Gut Check: Calibrating With Yourself

Intuition is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "the immediate apprehension of an object by the mind without the intervention of any reasoning process".

Intuition has been described by Isaac Asmiov as "the art, peculiar to the human mind, of working out the correct answer from data that is, in itself, incomplete or even, perhaps, misleading."

Are you in touch with your intuitive nature? Are you able to find your way through situations with incomplete data guiding you?

Gut feelings are part of the human experience. Some of us are more in touch than others. The most likely forms of intuition come in situations of danger, as in you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, or in situations of romance (which some might also consider danger) as in, 'I knew it the first time we met that he (or she) would be the person I married.'

Intuition is an aspect of emotional intelligence. It can be exercised, like a muscle (not unlike persuasion) and with patience, intention, attention and study, it can grow into an incredible asset.

In business it's entirely acceptable to follow these gut feelings, hunches or intuitions and, in fact, is really a sign that our other-than-conscious, our Gentle Genie is flawlessly and with ease guiding our lives as per our request.(Check out my other articles for an idea of how to get in touch with your Gentle Giant.)

People experience intuition differently. I feel it in my stomach. It's a queasy feeling that radiates sharply. Other people feel it in their chests, heart pumping faster. Others have a hardness at the back of their throats, like they can't swallow. Paying attention to these subtle (and not so subtle) physical shifts can make all the difference in our self-calibration. These shifts in some cases can mean the difference in the measures we take to close a deal or get out of a sticky situation.

Following your hunches, however, should not negate logic and reason but act in combination with that side of your mind. In our day and age, the concept of hunches is oftentimes relegated to new agers and sometimes mocked in business. And yet, think about military personnel or cops who are constantly in touch with this aspect of themselves. These are professions that are seldom seen as new agey. Or consider Lee Iacoca who once said, "The only mistake I ever made was not listening to my gut."

Can you remember back to a time when you ignored your gut? Think of the unpleasantness that could have been avoided (a broken heart, a deal gone bad. . .)

By checking in, centering, and gaining clarity, our persuasion is enhanced immeasurably in all aspects of life. A really great resource on intuition is Laura Day's book, 'Practical Intuition,' which contains some amazing exercises to strengthen and stretch the "sixth sense" or really, what I like to think of as our relationship to and messages from our gentle giant.

About the Author

Kenrick Cleveland teaches strategies to earn the business of wealthy clients using persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in persuasion strategies. You are welcome to reprint this article - but get your own unique content version here.

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