Where were you on that fateful 9/11 attack? What were you doing when you first heard the news that Michael Jackson is dead? Without a doubt, you can describe the miniscule details of your day that would have been forgotten if it weren’t for the tragic events that transpired on those days.
Whether you can recall the weather of the day or whom you were talking to in the minutes before the event, or if you remember the physical sensation that you experienced as the world around you changed forever, there are times in our life when events transpire that absolutely alter the way we live our lives. After these events, we are often left wondering what we could have done differently if we had just known.
However, it’s not just the major events in life that leave us wondering what we could have done differently if we had just known. While it may seem impossible to divine the future for the typical person, there is a way for you to make better decisions that put you in the right place and time. By strengthening your intuition, you will gain confidence in yourself and the decisions you make so that you are in a better position to achieve your dreams.
To start with, you need to understand that intuition is not exactly fortune-telling or seeing the future. According to Merriam-Webster, intuition is, “a feeling that guides a person to act a certain way without fully understanding why”.
Simple Exercises to Strengthen Your Intuition
Become an Observer
Much of what you observe in life is stored in your brain’s database without you ever realizing. As your database of observations and experiences grows, so does your intuition. By consciously becoming more observant in your everyday life you are also increasing your subconscious observations that influence you sixth sense of intuition.
Meditate, Meditate, Meditate
There is an old saying that prayer is the act of asking and meditation is the act of listening to the answers. Committing to a consistent meditation practice will give you the time and space to discover and listen to your inner self.
Record Your Dreams
Your dreams provide a rich source of information about your waking life and can lead you to insights and solutions that elude you during the day. Before you go to sleep at night, relax and focus on an area of your life that needs illumination. Upon waking, preferably before you even lift your head off the pillow, take a minute to review what happened in your dream and write it down as quickly as possible. Don’t leave out any detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant and analyze it for any relevant symbolism.
Trust Your Gut
Often times in the aftermath of difficult times, you look back and realize that you had a funny feeling, a hunch or a gut feeling that trouble was brewing. Instead of dismissing these thoughts, take time to analyze them and trust your instincts. It is very likely that your subconscious was recording important observations that escaped your notice and would influence your decision.
As with any other education or development, strengthening your intuition requires patience, commitment and trust in yourself. You will soon see that these qualities not only strengthen your intuition, but will also carry over into other aspects of your life to improve your personal relationships and self-confidence.
The article presents a compelling case for the importance of intuition in decision-making. Incorporating meditation and dream analysis seems like a holistic approach to understanding oneself better.
Dream analysis has always fascinated me. It makes sense that our subconscious mind stores information that we can use to make better decisions.
I agree, Butter. Meditation, in particular, offers a way to quiet the mind and listen to our inner voice, which can be invaluable for personal growth.
Trusting your gut feels more like an art than a science, but the article provides practical steps to develop this skill, which is refreshing.
While the idea of trusting your gut is appealing, how do we navigate the fine line between intuition and irrational fear? The article could benefit from addressing this concern.
The article’s notion that intuition is built over time through observation is intriguing. It aligns with the idea that experience shapes our instincts.
That’s a good point, Dear. It reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell’s concept of ‘thin-slicing’ in his book ‘Blink,’ where quick decisions can be surprisingly accurate.
The suggestion to record and analyze dreams is a novel approach. It’s interesting how dreams can offer insights that our conscious mind might overlook.