Intuition Unleashed: Six Ways to Discover the Wisdom of Your Inner Voice

I just released a novel which means it’s time to choose an idea for a new one.

Once the die is cast, I’ll be living with the novel for a year or more, which means the stakes are high. Who wants to spend approximately 2,000 hours working on something that might be a dud?

It’s happened. I’ve written at least five novels that live in my my computer becasue they weren’t fit for reader consumption.

But most of those missteps happened because I used reason instead of intuition to choose what to work on next. If you’d like to increase your intuitive abilities, here are a few ways:

Observe your intuition at work.

Notice how you make decisions in all areas of life, not just in your creative life. Do you mostly rely on your analytical left brain or your intuitive right? For instance, suppose you’re choosing a theme for your web site, will you pay more attention to reviews and utility or are you grooving on your emotional reaction to the design?

Take note of when intuition pays off for you and when it doesn’t.

Maybe you hired a contractor because of his ying-yang tattoo and easygoing aura and that intuitive decision resulted in great work. Or maybe the opposite happened, and you found the guy drinking Bud Ice behind your house.

Talk to your intuitive side.

When you’re unsure of a decision, ask for confirmation. The right-side of the brain often speaks in metaphors and other indirect ways, so be alert for answers. Sometimes, though, it’s direct.

 Once I heard an actual voice tell me to write a particular novel I had some resistance to writing. (And yes, it freaked me out.) Yet the novel ended up being one of my most popular.

Strong feelings of enthusiasm typically come from intuition not ego.

When the founder of Starbucks decided he wanted to bring a European espresso bar experience to the United States, he was so excited about his vision, he started to shake.

 When you follow your intuition, you’ll experience pings of delight. There’s a feeling of rightness as well as a sense of momentum. It never feels like a slog and there’s no sense of trying too hard.

Practice using your intuitive side on low-stakes decisions.

For instance, if you’re the type of person who researches every restaurant before visiting, go ahead and choose an eatery based on your gut feeling toward it. Or use intuition to determine which grocery line will move the fastest.

Intuition works best in your area of expertise.

Don’t hesitate to consult the logical side of the brain when you’re choosing something you know nothing about such as what’s criteria for a good mattress.

But when it comes to your creative work, don’t let other people or the market determine your next move. Turn inward. The more you practice, the easier it gets.

Over time, I’ve learned that certain ideas have more energy than others and when I follow that energy, I’ve usually made the right decision.

Also, be aware that sometimes your intuition takes weird detours, but as long as you experience positive energy, don’t be deterred. It’s possible the reason for the detour won’t be revealed until later.

One of my favorite movies is The Social Network and one of the characters wants to quickly monetize Facebook, but Mark Zuckerberg refuses, saying, “We don’t know what this is yet.”

Exactly. Sometimes, it takes a while to see the big picture.

 P.S. I’m going on vacation for two weeks. See you on July 9.