You are wiser than you think: tapping into your intuition.

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“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
— Albert Einstein

Have you ever wished your life had some sort of an instruction manual? A hefty tome made specifically for you, delivered at your birth and containing answers to all the possible questions you may encounter in your life? Which program should I take at school? Should I enter into this relationship? Should I take that job? Should I step into the unknown or rest in the safety of what I am currently doing? Ahh...the applications for this manual would be endless! We could navigate life’s questions with more grace and ease and step forward (or stay put) with greater certainty and faith.


I am not going to lie; I have wished for such a manual often in my life.


After all, life without an instruction manual can sometimes feel confused and uncertain. Rather than flipping to an index to find the answer, we are left to engage in the practice of trial and error, stepping out into the unknown and hoping (sometimes with our fingers and toes crossed!) that the decisions we make will work out, ultimately leading us in the direction of our dreams.

But what if we actually DID have an instruction manual that we had access to?

Well, we do.

Each and every one of us has a built-in guidance system, otherwise known as our intuition.

According to the HeartMath Institute, intuition is “the process of perceiving or knowing something without conscious reasoning.” Some researchers believe that this system connects us to our highest intelligence; a form of knowing that originates in our body and not our head. Take a moment to think of a time in your life when you were guided by something other than rational thought. Perhaps you knew immediately when you met the person you would marry. Or maybe you remember a time when you acted on a hunch that defied any logical reasoning. That is your intuition guiding you.

The truth is that we are wiser than we think. Our intuition is ever-present and lightning-quick. It is also easily dismissed by our rational mind for being risky, silly or even crazy. The speed at which an intuitive hit is discarded is often directly related to how disruptive following through on the information may be in our lives; the bigger the disruption the more that we ignore the information. I know for me, my decision to leave a high school teaching career was preceded by over a decade of internal nudges. Each time I felt that I needed to leave, fear would arise and I would think of all of the logical reasons I should stay in the job. When we choose to silence our internal guidance system, we deny our connection to ourselves and our truth.

So how do we develop a practice where we listen to our intuition?

Slow down: Access to your intuition comes from slowing down the internal chatter so you can really listen to your body’s response to a situation or question. Developing a meditation practice is a great way to build greater discernment about where internal information is coming from. When we are able to identify when and where our intuition arises, we are better able to listen.

Start small: Intuition is like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to get stronger. Practice using your intuition in small ways until you develop trust in the information you receive. Start to notice your ‘hunches’ and ‘gut feelings’. Keep a journal and record the little “knownings" that arrive throughout the day.

Be courageous: When we listen to our inner guidance system, the path forward may not make rational sense. Following your intuition, which at times may require you to do what is unpopular, scary or misunderstood, requires a level of inner attunement and strength that is not for the faint of heart. A healthy dose of courage and trust is needed!

Einstein’s warning that we have forgotten the power and sacredness of our intuitive mind is a powerful one. If you think about your own life, who do you honour most? The faithful servant (your rational mind) or the sacred gift (intuitive mind)?

We are so much wiser than we think…