How to Use Your Instincts to Develop Your Intuition?

From Albert Einstein to Oprah Winfrey, great leaders rely on their intuition to make better decisions, spark passions and discover creative solutions.

Yet for many, knowing when it’s their intuition versus their mind is so difficult, it stops them from pursuing their intuitive gifts These people fail to develop their intuition, not because they don’t have it, but because they don’t know how to recognize intuition in the first place.

Your intuition most likely hasn’t been given a chance in your life. For most people, your intuition doesn’t automatically start speaking to you the minute you decide you want to use it.

As you’ve most likely shut your intuition down many times throughout your life, it’s gone quiet. Your intuition needs encouragement to get started, so begin with instinct as it’s the best first step.

1.  How to Use Your Instincts to Develop Your Intuition – Identify your ‘gut’ instinct

Your instinct is your doorway into intuition. It’s the initial nudge giving you a reaction not involving your mind. When you ask yourself questions, your instinct gives your body a visceral response. It’s a YES or NO reaction.

If the answer to your question is a NO, you feel it in your body immediately. This is where the statements, “gut instinct” or the ‘hair on the back of my neck stood up” come from as your body gives you feedback about whether something is good for you or not.

The NO answers are always stronger as they are the instinctive fight or flight response. Your YES answers are subtler. In fact, subtle YES answers may not generate any feeling at all.

2.  How to Use Your Instincts to Develop Your Intuition – Feel instinct in your body

The key is determining how your body communicates instinctively with you. For many, your instinctive feelings arise in your belly or your neck, but for others, your body responds differently. The key, therefore, is to figure out how your instinct responds to a YES or NO question. Your body may change temperature, make you shutter, give you goosebumps or even cause a soft flutter on your arms or legs. Once you determine how your body instinctively gives you nudges, you’ll be able to follow your instincts.

3. How to Use Your Instincts to Develop Your Intuition- Avoid second-guessing

This is important. Take physical action based on your instinctive reactions. If it’s a YES, do it. If it’s a NO, then don’t. Stop your mind from talking you into or out of your initial reaction. Your mind is attempting to take control. Don’t let it.

Your actions are an affirmation you’re open to using your intuition. Follow your instincts. By doing so, you’re extending an invitation to have your intuition begin a more in-depth conversation with you.

4. How to Use Your Instincts to Develop Your Intuition – Give your mind a job

You must create space for your intuition to talk to you as it begins as a whisper, inking or nudge. Your mind is busy creating distractions, so give your mind a job to let your intuition speak. You can change your surroundings, allow your mind to wander while doing something else or create ease with soothing music. With your mind occupied, your intuition comes forth.

5. How to Use Your Instincts to Develop Your Intuition – Say YES to your intuition

Your intuition lets itself be known in subtle ways, so pay attention. The difference between your intuition and mind is night and day. Your intuition is fleeting, illogical and incomplete while your mind is rational, logical and complete.

You may not want to follow your intuition, because it hasn’t told you the whole story. Yet, this is exactly the point. Your intuition knows more than your mind. Let it become your guide, advisor and confidante. When you do, you’ll be in the company of great leaders.

Kim Woods, Author & Intuitive Business Strategist, teaches high-performing entrepreneurs to Know, Like and Trust themselves, creating radical levels of satisfaction in every aspect of their lives.

Kim’s a highly sought-after business leader with countless master-level intuitive certifications paired with 25+ years of C- suite business experience.

She’s led 150+ corporate executives, overseen $65M+ in sales and influenced 300,000+ team members. Kim has an incredibly solid depth of field for combining business with intuition, creating shockingly transformative results. Her clients range from Fortune 500 companies & $MM CEO’s to solopreneurs and creatives.