Accessing Intuition

I don’t know about you, but I love having women in the room. They add a different perspective; they bring a kind of simplicity and realness, especially when they speak from their intuition. Intuition is one of those gifts we all have that we can use or ignore at anytime. For our purposes, we’ll use this definition for intuition: “The faculty of knowing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition.”

Let’s face it. Many women are good at connecting to their intuition. People count on it. In meetings, the rational conversation will take place, and then someone will ask the “diviner” in the group what she thinks. This is the person in the room with the quickest access to their intuition, their gut, and the courage to speak it, even if it means opposing the rational thinking. We count on them to get to the heart of the matter in a meeting. I often ask a woman who seems confused, “What does your gut tell you?” She will answer immediately, almost surprising herself. This is her inner knowing.

The ongoing chatter in our minds is NOT intuition. It reminds us to pick up groceries on the way home, to return that call from two days ago, to finish the conversation with our boss. This “monkey mind” starts its chatter immediately upon waking for most of us and doesn’t shut up until we fall into bed again at night. I once heard someone say, “We’re exhausted! We’re not tired from the work we do, we pass out from our thoughts!” And if you listen to this litany going on inside your brain, you will find that there are certain repetitive thoughts – mostly fear-inducing – trying to get you to avoid a life of adventure, passion and joy. The laundry list of to-do’s alone will keep you in survival forever! Have you ever gotten everything done on your “list?”

To get to intuition, you must quiet the chatter of the monkey mind. It takes practice to become still enough to hear something more relevant, even useful. If you can get to this quiet space, then you will hear the voice of your intuition. If we listen, we are always being instructed. This voice in each one of us and it knows what is needed, what will make the difference. Maybe it guides you to hold your tongue at just the right moment. Perhaps it invites you to listen behind the words being spoken to hear the real message. Sometimes it provides outright instruction “go left here” when one feels lost in an unfamiliar city.

I urge you to listen to and then follow your intuition – your truest sensibilities. We’ll all be better off.