Start Following your Intuition in 2015

What if while all your friends and family are happily proceeding with their New Year’s Resolutions, you’ve been having a hard time deciding on yours? Use these 3 practices to figure out what you want and start getting it this year! 

Allow Intuitions
Your brain has two modes of thinking. You have an “on” button which is always on the hunt for what you can tick off your list, how to run in between meetings or activities, and emotionally reacting to everyone else’s needs. You also have an “off” button which allows relaxation, accesses your intuition, and imagines new possibilities for your future. 

Your intuition may come in the form of a picture (you were in a meeting with a woman who started her own business and for a flash you thought, “That could be me”).

It may come in the form of a strong feeling about an experience or an opportunity (such as wanting more energy, or really enjoying the time you volunteered last year). 

It may appear as a “voice from within” (a whisper you’ve heard yourself say to yourself, as if you are being called to do it).

If you were always putting your attention into other people in 2014, then you were crowding out your intuition and new ideas about your future. It’s time to build in some “off button” time, even if it’s just a few minutes a day of deep breathing or internal reflection. Try walking part of the way to your office, enjoying a few extra minutes in the bath, or taking a brief mental vacation during busy days. 

Notice your Reactions
As you begin listening to your intuition, try imaging your image for the future clearly and notice the energy and conversation in your head. 

Become fluent in the language your body uses to tell you you’re excited about something. For example, when I am excited I get a huge smile and positive flutters in my stomach; when I don’t want something, my head becomes very noisy with complaints and resistance. 

As you come up with ideas about switching to a new job, taking singing lessons, or volunteering, notice what you tell yourself in your head. Be careful not to talk yourself out of it by saying “oh I’m too old to do that” or “I’m too busy” or “that’s for other people but I could never do that”, etc. 

Explore Possibilities 
Contrary to what you might think, your head is not the place to figure out what you want! Get out of your head and into the real world where you can start to try things on for size. Let’s get some data!

If you want more responsibility, then ask for an additional piece of work and see how it feels. If you want a different job or want to take up a new hobby, start asking people who have done it what they recommend. Read online about people who practice that skill. Volunteer in that sector. Find a MeetUp group with people who are immersed in that world. Once you are out and about, continue Practice #2 and notice how it feels. Keeping track of your journey in a beautiful notebook is a great way to remember and build on your process. Then you can look back in a short while to appreciate how far you have come. 

Bonus Practice: Enjoy! 

Here’s a practice you want to do everyday for the rest of your life: Enjoy your own company! When you are enjoying your own company you are naturally doing the practices above!

--Sharon Melnick, January 2015 Career Coach