There are 3 obstacles in the way of following your gut
Intuition. It’s what sets us apart from men. For whatever reason, as women, we’ve been given the gift of a pretty active intuition. It keeps us safe, helps us make the right decision and even provides a sort of “sixth sense” for what is going on in many situations. We should be using our intuition every chance we get, so, then, why aren’t some of us using it? I’ve come up with 3 barriers that prevent us from truly accessing the full potential of our intuition, along with some ways with can overcome those hurdles.
Fear
This is a biggie! When we hear our intuition, a lot of times, a nasty little voice in the back of our head automatically goes, “But what if you’re wrong? You don’t want to be made the fool, do you? Just ignore your intuition.”
NO WAY! You tell that little fear pest to put on some shoes and take a hike! Fear is what stops us from acting on our intuition so much of the time. And so much of the time, it turns out our intuition was right all along.
To overcome your fear of listening to your intuition, just remind yourself that, even though you may not have said anything in the past, your intuition was right. Think of what might happen if you don’t listen to your gut. Is it worth giving into your fear when you might be able to avoid a lot of trouble in the future?
Confidence
Maybe you’re new to the company or the department, but whatever the case, you don’t feel totally comfortable in your new position yet, and you lack some of the confidence you’re had in the past. This likely ties in with fear a little. Maybe you’re afraid the new management won’t like what your intuition is telling you or maybe you think they’ll ignore your advice.
Whatever the case, you need to regain that confidence. You were hired or promoted for a reason, right? The company believes in your abilities enough to put you in a position of power within the company. You’ve relied on your instinct in the past and look where they’ve gotten you? Pretty darn far, right? So keep on listening to them!
Trust
Mistakes happen. Sometimes we make the wrong decisions. We aren’t perfect, but I’m sure you think you need to be. Whatever the case may be, you’ve stopped trusting your own judgment. You made a call and it turned out to be wrong and now you feel like you can’t trust your intuition any longer.
I’m here to tell you that everyone makes mistakes. But you know, what, we can learn from them and make better decisions in the future. However, those decisions do not involve a decline in self-trust. Take some of that confidence that you just regained and know that you’re the right person for the job and trust that your intuition, while it’s not infallible, will guide you in the right direction most of the time. Take that direction, apply the lessons you’ve learned in the past and take your company to new heights!
What gets in the way of your intuition? How do you overcome it?
