6 Ways To Tap Into Your Intuition
As you scale your business, the decisions you make will become more abstract and philosophical. That’s when intuition becomes a powerful and indispensable tool. Here are 6 ways to reconnect with your intuition so you can start making decisions that align with your core.
1. Meditate for 10 minutes.
Think of your intuition as the shy sister who only comes out when your mind isn’t busy controlling the conversation. To hear her speak, we must train ourselves to embrace silence. Take 10 minutes everyday to meditate. No music or fancy Tibetan bowls required. Just sit comfortably, close your eyes, and be present. Doing this everyday will help you reconnect with your inner voice.
2. Listen to your body.
In general, when something is aligned with your core, you will likely experience an expansion of the body; on the other hand, when something is not aligned with your core, you will likely experience a constriction of the body. Though we have long been conditioned to embrace logic over instinct, our bodies can often tell us what our minds can’t.
3. Pay attention to the words you say to yourself.
We all pay so much attention to the words we say to others – especially to our bosses, mentors, and people we admire – and yet so few of us pay attention to the words we say to ourselves. How does your mind respond to stress? Does it plunge into a sprawling list of worst-case scenarios, or blame you for all of your problems? Knowing how your brain is wired can help you make the best decision for the task at hand.
4. Go someplace new.
Putting yourself in an unfamiliar environment is one of the quickest ways to tap into your intuition, since your mind has no frame of reference to rely upon. This is why many people choose to travel abroad to “discover” themselves. Though most of us don’t have the luxury to take off on a weeks-long trip to a foreign country, you can achieve similar results by exploring a new neighborhood or simply taking a new route home.
5. Think in the long-term.
Manhattanites know that the best way to walk down a crowded street is to keep your eyes fixed not right in front of you, but a few blocks down the road. This is a life lesson in itself. If we’re too busy focusing on the people in front of us, chances are, we will be bobbing and weaving through the crowd, only to be bumped in the shoulder or flustered by the situation. If we focus on the destination, on the other hand, the people will naturally part and we will be able to prepare for larger obstacles ahead – like a car accident down the road or a traffic light, for example.
6. Visualize your destination.
During your meditation practice, take some time to visualize what you want your future to look like – in precise detail. Have fun with it. What does your room look like? What does it smell like? Who’s making the coffee? What are you wearing? How are you feeling? What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon? Doing this everyday – however repetitive – is a good way to check in with your innermost desires, uninhibited by obligations, to-do lists and other restricting narratives that you may be telling yourself.