|
An idea on time management from a great life coach for personal development growth:
Clear a Path for Inner Wisdom
BY LEA BRANDENBURG
Reprinted with permission
A skilled life coach describes the value of using intuition to combine logical and emotional processes for a reliable source of information for action.
. . . A computer programmer holding back in a staff meeting because she can't prove the idea she has just had might be the solution her business team is looking for....
. . . An actor has a "bad feeling" about a business deal, but still goes ahead and invests his money with the hope that this transaction will advance his career....
. . . A friend planning a vacation with a group of friends "just knows" that one of his friends will not follow through on her responsibilities, but chooses to say nothing....
What do these three people have in common?
They've ignored the subtle promptings of their inner wisdom. Had they tapped into this knowingness that resides within each of us...the programmer would have saved her group time on the front end of the project...the actor wouldn't have lost his money...the friend would have had better hotel accommodations on his dream vacation.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines intuition as: The act or faculty of knowing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition. Intuition is standard issue for all human beings. A sixth sense. It is a powerful and practical tool we all have within us. With practice, and by combining it with our logical mind and emotional processes, intuition becomes a guide to our personal truth. It becomes a reliable source of information for action in our lives.
So, how does one clear a path for this inner wisdom?
Learn to trust your "gut instincts" and hunches by giving them the opportunity to prove themselves. When the phone rings, try taking a deep breath before answering and mentally asking yourself who is calling and allow an image or name to pop into your mind. When a subtle inner prompting suggest you change plans, try it. Don't go to the party you were planning on going to, see what happens. Instead of pushing yourself to meet a deadline, follow the subtle voice within that playfully suggests you take the afternoon off. You may find that by doing this, you have more energy and the clarity you need to finish the project early! Trust grows with consistency, so give your intuition a chance to gain your confidence
Invite your intuition to communicate with you. Clear your mind of inner distractions. Analyzing, worrying, fear, doubts, judging and looking ahead to the future can drown out the quieter information that intuition provides.
We live in a world where information comes to us at a relentless pace. Learn to pay attention to what you feel inside. Each day try taking at least one moment to relax, close your eyes and check in with your gut feelings. Make a conscious shift from external stimuli and inner chatter and into your body. Take deep breaths, notice and then let go of the physical tension in your body. Stop your mind's momentum and see what surfaces.
Understand that using your intuition takes practice. Just as with any skill, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Think of it this way: everyone can play the piano. Some people are born loaded with musical talent, but even those that aren't, can learn to play with practice, commitment and dedication.
Be willing to make mistakes. Be willing to try something and fail and then try something different next time. Start with small steps and decisions. Definitely don't make that million-dollar deal based on your inner promptings when you are first starting to exercise this muscle. Build up to it. Your intuition is always correct, but it takes time to learn to hear it correctly.
In her book The Intuitive Way: A Guide to Living From Inner Wisdom Penney Pierce writes, "With intuition; we know what we need to know, right when we need to know it." "There is guidance available to us at all times, just below the surface of our logic, just after we stop pushing and striving, just before we jump to conclusions." she writes in Intuition Magazine. Inner wisdom is a valuable resource that is within us at all times, clear a path for it.
© 2002, Lea Brandenburg
Lea Brandenburg is president of Creating Strategies in New York, NY, and has been coaching an international group of clients and businesses since 1997. Her areas of expertise and passion are interpersonal and business communication, intuitive intelligence and creativity. She is a graduate of Coach U, the coaching industry's premiere and oldest training program, a member of the International Coach Federation, which is an association dedicated to preserving the integrity and ethics of the coaching profession, and a Founding Member of Coachville, the first on line coaching training company and portal. You can contact her at lea@creatingstrategies.com. |
