This is a topic I keep coming back to in my own life. What I’ve found is that as I share what I’m learning, it can be more fun as I pass it onto others. I suggest giving it a try sometime J If you are learning a new tool, sharing it with others can be super-duper exciting. Let’s jump right into it. Here are some helpful things to grow your intuitive voice:
1) Slow down. Slow wayyyy down.
In my office I’ve had a board hanging that says, “slow down and simplify.” A few years back my insides started screaming at me to slow down the pace of my life and simplify everything. I’ll comment more on simplicity shortly, but I want to start with taking a look at the pace of your life. Do you make decisions in a hurried fashion? Do you rush through each day? Slowing down is so very important to tapping into the intuitive voice inside. Really, I can’t see how we could ever hear that voice inside without first slowing down.
2) Simplify. Everything can be much more simple. Trust me.
This one is so entwined with the first. Slowing down and simplifying go hand in hand. There has been a minimalism movement that’s become very popular. I have to admit…I love it. Marie Kondo is my girl. I think there is a lot of truth to decluttering your physical space to also have more clarity in your mental and emotional world. Now, do I think you can only keep 2 dresses, 1 pair of jeans, and 2 pairs of shoes in your closet? No. I haven’t taken it to the extreme. But I do think paying attention to your physical space can really create necessary breathing room for tapping into a new place inside.
Now when I said simplify, I did say everything. That means simplify your schedule, too. This connects to slowing down. You don’t have to be at every social event, or pack everything into every single day. Living simply means cutting out room to “just be.” Meditate, sit a bit loner while savoring your coffee, take a long, slow walk.
3) Seek out a spiritual director or a therapist trained in intuitive guidance
This part has been huge in my own life. If you struggle to sit to meditate or connect to your intuitive voice, you might be like me and need to literally carve out an hour of your day to sit with another to help guide you in this process. Every time I leave seeing my spiritual director I am shocked with the amount of clarity I experience. Just by giving myself the hour of focused listening I move forward in my life with more clarity.
4) Pay attention to the first feeling you have
As you continue to grow your intuitive voice, it will get louder and louder. As you go through this process, I suggest paying attention to the first feeling you have in a situation. It will help you to notice what your gut is saying before you can start convincing yourself of something you don’t really want, or even before you allow other people to convince you of something that you know deep down that is not really right for you.
If you practice these things you will find over time that you will hear that steady voice inside much more easily. It doesn’t mean you won’t have to be diligent to press past the busy pace and the expectations around you, but it does mean that you will really know what is right because you’ve formed a relationship with your true self. As you continue to form that bond to your true self and make decisions from a centered perspective, you will find much more joy with the life you’re building.
If you’d like help continuing to grow the bond you have with yourself, check out my course!