What does intuition really mean?

You may have heard about this gift or sixth sense that some people seem to have – intuition. But it can sometimes seem like an abstract concept. Or something that you feel you do not have access to. What does “intuition” really mean? And how can you use it in your life and business?

Another phrase that may be more familiar is “gut feeling”. Have you ever had a “gut feeling” about something? Perhaps it was relating to a decision you needed to make or a first impression of a new person. This gut feeling, or intuition, may seem illogical at first. You may ignore it, because you think, “well, there is no evidence to support this feeling”. Do you question it, or doubt your instincts? What happens when you go against your intuition?

My tale of ignored intuition

I have a story about a time when I ignored my intuition. An excited Australian tourist, I had just arrived in Paris, and I had checked into my hostel, leaving my luggage in the room. I set out into the streetlight, through the shadows and winding streets of Montmartre, camera in hand, backpack on one shoulder.

I was doing the typical tourist thing, wandering aimlessly, taking atmospheric photos of the old-world streets, when I met a couple of young men. One of them said to me, “I know the perfect places to take photos”, and he said follow me. We walked around for a while, then the other man said, “I’ve got some really nice wine at a friend’s house. Want to have some with us?” I said, “Okay”.

Now at this point, you may already know what is going to happen. You might think, who would accept wine from a stranger? Well, all I can say is that I was young (and more than a little naïve), it was my first night in Paris, and I was in love with the romanticism of it all! I wanted adventure! And this felt like an adventure to me.

So, I waited outside the Sacre Coeur with one of the men, while the other one left, supposedly to get aforementioned wine. While I was waiting there, I suddenly had this really strong feeling that I should leave. That these guys were bad news! But I didn’t listen to this intuition. I stayed there. And within probably 30 more minutes’ time, the other man had returned, had sat me down on the streets (classy, I know) and we were enjoying his wine.

Unfortunately, I then made my second very big mistake that night. I took my backpack off my back. At that moment, one of the men distracted me, by trying to kiss me, while someone – who was so quick that I didn’t even see them – swiped my backpack and ran off with it!

This was a very distressing turn of events. Because my backpack now held my SLR camera, not one but TWO passports – one Australian and one British (my father is British) and my wallet.

What I learnt from this experience

So this is what eventuated because I did not follow my intuition. It was almost like I needed to see what bad thing was going to happen because I wanted the explanation for my intuition. But what I would like to communicate is the importance of trusting your intuition without an explanation.

Without having to take the potentially dangerous or not ideal circumstance that will unravel when your intuition is ignored! These days, I am much better at listening to this inner guidance system. I take it seriously, because of the number of times my gut feeling has been proven right!

How to find out more

Now, as part of my work as a holistic marketing and mindset coach I aim to help creative and soul-centerd business women to trust their inner guidance system, to make better business and life decisions and to enhance their creativity. There are a number of ways that you can access your intuition if you are not used to using this sense. If you’d like to find out more, you can find me at www.successfulcreativesoul.com.

You may also be interested in Linda’s reading services, which can also help guide you to act in your own highest good and to become more familiar with this wondrous inner compass.

Gemma Ann White is a holistic marketing and success mindset coach who helps creative and soul-centerd business women to fully realize their entrepreneurial vision and make more money doing what they love. She does this through making hand-crafted websites, writing blog articles and website pages, as well as offering marketing strategy and mindset mastery skype sessions.