But they aren’t using their heads for logical thinking or processing at all, but their guts. They trust their intuition.

Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately without conscious reasoning – which explains the processing time. When you can tune in to trust your intuition, you kick your processor into high speed.

Careful analysis versus trust

Intuition is often fast but is it more prone to error? Logic and rationalization take time, but is it always right? Should we rely on logic even when we have time?

As a data gal, I love and believe in the power of having data to prove (or disprove) an approach. It is the runway that allows an idea to take flight. But as a data girl, I also know how prone data can be to errors and how folks can use it to support any objective. If unbiasedly collected data can be used to support any theory, why do we rely so heavily on the facts and so easily disregard listening to our intuition? 

What Intuitive People Do

Intuitive people come from all walks of life, from creative artists to inspirational leaders. Learning to trust your intuition is a transferable skill to all areas of life, but there are a few standard things that folks are tuned into their intuition do.

• Practice mindfulness and stay focused on the present
• Self and body aware of what a “gut” feeling feels like
• Don’t hold on to negative thoughts
• Don’t fall victim to perfectionism
• Understand and challenge their limiting beliefs

The Benefits of Trusting Your Intuition

When you trust your gut, you are more likely to be more in alignment with your values and principles. It can also prevent you from getting into some pretty sticky jambs. Instead, alignment creates flow and ease in your decision-making process. Trusting your gut has spin-off benefits.

• Different and new perspectives

When you lean into your gut feeling, you start to challenge how you problem solve.  You introduce new variables and take out assumptions. It’s a place to be creative.

• Easier to make tough decisions

It takes time to process and run through all the logic and create a rationale for each option. Gut instinct is (or can be) instantaneous. Now don’t get me wrong, there is a place for logic, reasoning, and thought. Combining your best guess and trusting is a way forward that can cut days off of tough decisions. Here’s the thing about intuition, it never falls victim to perfectionism.

• You accomplish more and feel more accomplished.

One of the biggest enemies of not finishing is perfectionism. We get stuck finishing. When you learn to trust your gut, you start to evaluate the importance of the last stretch. You evaluate finishing differently and you start to see things fly off your to-do list. And that feeling at the end of the day reinforces the trust you are building in yourself.

• Improved self-compassion, self-confidence, and wellbeing

It all comes down to trust. The more you learn to trust yourself and use your intuition, the less you hang on to doubt and worry. When you start using your intuition, you see such great things happen around you, and your confidence grows. You talk to yourself with more kindness and begin to know that you are less likely to label it as a failure when things don’t turn out as expected.