Your inner knowing or “gut instinct” is the part of you that “just knows” about something.  It’s the part of you that knows it’s okay to engage with one person or that you should distrust another. It notices opportunities and gets a true sense of “Uh-huh! This is something I should act on.”

But, how do you know the difference between your old false belief system “tricking” you into staying the same, and a true intuitive “hit?” Intuition usually shows up without strong emotions attached to it. It comes more as a clear knowing. It is often neutral or might even feel a bit exciting. Your subconscious usually feels more like a warning as opposed to a knowing. It often comes with a sense of fear or other “negative” emotions.  Gut instinct or inner knowing can often be felt in your body, rather than your mind making a decision.  It’s rarely premeditated. It just “comes to you.”

Don’t get me wrong – sometimes your subconscious can trick you into thinking it’s very logical to skip out on an opportunity or not to step into your more authentic self and out of the mold you’re comfortable with.

One way to start to trust your intuition is to play a little game with yourself: You start with baby steps. Try acting on a gut instinct in a situation that feels pretty safe. Start paying attention to that voice that suggests you call someone or that you will hear from someone else, or where that parking spot might be. Or, take action on that inspiration that suggests you submit your work to a certain publication or stretch out of your comfort zone. Keep track of how often you are right. If it turns out that it didn’t pan out just get quiet and ask yourself where you were getting your cues from.

Here’s a brief exercise:

Close your eyes and get quiet. Sit still and start to focus only on your breath coming in and going out. Don’t try to control it. Just pay attention to it. When you feel yourself relaxing, ask yourself one question: “What do I need to know right now?” Don’t let your brain give you the answer by trying to “figure it out.” Let it come bubbling up for you. It might have a strange phraseology to it at first. Just wait for clarity. Wait until you get that sense in your body that you “hear” on a different level. The important thing to remember — and I learned this from Karen Curry in my study of Human Design –- your brain is designed for ideas and thinking. Your gut is where your decisions come from.

Our brains can play all kinds of tricks on us because our subconscious doesn’t want us to change, so you have to ask yourself some questions when you’re done with this exercise: How true is this really? Is this coming from my head or my “gut?” and see how that settles in your body, in your knowing.

In this exercise, your only job is to listen to what your intuition wants to tell you. Keep trying, keep waiting. You may not get it at first, (or you may!) and the more you do it, the faster it comes. When I first started to do this, I had to sit for longer periods of time. Now that I’ve trained myself, I get “downloads” so fast I can hardly get them on paper before I lose them.  This, however, doesn’t happen when it’s an emotionally laden issue. Those situations require more patience, and more checking in with myself.

Remember, it’s a skill. The more you practice it, the better you get at it!

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