Over the years I have attempted to trust my intuition more. I have enjoyed a career as a commercial graphic artist for most of my life, and have had continual opportunities to exercise my instincts. Designing is more intuitive than some careers and I have gotten better at spontaneity, but still, I think too much. I am excellent at talking myself out of my gut feelings and then getting annoyed at myself afterwards.
Now, I have nothing against thinking per se. It can come in pretty handy when reading contracts, balancing budgets and billing my clients, but I believe we do too much of it. We need logic and intuition to work together, but logic can be a bully. Logic gets a little nervous around intuition. Logic insists everything needs to be explained, but intuition never explains anything. It just “knows.” When you see an accurate professional psychic and they read you clearly, there are currently no valid logical ways to explain the phenomenon. But there it is. I have had excellent & accurate psychic readings, so I have my proof the experience is real.
So how do we learn to develop & trust our intuition? I think the first step is overcoming fear. Our logic gets nervous at all this inexplicable stuff and wants us to stop. Intuitive fear is a gift, warning us of the unknown, but logical fear includes worry, second-guessing and doubt. If you assess all the mistakes we make in life, as individuals and as governments and religious groups, it’s usually due to fear. We are afraid of not being safe, not being loved, not being liked, looking like a fool, etc. But we have to take more risks, and listen to the voice inside us. Not the voice of logic saying “Oh no” or “That ain’t gonna work” or “No way can we attempt that.” Not the voice that keeps saying no no no, but the one saying “Why not?” And we will have some fears that say it might not work out. Not all logical things work out either.
Take my situation. I am fearful, too. I was afraid to start blogging. Did I really have anything to say? Wouldn’t I run out of ideas? Would I keep doing it? I had a friend who kept pushing me. She badgered me to at least try writing a few sample blog postings, just to see if I could do it. So I did. She asked me what would I name the blog, if I had one. So I told her. And she e-mails me one day and tells me my blog is up! Noooo! How dare she? My logical mind was having conniptions. It was telling me “You’re not ready!” (If not now, when? I was 55.) “Look at your track record!” (I can’t change?) “You’re going to make a fool of yourself. Who do you think you are?” (Only one way to find out that…)
And here it is, the 6th month anniversary of my first blog post. The world didn’t collapse around my ears. I still get a little nervous every Monday, since I was fool enough to call this blog CosmicTuesday, but every week I take a little risk and put myself out there, taking another chance.
We all need to take more risks, to do something that scares us a little. It’s never too late to change and grow unless you’re dead. And if you can read this, you’re not dead yet.
wonderful post tony, and congratulations on your 6 month anniversary !!
i, for one, am very happy that you put your fears aside to give us this wonderful and thought provoking blog.
it makes me wonder how many other amazing things we are prevented from experiencing due to our own, or someone else’s negative or fearful attitudes.
its a great reminder to just go ahead and take a risk or two… you never know who you will delight by doing so !