Caryn Reddick: Success Statement

OK, I keep talking about using your intuition to make decisions, but the obvious question is: How?

I’m the type of person who makes lists for everything. So, when I started working on using my intuition in a more directed way, I read a lot of books about the subject. I was looking for a simple process I could follow. Many of the resources I found didn’t provide a specific process to follow, and those that did were too complicated or difficult to apply in a business context. Lots of great information out there, but I was looking for something short, sweet, and repeatable.

I experimented with different processes and condensed it down to a few easy steps. I came up with something that works really well, particularly for those who are introspective. Here it is…

The steps in the intuitive decision making process are:

1. Question
2. Notice
3. Interpret
4. Decide

Step 1: Question

This is the most important step. If you do not ask the right question, you will not get a good answer. If you are ever unsure about the information you are receiving from your intuition, always check to make sure you have asked the right question. Most difficulties with using this process are a result of asking vague, complicated, or compound questions.

Step 2: Notice

In this step you will begin to tune in to your intuitive mind. I like to describe this process as “knowing what you already know” because tapping into your intuition is not about learning new information – it is about noticing and documenting impressions you are aware of but to which you may not normally pay attention.

There are many ways you can notice intuitive information. You might receive intuitive information through visual images or sounds, via your sense of smell or taste, through sensations in your body, through feelings or emotions, or even through physical reactions such as nausea, headaches, body aches, or a sense of lightness. You may also have a sense of energy in the body.

Step 3: Interpret

Once you have documented your observations, you are ready to begin interpreting them. For example, let’s say your question was: “What skills will be important in my new position?” After asking this question, you notice a bird outside your window coming back to its nest with food. You might interpret this observation as the need to leverage your skills as a competent and nurturing manager to provide training and mentoring for your team. Or, you may interpret this observation as the need to successfully manage a new project so you can launch a new service offering. Your interpretation will vary depending on your unique situation.

Step 4: Decide

Now it is time to pull it all together to make a holistic decision. Verify your intuitive impressions in the “real world” if possible. Leverage analytical data in the form of reports, analysis, or research. Your analytical data can help you verify your interpretations, or possibly provide a reality check if your interpretations are bizarre, unrealistic, or dangerous. Interpretations that seem to encourage you to harm yourself or others are almost always something other than intuition and should be treated with extreme suspicion.

The first few times you use this process, it might feel a bit clumsy. But I promise, after some practice, it becomes second nature and allows you to make decisions very quickly.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll follow a real person as he applies these steps to turn around his business… watch for those posts…

Filed under: Business, Intuition