How to develop and trust your intuition
I often get asked "how do I hear my intuition", "How do I trust my inner guidance", or "how to make the difference between ego and intuition?".
And that's another topic I am passionate about. More and more leaders and business owners want to reconnect with themselves and follow their heart. Strengthening your intuition is life-changing.
But of course, in order to trust it, you need to develop it... and when you develop it, you need to trust it. I'd say trust comes first...
Ego vs Intuition
Trust your intuition even if it doesn't make any rational sense.
Actually, I could even say, trust your intuition especially when it doesn't make sense hehe...
When you can't make any rational sense to some inner guidance you're receiving, you might want to doubt yourself... but what if I told you that the fact that it doesn't make any rational sense is the very proof that it is not the product of your "ego" aka your rational mind?
Have you ever had that unexplained gut feeling?
It can be an idea that gives you joy and makes you feel excited... It comes out of the blue, in a very subtle way and makes no sense to your rational mind... but it make you feel that internal "oh" or an "a-ha moment".
Or maybe you are being offered an opportunity that everyone says they'd like to have and would call you "crazy" for refusing, your rational mind would find it safe and rational to accept it, yet your whole body and your Higher Self are screaming "don't!!!". When you're imagining yourself taking this opportunity, it feels like your whole system shuts down and you feel nauseous, or a sinking feeling in your stomach... something constrictive, your system is contracting.
Not that it'd be a mistake to still accept the opportunity in question (mistakes are simply a perspective) but it'd put you in a situation that wouldn't serve your highest good and actually be painful for your soul, or cause unnecessary delays.
True intuition stories
I have a lot of intuition stories I could share from my own experience but also clients' experiences but here I'll briefly share 3 pivoting points of my life story.
This "unexplained gut feeling" happened to me a few years ago, when I felt guided to leave it all behind and go to Jamaica for one month to start with. I was a bit afraid, but the inner guidance, my inner knowing were stronger than any "rational" reason my mind could come up with.
I listened and left. I had the inner knowing that I would stay longer than one month, but I could stay one month without having to get a visa, so I thought "one month first"... and I indeed stayed longer to that point that I created my life there.
Listening to my intuition was the most beautiful thing I could do for myself, I had one of the most beautiful, loving, expansive and enriching times of my life.
Even before I consciously became aware that my intuition was high or that it was my inner guidance playing out, it still was!
Back in 2004, I had come back to France after living in the UK, I was looking for a job after my Degree. I had had a job interview and worked at this specific workplace for one afternoon as a test-run.
When I was offered to come back to start working there, I was grateful of course but something within me felt off, it almost gave me anxiety when I'd picture myself going back there... I felt guided to decline this job offer and I followed my guidance.
I politely declined and as soon as I did so, I felt a relief, a deep sense of inner peace and an amazing job opportunity came my way the following week. I signed a permanent contract with the company immediately.
A similar thing happened again about 9 years ago, I had this irresistible nudge not to take a secure job opportunity I was being offered after being laid off for economical reasons. I just had to say "yes" and the job was mine.
I was of course very grateful and happy.
I will cut a long story short here because strange things happened, as if the whole Universe was conspiring for me to understand that I had to follow my intuition and my body's reaction. (My head was spinning, I almost got lost to go there while it was actually in the same street, in the same industrial area I had been working at for the past decade or so...).
I followed my intuition and politely and gratefully declined. Once again, I felt an immediate relief in my whole body and mind, a sense of alignment and inner peace, followed by clarity and guidance on my next steps (which were to open my own business - something I hadn't rationally thought of doing at that time of my life).
Ego vs intuition aka mind vs heart
I'm not saying it's easy to trust your intuition, especially at the beginning of this journey. In those examples I shared, my rational mind was like "girl, seriously?" and I took note, yet I refused to listen to the voice of the rational mind because I realized it was the voice of fear.
My mind and nervous system were trying to keep me safe... But safe from what? From Creating a beautiful life for myself? From this perspective, the ego's voice doesn't make any rational sense, right? Had I followed the rational route, I'd have done myself a disservice.
Once again, I insist, following the voice of the mind it not "bad", "wrong" or a "mistake". It is a decision and any decision is valid.