In this world, there are many voices. They come at us from every direction, and oftentimes, they are contradictory, loud, and fear- provoking. It’s so easy to listen to an “expert” and abandon your own intuition.
Remember Y2K and the doomsday alarm that was sounding about the year 2000? In 1999, I was designing and subcontracting the house in which I currently live. Near the end of that year as January approached, I became increasingly fearful that the promised computer fiasco would put an end to my project, and I would be left with a house that was half built. There was nothing I could do except hope and pray the world wouldn’t end and continue to work on my house. Well, the new year came, and nothing happened. Life went on as usual (my husband was never worried about it; I should have listened to his calm voice), and our house was completed that spring.
I learned something important from that experience: fear and rumors do nothing more than disturb a person’s inner peace.
I was listening to so many outside voices that I had dimmed my own instincts. I determined that I would never allow that to happen to me again. *Note: There are times when danger is imminent, and you will need to act! Pay attention.
Heeding your intuition can keep you from harm. When I was six years old, I left the mall with my parents, but instead of taking my usual seat in the back behind my dad, I insisted on riding up front with my parents on the bench seat. My dad was hesitant, but I would not take “no” for an answer. As we turned out of the parking lot, a racing sports car hit us at a high rate of speed and spun our car around several times. We were hit in the exact spot where I would have been sitting—directly behind the driver’s seat.
Intuition will help you in your everyday life, if you let it. A number of years ago, I was taking a business law course. One day, I was late for class and walked in as everyone was finishing a quiz. The quiz was timed, and as the professor handed me the test,
sympathy on his face, he said, “You have two minutes. Good luck!” As I sat down, I remembered the advice given by many of my teachers: it’s usually your first instinct that is correct. I had no time to doubt. I went through each question and wrote down the first answer that came to mind. And guess what—I got 100 percent on that quiz. My teachers were right: trust your first instinct.
I was visiting with one of my young neighbors last week. He’s eight years old. He told me of a time when he was little (smile), and he was with his family at an amusement park. They were in line for a ride, and he had the feeling he shouldn’t go on it. He told his mom but was assured he was safe. He said he got on the ride, and it made him sick. He wished he had acted on his instinct and stayed off the ride.
In big and small ways, your intuition is your friend. It is a gift that keeps you safe. Learn to trust it; always listen. If you are wrong at times, and we all are at some point, it is still an essential practice to listen to and act on that inner voice. You may be going against the grain. You might be disregarding someone’s well-meant advice. While you should consider the advice of others, take notice of how you feel about it. Does it feel right in your mind and in your heart? Does it make your stomach queasy? Does it cause confusion?