Building Your Intuition
Intuition is a very personal thing. What is it exactly?
“Intuition, a phenomenon of the mind, describes the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason.”
Science can’t put the activity of intuition through the rigors of test tubes and lab slabs so labeling it as ‘phenomenon’ allows it to exist within accepted parameters. Delving into the workings of the mind would take a behavioral science to fully explain what we all know as personal intuition.
I believe we are born with the innate ability to exercise intuition, but as we get older, layers of life tend to dull this natural gift. But what if intuition can be re-learned, exercised like a flabby muscle and toned once again to serve us?
The subconscious mind can make roughly 10 million observations in any given situation. That means we are taking in volumes of information that are not registering in the conscious mind. Studies have estimated that of the 10 million observations that we make, we are only aware of about 40 of them. Forty registers enough to help us make our choices, decisions and subsequent action. Do we choose chocolate or vanilla? Go right or left? Every conscious choice we make is based on only a fraction of what the entire brain takes in at any given moment.
When we get an intuitive hit is it being formulated out of the 9,999,960 observations that are being collected and categorized by the unconscious mind? Are we able to become aware of the activity so we can tap into it? How can we leverage the mechanics that make up our intuition to further our purposes and ambitions?
Research has come to at least one substantial conclusion regarding re-booting intuition: Exposing someone to something until they become familiar with the subject thereby giving them experience and forming a level of expertise. These two facets combined give the intuition an avenue to travel. You might say it also gives someone the ability to guess better – but tell me the difference.
Repetition of an event or experience is also a major contributor to buffing up the intuitive mind. For example; taking skiing lessons for 5 days in a row rather than one day a week for 5 weeks gives the mind a pattern of observations that then surfaces to the conscious level. This has been termed as intentional immersion. These observations will automatically contribute to the reaction one would make in a new or different set of circumstances around skiing. Let’s say you would have a better “feel” for the slope.
At Persint we propose that learning to use our intuition gives us advantages in all parts of our lives. We can make decisions faster and with more clarity, empathy and compassion. Employing our intuition can make us better parents, friends, money managers, athletes, cooks, care providers, pet lovers . . . the list can go on in every direction of life.
We all have the right and ability to develop this gift and we encourage you to learn more and expand your horizons to include the guidance of the voice within.
Leave a comment below telling us about an experience when your intuition spoke loud and clear.