Why intuition is critical, now more than ever!
Posted on January 14, 2021 by Tanya Romanuk, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
Our intuition is our first line of defence because data does not exist to answer questions of purpose and meaning.
There are those, including myself, who believe intuition is humanity’s most essential skill in the twenty-first century. Technology has shrunk the universe to a size small enough to fit in our pocket. Within seconds we have access to every piece of information ever written about, say, the dark side of the moon. Yet, it would take a lifetime to consume it whether you Google moons or music. The sheer amount of information we are confronted with results in us making thirty-five thousand remotely conscious decisions a day. The quantity of information that is available is relentlessly unmanageable. However, what is more challenging, is that for some decisions, the information needed simply does not exist. Yes, we need a way to sift through the vast amounts of data available to discern what is important, not to mention accurate. But to make the kind of high impact, highly emotional decisions we are up against, we need decision-making strategies when all the quantum computing in the world will not give us the right answer. I call these meaningful decisions, one of the toughest of them being, what do I want to do with my life or what is my purpose?
It is meaningful decisions like these in which outcomes are uncertain, data is murky, if available at all, that the action required is often untenable. Faced with meaningful decisions our options are rarely black and white or right or wrong. The best option often results in a reduction in overall happiness in the short term, making the decision even harder to make. Situations like these come up every day. I have had to deal with many meaningful decisions as I imagine you have as well. Meaningful decisions are not just existential. Questions like, do I resign from a well-paid job to start my own business, do I leave an unhappy marriage of fifteen years, or do we spend another fifteen thousand dollars on a third or fourth round of IVF are decisions that have to be made not just pondered on a mountain top. The impact of these decisions change lives, sometimes many, and we need strategies that help us make them. If we can not choose the best course of action when faced with meaningful decisions we will never live our best lives. Our intuition is our first line of defence in these situations because the data does not exist. We don’t have a crystal ball telling us how the future will unfold and no amount of wishing it otherwise will change that.
The problem is that people are afraid to trust their gut. They are afraid to follow their intuition because it has been wrong in the past. The question I get asked the most as a coach helping people deal with these types of problems is, “when can I trust it, how do I know, and what if it is wrong?” They are afraid to make the wrong decision, so they often land up making emotional decisions, overly rational decisions, or no decision at all, holding themselves back from ever reaching their potential. Fear is the strongest physiological and psychological driver we have next to hunger. Fear creates health problems from decision paralysis to severe anxiety. It is no secret that anxiety disorders are at an epidemic rate in the western world. They affect 40 million American adults over the age of 18 alone. However, when fear arises, accessing our intuitive wisdom is only the first step, we need a way to get past the fear so we can act. Everyone can improve their intuition, determine when to follow it and develop the courage to act on it and strategies I will have will help you do that. Plus, in a beautiful twist of fate, they are also some of the strategies Positive Psychologists believe are necessary for living a life of happiness, one they, and I, would call a purposefully engaged life. Psychologists as early as Abraham Maslow believed that self-actualization and transcendence are the ultimate pathways to happiness; The intuition Principle Coaching Program uses these strategies to help you develop your intuition, decipher when to follow it, and ultimately become your best self – An Intuitive Performer.
