new-age, too touchy-feely. Its close cousin instinct sounds
animalistic.
Western culture tends to denigrate information that comes to
us through means other than logic, reason and analysis.
Yet, intuition and instinct can save us from hassle and
heartache, lead us to happiness, even save our lives.
Here's a real life example.
A number of years ago I was driving in Manhattan on a
Saturday night. The light was green. I was crossing Second
Avenue, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a car
approaching the intersection from my left running his red
light.
I had about a quarter of a second before impact. There was
no time for to think, no time for fear. only time to act.
I gunned the gas.
Kaboom!
My car was lifted into the air, spinning as I was jerked
around in a crazy carnival ride.
The impact was on the left side of the car. I was in the
middIe of the intersection when I felt the impact.
I saw the driver's side window dissolve. The impact was so
great that when I landed, the car was on the sidewalk facing
into the street. Its back lay just inches away from the
traffic light.
My car was in ruins but the seatbelt held firm. I walked out
with nothing more than a few minor scratches.
When I gunned the gas, my car advanced just enough so the
impact of the other vehicle was to the rear passenger seat;
not the driver's seat where I was sitting.
That action saved me from, at minimum, serious physical
injury.
It was an action of sheer instinct - coming from the "right
side of the brain."
>From time to time we are all called to make snap judgments,
we have all gotten a bad feeling about a person, a
situation.
We've all uttered the phrase, "I can't put my finger on it,
but …" And more often than not, later on, our apprehensions
are confirmed by events.
That is our intuition talking.
So ... Are you listening?
Your ability to size up people in a first impression is, in
part, the result of your taking in the person's body
language, dress and demeanor on an unconscious level.
Although I think there is more to it than that, the question
of what makes up intuition is beyond the scope of this
article.
Nonetheless, intuition speaks to us in many ways.
It can be the reaction of your body to a person or a
situation.
You tense up around threatening people.
You experience an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach
when you have to operate in a situation where something is
"not quite right." Sure, it looks fine on the surface, but
there's more to the story than meets the eye.
Intuition works the other way, too. Some people and places
feel easy and comfortable. We feel strong and recharged
around them.
They are good for us. We just accept it. We feel no need to
question.
There are many applications to the use of intuition in our
personal and business lives. We tend do well in settings and
around people that support our abilities and support us
emotionally.
Your intuition can be a divining rod leading you to those
settings. By monitoring your feelings, your reactions, your
energy levels, you can determine whether something or
someone is good for you.
A feeling of uneasiness, queasiness should serve as a red
flag when, say taking on a new client, a new project, a new
partner, a new job. Then it is time to call in your powers
of logic, observation and analysis to ferret out the reasons
why you feel this way.
More often than not, your gut will warn you before you are
able to see the landmine.
I suggest looking at intuition and logic as two
complementary ways of processing information. If the two
aren't pointing in the same direction, more likely than not,
you don't have all of the information.
Proceed with caution.
And when they do point the same way, you can be confident
that you on the right track.
Then it's full steam ahead.
End
Ellen Zucker has been successfully self-employed over 10
years. She owns the web site
http://www.selfemployment101.com.
Self-Employment 101: It's about making a living and creating
a life! ... Observations, information and resources for
those of us who are self employed or just thinking about it.