Impeccable Intuition

Intuition is something that I’ve believed in (& listened to) for a long, long time.  Logic and reason are certainly effective tools for decision-making, but intuition is something altogether different that is incredibly powerful and feels almost magical.

Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. The word intuition means “in to you” in Latin. Intuition is a wonderful way of just knowing something. It helps with decisions in ways that the logical mind lacks.

I have engaged my intuition a lot over the years, both personally as well as professionally. I’ve always thought it was so cool and a Silver Lining in my life.

You may remember that I had a pretty profound intuitive experience prior to my diagnosis. The day I went for my mammogram and ultrasound, the HOTY (a/k/a Husband of the Year) left on a 5 day trip to Israel with dear friends. This couples-trip had been planned nearly a year in advance. At the onset of the planning, I knew that I was not supposed to be on this trip. Why? I had no clue. Though I knew it would be an absolutely incredible, over-the-top trip, I just knew that I was not supposed to go. As it turns out, my diagnosis came right after the HOTY landed in Israel which means that he had to turn around and come right home (on the exact same plane & exact same seat, by the way). I could hardly have imagined that I would have been diagnosed with FBC (F-bomb breast cancer), but I knew that I wasn’t supposed to go. Intuition speaking.

My intuition is manifested through physical sensations.  I feel it. Sometimes I get goosebumps. Other times my tummy does flip-flops. Some people hear intuition and others have visions.

Since my FBC diagnosis, I have invited my intuition to point things out to me that I might not otherwise see.

The way I fully engage my intuition is by slowing down when making decisions.  As a option presents itself to me (e.g., Do I? Don’t I?), I spend an extra moment paying full attention to my body as it absorbs the atmosphere of the choice.  Then I take time with each option.  If I notice something different about my reaction to one option, I try to figure out what it means and how my intuition is speaking to me.

Another example of engaging my intuition was when we faced a health scare with our daughter, a/k/a Finally Five, this spring (don’t worry, she is fine – Silver Lining!).

Everything about her initial diagnosis and medication prescription felt wrong.  However, I was in the bottomless pit of chemo despair and doubted my intuition. Therefore, I engaged my logical thought process and rationalized that because I felt so rotten on my medication that she would feel awful on her medication. And I didn’t want her feeling as badly as I did.

Despite what I was thinking, every ounce of my intuition said N-O to her initial diagnosis and treatment plan.  To make a long story short, the HOTY and I decided to seek clinical advice elsewhere and found that she was not only misdiagnosed but did not need any treatment. We followed our intuition. And our intuition was right.

One thing about intuition is that it is very quiet and has little chance of being heard if you don’t silence the mind chatter and become more mindful. It takes time to tame the analytical part of the mind to stay quiet. The more awake, aware and attentive I am, the more intuitive I become. It’s amazing how it all comes together!

I believe that when we consistently turn to our intuition for answers on the little things, we can trust it on the big things. Trusting intuition means trusting yourself and your innate authority. Intuition is an incredible resource and gift that we have been given to help us live our best life (Silver Lining).

It is the heart, always, that sees before the head can see.

– Thomas Carlyle