met with a fair amount of well-intended opinions and concerns of others. I also began to feel the stress and overwhelm of selling our home, packing our things and finding a new place for us to live.
The Brain is Wired to Predict and Protect
I began to think of all of the worst-case scenarios and the ‘what ifs’. What if my kids don’t make friends and never forgive me for moving the away from the only home they have ever known? What if we I can’t find work? What if this turns out to be a huge mistake? And then all of the questions and logistical planning became my focus. How do I afford to move my family and all of our things? Who is going to help us? Is this really the right thing?
My head was swimming with the voices of naysayers and doubters and fear was quickly beginning to creep in. My journals from that time are full of pros and cons lists and alternatives to actually moving.
The sense of surety and the conviction I had felt that day while on my morning walk was vanishing and being replaced by overwhelm, stress and uncertainty.
Biologically our brains are wired to predict and protect. This comes in handy whenever we find ourselves in situations similar to the past that were harmful and dangerous. However, when we are living with the intent to grow and evolve and move forward in our lives - this ‘predict and protect’ mechanism can cause us a lot of futile grief.
At this particular time in my life I was unaware of this aspect of our brains and so I became consumed with analyzing and overthinking what my intuition had so clearly and definitively guided me to do.
The Brain Seeks The Familiar
The brain is always seeking what it knows - even if what it knows is no longer healthy or allowing us to evolve and reach our fullest potential. This is why we often become complacent in our lives and very comfortable in staying the same circumstances even when we know it is time to move forward.
Our intuition however, is this incredible, divine GPS that is constantly propelling us forward towards expansion and evolution that is for our highest good.
Our brains can be extremely convincing and while ruminating on the past it provides us with evidence as to why we shouldn’t take that risk or make that move that our intuition is so distinctly telling us to do.
Whenever we are courageously stepping into the unknown we will always be met with resistance and fear. If we cave to this opposition then we are denying our intuition, staying stuck right where and our reptilian brains have succeed in keeping us stuck in the familiar past.
Tell Your Brain, “Thank You for Your Concern, But I Am Still Moving.”
I literally spent months going back and forth on the decision to move and with each pro and con I felt more stuck and more frozen in indecisiveness. I finally reached a breaking point and knew I couldn’t continue to be so consumed with these thoughts, fears, concerns and worries.
So, while in meditation I simply said - “Thank you Brain - I know you are simply trying to protect me and keep me safe. But, I am going to trust my intuition on this one.”
Afterwards, I no longer allowed myself to be consumed by the ceaseless thoughts and worries that were constantly looping in my mind. Whenever they would resurface I would stop them and remind myself of the reassured and comforting guidance I had originally received from my own intuition.
Shortly thereafter, my children and I moved and lived happily ever after. . . 😉
Trust Your Intuition Immediately
Perhaps the most difficult thing to forgive myself for are the moments that I denied my intuition; there are a few very distinct memories I can reflect on where my intuition was prompting me to take action and I allowed the fear to keep me small and stuck.
But, there is no failure only feedback and there are no mistakes only lessons yet to be learned. This experience allowed me to not only understand the power and accuracy of my gut feelings but to also know the difference between the clear, confident, reassuring voice of my intuition and the scared, worried and confusing voice of my brain.
I learned that when my intuition nudges me to do something to act immediately and when all the fears and questions and doubts of my analytical mind come online I quickly recognize it for what it is and tell it to be quiet and then proceed to take the action I know in my heart is right for me.
Don’t Believe The Stories
It is my belief that the more we follow our hearts the more content we are and the more at peace we are able to be in the world.
My challenge to anyone reading this - don’t believe the stories that your brain spins.
When you sense your intuition be aware that your brain will create a narrative based on fear and uncertainty and doubt. And if you believe these stories you will get caught up in a whirlwind of confusion.
Instead, remain confident in the initial feelings and trust your intuition. The more you do, the easier it becomes and the more aligned you will be for all that is meant for you in life.