{feast or famine}

I used to work for a company that wrote and published military manuals. There would be periods of time when we were so busy that we'd be in the office until 11pm and other times when we sat at our desks and read novels- waiting for the next project to come in. People were fond of saying that it was either feast or famine. I am thinking of this today because it seems that this if also true in life,  we tend to be, either in a place of growth and expansion or survival and contraction. These feast or famine feelings, or more appropriately the sense of abundance or scarcity, impacts and sometimes competes with intuition. We really have to pay attention to know when our inner voice is being crowded out by fear of scarcity or famine feelings. 

I've got a feeling

Instinct and intuition often get used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. Instinct is an innate, often fixed, biological  response to stimuli. This does not need to be learned, it is a natural, inherent response. Think of the way a kitten knows how to clean itself or a duckling knows to swim.  

Intuition is similar, in that it is something that is known without any kind of conscious thought or logical reasoning, an unconscious response or immediate understanding. It is a little different because it is derived from internalized experiences and learned information, things like memories and physical responses.  It is often called a gut reaction or feeling because it is deeply felt and understood at a level more embedded in our bodies than our minds. Intuition is also commonly referred to as a little voice that one hears but doesn't hear, it's a mysterious knowing. We are given intuitive nudges each day, most are extremely subtle, perhaps a passing thought that you should take one route over another or call someone you have not thought about in awhile. The more we listen to these, the stronger they become, and the reverse it true as well, if we ignore our intuition, it becomes less perceptible. 

This weekend my 10-year-old nephew and I were listening to true scary stories together while driving. These were not horror tales, just scary recollections of situations that could have been deadly had the young people recalling them not listened to their instincts. Stories of kids who saw a stranger and had the inexplicable urge to run or were offered a ride by a stranger and knew that something off about the person driving. In each of the stories, the feelings the kids had were proven to be correct and the stories were powerful demonstrations of why learning to listen to these hunches is a fundamental and critical tool for navigating the world. 

Intuition is one of the best skills you can help cultivate in a young person. A child who trusts their own judgment is going to be much safer. Trusting one's gut also leads to greater self-assurance and self-confidence. Learning to work with our inner guidance system is one of the most powerful ways of becoming more autonomous and fearless.  

Practice makes perfect

Learning to listen to intuition can take a lot of practice if you start as an older person. distinguishing between intuition and fear takes more practice still. But honing one's intuition is beneficial both professionally and personally. It can be hard to justify taking the time to practice a skill that we can't exactly explain. However, the ability to distinguish between intuition and fear can save your life and help you make better choices. 

It may be easier to learn to listen to intuition by  considering your hunches or nudges in hindsight. As you begin your journey, use a notebook to collect a list of the inexplicable feelings or urges you experience. Write down feelings like when I thought you should stop and grab a loaf of bread, but ignored the thought because you were tired only to find that you had unexpected guests for dinner. Or the urge to get gas at a station you don't usually use, only to discover that your regular station has a mysterious power outage. The more you pay attention, the more you will be able to tell which are important and which are not. 

Another key consideration is whether a response to something is a fear response or intuition. For example, you may logically believe that taking a class on app coding is a great idea for your career, but you may also be intimidated by the thought of taking the class. In situations like this, you will have to learn to listen to yourself. When you think  about the prospect, get a real sense of whether you feel yourself expanding or contracting. If there is a subtle sense of  excitement and feeling of expansion, then what you feel is just fear of the unknown and you should probably sigh up for that class. If, however, what you feel is a clenching or dread, your body  may be telling you that you don't really want to move in that direction. I that case the class may not be for you and may ultimately end up to be a big waste of money and energy.  

Intuition is a skill that you'll never regret cultivating. It can benefit you in every part of your life, from romance to career to fitness, it can also keep you out of harmful situations that your rational mind misses. 

Basically, we know more than we know we know. You know?