Distinguishing Intuition from Fear
As a coach, one of the personal qualities that I rely on a fair bit is my intuition. Intuition is a quality which we all have access to; the question is whether or not you hone it and learn to work it, or whether you squash it and ignore it. Like anything else, the more you use it, the more skilled you become and the stronger it gets, rather like a muscle.
No matter how skilled you are at using your intuition, however, there is an inherent challenge. You see, intuition is about “inner knowing” — hearing that quiet voice that can be a fabulous guide when you learn to pay attention. The challenge is that everyone of us actually has two distinct inner voices, each of which strives to make itself heard. Intuition is one; fear is the other. And sometimes, the two can sounds awfully similar, particularly if the circumstance involved is new, unfamiliar, or unusual in some way. The question is, how do you tell the difference? Even those most skilled at using intuition can grapple with this one. And, there is a distinction that can be helpful. Emotional charge.
Years ago, I worked with a colleague who pointed out that genuine, intuitive knowing — regardless of the topic in question — rarely has an emotional charge to it. Instead, the voice of intuition generally expresses itself in a really grounded, emotion-free way. So even if your inner knowing is trying to warn you about something, there’s no fear-mongering involved; it simply draws your attention to what needs to be noticed, and lets you move along your merry way. The voice of fear, however, is emotionally-charged and then some. The voice of fear will have you spiral into the depths of certain death if you don’t follow whatever path it’s trying to steer you toward. This emotional distinction is what you can use to determine if you’re being guided by intuition or fear.
You might be asking, does this distinction matter? I would argue that it absolutely does. And I’m going to get really real with a personal example here to illustrate the point. I am currently grappling with a health concern. Months ago, I was faced with a medical test result that was scary to say the least. As is standard protocol, the test was repeated — and the result was negative, thankfully. So a follow-up appointment was scheduled for next year, but the concern was alleviated for the time being. Now here’s the thing. While my initial reaction at the second test result was pure exhilaration, I was aware at the time — and have been in the months ensuing — of a small voice in me saying that in actual fact, the second test was wrong, not the first one. The voice is small, relatively quiet, not at all pushy — and it’s there. There’s a second voice, however, (I swear, I am not talking about multiple personalities here) that’s louder and tends to swing on the emotional pendulum, vascilating between total “you are so going to die in the next 6 months” and “oh, for goodness sake, you’re fine, quit worrying, good grief already”. What I know for sure, when I choose to pay attention is that it’s the first voice I need to pay attention to. Not because I need to worry, not because it’s right, but rather because I need to get some facts — in a really grounded way. I actually want to be more certain that the second test was in fact the right result, and not the other way around. Now I could continue to notice and otherwise ignore both voices. Or I could ride the emotional roller-coaster of the voice of fear (that’s the 2nd voice). Or I could hear the concern of the first voice and get some answers — which is where I’m headed.
When it comes right down to it, no matter who you are, the voice of fear and the voice of intuition are both present, it’s the nature of the human experience. Both can provide some guidance for how you live your life. The voice of fear, however, is always rooted in emotion of some sort, and as such may not have the most grounded options for you. The voice of intuition, on the other hand, is much more gentle (even when it’s loud), providing some guidance, but never pushing. It’s grounded, leaving the ultimate choosing up to you. So what I want you to take away from this, particularly if you’re in any decision-making circumstance is this: acting from grounded intuition will always serve you better, than action taken from fear-based emotion. That’s the bottom-line.
Hi Gail,
Love this post: So important to distinguish the voice of intuition from the voice of fear.
Here’s my favourite quote about intuition thanks to my friend Sue Chambers’s blog.
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
Albert Einstein
Best,
Kate — Vancouver, Canada
Thanks Kate, both for the feedback and the great quote. No doubt about it — Einstein knew his stuff