As I watched my girls playing "guess-what-number-I'm-thinking-of" the other day, I was reminded of a time I too wanted to be psychic. As a child, well before iPads, the classic road trip entertainment involved a lot of "guess-what-I’m-thinking-about-right-now."
As an adult, I have the closest thing to psychic powers: intuition; the knowing without knowing. Studies have shown people born from
difficult childhoods often become highly intuitive because of their need to quickly read situations, but we all possess this superpower to some degree.
For as long as I can remember, I've had this deep awareness of my own thoughts and feelings, this strange ability to know what someone is feeling without words, or know exactly how to handle a difficult situation with a boss, or easily put myself in someone else's shoes.
And sure, being intuitive without boundaries can be exhausting for all of
these reasons and more, but this high-level intuition is so beneficial in relationships and in having a deep sense of purpose.
Einstein called it "the only real valuable thing," and Steve Jobs declared it "more powerful than intellect."
Can intuition be taught? I believe it can, and should be! There are a few simple things you can do to maximize your intuition:
Be an observer: Spend a moment to take in all that is going on around you. When meeting your child after school, you might observe the chaos on the playground, and see your child's face just before she sees you, and that can be enough to know she had a hard day.
Be a listener: Word choice and tone of voice are so important. It's the "I'm fine" versus "I'm great." Yes, sometimes words are just words (and we aren't always thoughtful with word choices, especially when we're busy), but tones are indicative of feelings too. You can often determine based on the combination whether your spouse needs a little extra support, for example.
Be creative and adventurous: Plan a vacation, take a hike, read a book, whip up something new in the kitchen, get creative in an art class. Do whatever you need to do to unleash your imaginative side and allow you to see things from a different point of view.
Find quiet time daily: Schedule time to think, breathe, feel, and get in tune with your own vibrations and energy. It's often through listening to ourselves, that we're able to best hear the unspoken words of others.
How has intuition helped you? What helps strengthen your superpower?