Intuition

Doubt, is the opposite of certainty. Doubt, literally means, to be torn in two.

    So often, we find ourselves, being of two minds; if I do this, so and so will happen, if I do that, this and this will happen, what do I do? We are confronted with choices on a daily basis. Small choices, that make us pause for a minute or two, and big choices, that sometimes throw us off balance, and paralyze us, with indecision.

    When needing to make a choice, that bears serious consequences, some people go through tremendous anxiety, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, and the impairment in the ability to focus, and think logically. But logic, is precisely what is needed, to begin comparing, the options at hand.

    Some people are crippled by doubt, when inspired by an original idea. Can it work? May be someone already did this. What if it’s all a waste of time? Often these kinds of thoughts, become overwhelming, and a person gives up on the idea, only to find out later, that someone else carried out, what he or she conceived, but never acted upon.

    Another way, doubt may creep into our consciousness, is after we have made a decision. Did I do the right thing? What if I made the wrong choice? Maybe I rushed with my decision? These What Ifs, and Maybes, take away our joy and excitement, paralyze our creativity, and turn our attention, toward the past.

    There is a way, to live doubt free. We all possess an inborn mechanism that can eliminate doubt from our lives. We constantly used this mechanism, in the earlier part of our human history. Today, members of tribal societies, rely upon it, when making decisions in their everyday lives. And the most renowned people of our Western civilization claim that this mechanism is precisely the source of their continuous creativity.

It is known by many different names. Some call it Intuition. Others A gut feeling. And yet, others call it The Sixth Sense, The First Voice, or Messages from the Higher Self. Regardless of the name, it is there, it is real, and it has always been with us, always available. In fact, it comes before the chatter of doubtful thoughts begins. It comes as a faint, but unambiguous voice within us, telling us exactly how to act.

    Perhaps you have experienced a connection with this Voice. And when you followed it without questioning – you were, what many call “in the flow”. Things were almost magically working out. Everything was at the tip of your fingers, ideas were coming freely one after another. You were saying the right thing at the right time, and knowing what to do, and exactly when to do it.

    If you did have such an experience, take a moment to think about it: you may discover, that during that “flow”, not much thinking was done on your part. It was more like, receiving.

    Indeed, you were receiving messages from your First Voice, which 100% of the time gives you 100% correct information, on how to proceed in life, and what choices to make. It always does. But the many voices of doubt, have made it nearly impossible for us, to hear our first voice.

    The good news is, there is hope. We can regain the skill of hearing our first voice, and heeding its message.

    The first voice is, an immediate, clear flash of inner guidance. There are two distinct characteristics, that can enable us to discern the First Voice, from all others. You may want to write these characteristics down, in your notebook.

    One, is that The First Voice always speaks in the present moment, without references to past or future. It speaks right away, the moment we have an encounter, an idea, or an experience. It is always short and explicit. A thought flashes through our mind: Like: Yes or No. It’s right, or It’s wrong. Do this project, or Do not do it. He is right for me, or Be careful.

The other characteristic, is that, The First Voice is not only a mental message, but also, a physical experience. That is why, many call it, A Gut Feeling.

You meet someone, and suddenly, you feel tightening in your stomach. Pay attention. Your stomach never lies.

    Or, you are talking with a friend, or simply thinking about something, and an idea flashes through your mind. As it does, you take a deeper breath, your chest expands… Be aware. Your intuition is telling you, that you are on, to something important.

    Now, in order to trust our First Voice, and follow it without hesitation, (which, I believe, would save us, much time and aggravation), we need to develop a relationship with it. That is, we need to prove to ourselves, that it works, and that the First Voice, is the best guide, for living our lives with confidence and clarity.

    So, gain trust, in your first voice, by allowing it to guide you, in tackling small challenges at first, and then, work your way towards addressing, more difficult ones. Please now, take out your notebook, and record your next week’s assignment. It has many parts, so, please, listen carefully. For the first two days, set an intention to follow your first impulse, in doing something ordinary. Let’s say, one day, it is about what clothes to wear. Another day, what you choose to eat, or which friend to call. On the third day, write down any idea that comes to you, about creating something new, in your work, home or family life. The fourth day, make an effort to notice sensations in your body, when meeting new people.

    The fifth, sixth, and seventh day, experiment with following your First Voice, in making small decisions, concerning your home or professional life.

    I suggest that you record in your notebook, the results of listening to your inner voice. I am confident that your experience, will be quite profound.

When you practice, you may find, that at the instant you decide to follow your first voice, your habitual mind will interfere, by offering you many other options. It’s all right. As soon as other thoughts or images come, imagine placing them in a bubble, like a cartoon bubble, and then bursting the bubble with a pin. Do not start thinking about the content of the bubble. It’s gone. It’s unimportant. Just move on. Another doubting thought. Another bubble. Burst it again. Remember, you want to live the message of the First Voice, rather than spend time, thinking about other options.

What do I do, you may ask, if I missed, what the First Voice was telling me? Well, initially, this happens quite often. If you can, try to remember the first thought, impulse, or sensation you had, about this particular issue. If you cannot remember, drop it, and move on, reminding yourself of your intention, to remain aware of the First Voice, in the situations to come.

    If you have an important decision to make, and did not recognize your First Voice about it, you can do an imagery exercise, called Decision Making.

Decision Making

Close your eyes and breathe out gently three times. Long slow exhalations. Nice and easy inhalations. Breathing out twice as slow as breathing in. . See yourself behind a golden scale. Now, see two standard sheets of paper. Take one, and on it, write only the positive aspects about making one choice. Now, take the other sheet of paper and on it, write only positive aspects about making the other choice. Knowing that the one that outweighs, the one which is heavier is your correct choice, simultaneously, put them on the scale. As soon as you see one outweighing, open your eyes