Put The Power of Intuition To Work For You
Aug 23, 2023
Intuition is the reason that you know more than you think you know. Once you recognize how much of your mental activity takes place subconsciously, you can make better use of the knowledge and abilities you already possess.
These are strategies for finding a healthy balance between critical thinking and gut feelings.
1. Acknowledge the role of intuition. Cognitive science is giving more and more credit to the part our hunches play in our thoughts and behavior. You might mistakenly assume you’re making rational decisions when you’re really operating on autopilot. Just think of the times you’ve driven home out of habit while you were lost in thought about something else.
2. Look for connections. Your intuitions are most reliable in the areas where you have the most experience and expertise. Study a situation in terms of its similarities to something you’ve handled before and look for ways to categorize it.
3. Train at making quick judgments. Gut feelings enable you to respond quickly when necessary. When the stakes are low, practice building up your confidence by deciding things quickly, like what to eat for dinner or which movie to see.
4. Nurture your sense of curiosity. Those who are curious about others are often the best judges of character. Experiment with putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand the reasoning for their conduct.
5. Put your emotions into perspective. We often exaggerate how much external events will affect us. Whether you win the lottery or lose a bet, you’ll probably soon return to being as happy as you ever were, so listen to your feelings without getting carried away.
6. Be realistic about your limitations. It’s tempting to see what you want to see and overlook errors. Be disciplined about scrutinizing your actions and learning from mistakes.
7.. Evaluate your fears. Evolution makes us vulnerable to exaggerating fears that have immediate and vivid consequences rather than more probable but subtler consequences. Keep that in mind if you get more alarmed by killer bees than obesity.
Go ahead and play your hunches as long as you also take the time to weigh the facts and test your conclusions.
Your gut feelings already play a big role in your relationships and decision-making, so becoming more conscious of the process will help you to make better use of your intuition.
