Conscious Tool Kit: Harnessing Your Intuition

When faced with a major life decision, many of us will likely consult with every external source of information we have available to us before asking ourselves what we feel is the right thing to do. We call friends and get lost in Google searches until we eventually find ourselves on WebMD, certain that we have a rare, rapidly spreading form of cancer and everything is over. 

Yet in these desperate attempts to find an answer, we so often forget to consult with the one person who knows us better than any of these outside sources and can thus provide us with a wealth of information perfectly tailored to suit our own needs--ahem, ourselves. 

There is no one and nothing as well-equipped to make decisions that are aligned with what we truly seek than ourselves. All of us come with a plethora of wisdom built into our bodies, otherwise known as intuition. When we make space for introspection in our daily lives, we enhance our ability to tap into this precious internal resource and in turn, make the task of landing on a good decision a great deal easier. 

Here is one question that we can all ask ourselves to access our intuition when we're in a pinch and need to make a decision quickly:

There are some things that excite us and provoke a feeling of expansiveness in our bodies. It's like our intuition's way of saying that it is open to this experience and going down this direction will lead us to something satisfying. On the other hand, there are certain things that, upon mention, give rise to a sense of dread that weighs down our physical bodies (often with a knot in the gut) and causes us to shrink. This is our intuition's way of telling us that pursuing this is not in our best interest and will not lead to anywhere that will fulfill us. 

When considering a decision, do a quick body scan and survey what comes up. If you feel expansive and excited at the thought of one option, move in that direction. If you feel physically weighed down and limited by an option, chances are this is not the right move to make.

A basic guideline for intuitive decision-making can be summed up as follows: when in doubt, move in the direction of that which lights you up and feels physically expansive. 

When properly harnessed, intuition is like a trusty sidekick that will work at all hours to point us in the right direction.

Have a wonderful week!