· Bryce Fick · coaching · 3 min read
Accessing Your Intuition
Intuition is more than a gut feeling. It is a deep knowing that lives within you — and with the right kind of attention, you can access it.
Turn your attention to yourself and understand more than you know.
Intuition in modern society seems to have been largely co-opted by the gut feelings that come with experience. Think of the grizzled, battle-hardened veteran who knows exactly what to do in the midst of battle because he has been there so many times before; the seasoned attorney who can twist and trap opposing counsel in a web of legal technicalities and hubris because she has been through it all before; or the doting grandmother who knows just what the little tyke needs because she raised her own kids and her grandkids. The wisdom that comes from experience is certainly valuable, but how each of these people accesses that wisdom and exercises their intuition, to plan and strategize, to make value-based judgments, is lost in the stories and stereotypes we so often hear.
Accessing one’s intuition requires something that our ancestors seemed to have had in abundance and that we sorely lack: contemplation. Undisturbed, undistracted thought. Of course, the existence of so many ancient teachings on mindfulness implies that most folks were probably still distractible and focused on the immediate pleasures of life. But our ancestors’ access to those immediate pleasures paled in comparison to ours. Food, entertainment, and physical gratification all required concentrated effort and planning to achieve. Today, those things can be accessed on a device smaller than a cat. Our ability to distract ourselves, therefore, also far exceeds what our ancestors could have ever imagined was possible.
The great loss to our generation and to those who will follow is the deep intuition and knowledge that comes from undistracted, careful concentration. Or, rather, mindfulness. Blurring the distinction between these two words highlights a real problem: confusing overthinking with contemplation. The former entrenches us in this world, while the latter puts us in touch with our inner selves. Here, deep within ourselves, is where the wisdom of our intuition resides.
You may consider this inner self the soul, the divine spark, the unconscious, or the self stripped of the ego. It may or may not matter. But the benefits of connecting with whatever it is are hard to deny for anyone who has done so. Regularly tapping into this part of oneself can lead to a sense of calm and knowing. And from there, confidence and action flow.
A person trying to evolve into the next version of themselves can use this intuition to start moving. They can overcome the fear and analysis paralysis holding them back. They can figure out the system they need and have the confidence to create and implement it.
Meditation, mindfulness, prayer, hallucinogens, breathwork, and journaling are all paths toward accessing one’s intuition. Some people find it on multiple paths; others may become frustrated, having repeatedly reached a dead end. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. In the next series of posts, I will preview different ways people can access their intuition. Stay tuned for more.
