Developing Your Intuition: Tips and Exercises for Cultivating Your Inner Sense

by Keith Anderson  - April 30, 2024

I was on a road trip in the Southwest U.S. with a few friends and we had planned to stop at a small town for the night near the Arizona/New Mexico border. As we were driving through the town, I started to get a strange feeling that something wasn’t right. It was a subtle feeling, but I couldn’t shake it off.

I tried to ignore it and tell myself that I was just being paranoid, but my intuition kept nagging at me. I decided to trust my gut and suggested that we find a different place to stay for the night. My friends were a bit surprised by my suggestion, but they trusted me and agreed.

We ended up finding a hotel in a nearby city, and as we were checking in, I heard on the news that there had been a string of robberies in the small town where we had initially planned to stay. I couldn’t believe it. My intuition had been trying to warn me and I’m glad that I listened to it.

We had a safe and restful night at the hotel and I was grateful to have trusted my intuition. It’s amazing how much our inner senses can guide and protect us, even when we can’t explain why we feel a certain way.

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Have you ever had a hunch or a gut feeling that something you were about to do was not a good idea? That’s your intuition talking, and it’s a powerful tool that can help you make better decisions.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to tap into your intuition and use it to improve your work performance.

What is intuition?

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From wikipedia.com

Intuition is the ability to make a decision based on the sub-conscience information and the feelings inside your gut. It’s the sense that something is right or wrong for you.

It allows you to see the bigger picture and see how your actions and choices are connected to your ultimate goal. It’s an important part of our decision-making process, along with logic and emotions.

Intuition is often referred to as “gut feeling,” “going with your gut,” or “your sixth sense.” It’s a feeling or sensation you get in your stomach, or sometimes in your chest, based on your emotions and the information in your subconscious mind. It’s a reaction to certain information that may not be fully conscious.

Here’s some examples on how to tap into your intuition:

  • Define what intuition is for you: Sometimes, it can be helpful to define what intuition is for you and how you experience it, so that you can then learn how to use it more effectively.
  • Open yourself up to it: Intuition is an internal dialogue, so you have to be open to it in order to hear it. You have to drop your expectations and open up to the possibility of insights coming to you in any way.
  • Practice paying attention to your intuition: The more you pay attention and open yourself up to your intuition, the more you will notice it. Developing your intuition takes time, so try to make it a habit to use it as much as possible.
  • Take time to reflect on your insights: Once you notice a thought or idea coming from your intuition, take time to reflect on it. Is it coming from a positive place? Does it feel right for you? Does it help you move towards your goals?

What exercises can you do to practice your intuition?

  • Journaling: Journaling can help you open up and process your thoughts and emotions, and it can also be a way for you to share your thoughts and insights with yourself. It can be helpful when trying to tap into your intuition and to observe your thoughts and feelings.
  • Meditation: Meditation is a way of turning your attention inward, which can help you tap into your intuition. It can be helpful to focus on your breath and let everything else go, including your thoughts.
  • Visualization: Visualization is another helpful tool in tapping into your intuition. You can visualize yourself succeeding in a certain area of your life and what that looks like.
  • Brainstorming: Brainstorming is a great tool for creativity, and it can also be helpful in tapping into your intuition.
  • Artwork: Creating artwork can also be helpful in tapping into your intuition. It can help you open up, process your emotions, and explore your thoughts.

Oprah and The Oprah Winfrey Network

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From thehollywoodtalks.com

Oprah Winfrey used her intuition when she decided to launch her own television network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Oprah had been a successful television host and media executive for many years, but she had never ventured into the world of owning her own network.

However, she felt a strong pull towards starting her own network and trusted her intuition that it was the right move for her. In 2011, she launched the Oprah Winfrey Network and it has been a major success.

Oprah has said that she trusted her intuition because she knew that she had the vision, passion, and drive to make the network a success. She followed her inner voice and it paid off in a big way.

The Oprah Winfrey Network has become a major player in the media industry and has featured a variety of successful programming, including Oprah’s own shows and other popular series and documentaries. Oprah’s intuition led her to take a risk and follow her dreams, and it has paid off in a major way.

Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook

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From michiganradio.org

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, used his intuition when he decided to pivot the focus of Facebook from being a social network for college students to a platform for all users.

In the early days of Facebook, the platform was only available to college students and had a relatively small user base. However, Zuckerberg had a vision of making Facebook a global phenomenon and he trusted his intuition that expanding the platform’s reach was the right move.

In 2006, Zuckerberg made the decision to open up Facebook to users outside of college and the platform quickly exploded in popularity. Today, Facebook has billions of users and is one of the most popular and influential social media platforms in the world.

Zuckerberg trusted his intuition because he knew that he had a strong vision for the future of Facebook and he believed in the potential of the platform. He followed his inner voice and it paid off in a big way, leading to the massive success of Facebook.

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In conclusion, intuition is a powerful tool that can help you make better decisions by tapping into your inner senses. It is often referred to as a “gut feeling” or “sixth sense” and can be used in conjunction with logic and emotions in the decision-making process. Intuition can be developed through practices such as journaling, meditation, visualization, brainstorming, and creating artwork. It is important to define intuition for oneself, be open to it, pay attention to it, and reflect on insights in order to use it effectively. Intuition can be a valuable asset in both personal and professional situations.

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