5 Steps to Take Today to Improve Your Intuition

Intuition is a tool we all have access to — learn to harness yours

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Most of us have caved in to the idea that intuition is probably reserved for a select few, but inaccessible to the rest of us ordinary folk. And, since we’ve had a limited ability to experience it, we might feel unable to define it, which therefore intrigues us. We start to wonder if it might be the secret sauce that others have used to live a better life or grow a bigger business.

Most sources define “intuition” as a process controlled by our subconscious mind that gives us knowledge or suggests actions without using logic or reason. Notice that it’s a process of the subconscious, that part of our brain we can’t normally access and don’t fully comprehend. Because it’s not easy to understand or control, we overlook the power of our subconscious.

We might think of our brain like our phone. If we call someone, that call is the only thing visible on the screen — that represents our conscious thoughts. But of course, there are other apps working in the background, hidden from view but capable of doing a lot for us.

Or we might think of our brain like a theatrical production. Our conscious mind, with its logic and its reason, speaks the lines of our script. We might even remember David Rock’s book Your Brain at Work, which explains how humans can have only one or two characters “on stage” at the same time. But we don’t pay much attention to the backstage crew — our subconscious with its intuition and other invisible gifts — which is always in the background, running the show.

Using your intuition is a matter of accessing those background processes. You always have access to these processes, even if they usually don’t peek into your consciousness. No matter what you’re doing on your phone, you can always switch apps. And since you’re the producer of the play, you have every right to go backstage to observe or speak to the crew. You just need a little knowhow and a little practice to activate and improve your intuition.

Believe you have intuition

Belief is so foundational!

Consider this. When you use your phone to call for a pizza delivery, you know with certainty that the pizza will show up on your doorstep. (Ordering online? Same idea.) Even though the pizza doesn’t arrive immediately, you have the unshakable belief that it will indeed be delivered. In the past, you’ve placed an order for pizza, and it has always arrived as expected. (Admittedly, believing is easier when you’ve experienced success in the past.)

Notice, too, that just having a wish doesn’t get the pizza to your house. You must take an action. Similarly, no matter how firmly you believe in your business or personal goal, and no matter how well developed your intuition, taking action is critical.

Whether it’s pizza or a more high-leverage goal, try to focus on believing that the “thing” will happen. When your belief is not aligned with your goal, it’s unlikely to manifest. Remember, your subconscious is running the show.

One source says,

“Your inner state is the sum of your subconscious beliefs, your dominant vibration, and your core identity. It is the essence of who you are and the source of your manifestation power. Your inner state creates your reality, attracting or repelling your desires.”

Ask a question

Many of us have some nebulous wishes or goals or dreams floating around in our heads. That’s a start. But to maximize your intuition, ask a question. It might be:

Is this the right time to leave my job?
Who can help me with this upcoming project?
Should I create this new product for my business?

Notice a few stories in the New Testament that include a critical question. Jesus asked both the man born blind and the man with the withered hand, “What is it you want?” I’m imagining how the crowd might have thought, “Well it’s pretty obvious to us!” But maybe Jesus asked the question to help these men articulate what it was they wanted.

When you can articulate your need, desire, goal, or ambition, you stand a better chance of getting your intuition to answer. As a business owner, I’m thinking of Henry Ford who asked the question of how to make the V8 engine and he stuck with that goal despite multiple failures. Or the Wright brothers who asked themselves how to build a flying machine. I’m also thinking of Ryan Levesque’s book Ask, which shows readers how to use surveys to identify needs and create products that successfully sell to the intended audience.

If you’re hoping for your intuition to show up and answer, you need to formulate a clear question. Questioning is the next step to improving your intuition.

Listen

Remembering the telephone analogy, you know that your call will be more successful if you listen while the other person is talking. Same thing with intuition. If you’re figuring out what to say next, or you’re listening to your own chatter, it will be tough to receive a message from your intuition. (If you think you’re immune to this, take a look at Kross’s book, Chatter.)

Remember, too, that you started by asking a question. How will you hear the answer to your question if you’re busy listening to your own thoughts?

Certainly, meditation means being quiet so that we can access our intuition. But contrary to popular opinion, Buddhist practitioner Badhipoksa explains that meditation is absolutely NOT about making the mind a blank. During meditation, thoughts will be present in our minds. The aim of meditation is to not engage with the present thoughts of our usual self-talk. Rather, the aim to pay attention — “meditation is about developing mindfulness, or ‘mind-full-ness.’” Steven Hayes’s book Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life has several exercises to help you pay attention to the thoughts that help you to do exactly what the title says. Turn your chatter off and your attention on if you want to improve your intuition.

Stop your intellect from arguing

The conscious mind houses the intellect. That means the prefrontal cortex steps front and center onto life’s stage and provides all sorts of linear thinking, logic, and rationalization. But the subconscious mind is the seat of our intuition. Sometimes they wind up arguing with each other.

Your intuition might be saying, “Oh! I can put X with Y and come up with Z! It will be the product or invention of the century!” But your intellect starts arguing:

No, that’s ridiculous. No one has ever done that before.
No, that’s silly. I did it before and it didn’t work.
No, someone will think I’m totally off my rocker for doing that.
No, it costs a ton of money. It’s too risky.
No, I’m not in the mood. I’ll do it later.

These arguments are your intellect trying to squash your intuitive prompting. If you’re an over-thinker, you know what I mean. I’m not suggesting that you make a snap decision about anything and everything. I’m saying that God, or the Holy Spirit, or the Infinite Intelligence, or the Universe — whatever you want to call it — can be easily silenced when you are too generous in giving your intellect the microphone in your mind.

Discover which of the four types of intuition you have

Many of us have a very limited idea of what intuition is — without a broader understanding, you’ll have a hard time improving your intuition. I bristle when I hear someone refer to intuition as “a sixth sense.” The faculties that we share with non-human animals are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching; these five senses are prompted by external stimuli. But intuition (one of six higher human-only faculties) is prompted by something that is completely internal. Furthermore, thinking of it as a “sense” makes it seem like it’s a faculty with a single complexion. That’s not the case.

Sarah Regan explains the four “clairs” of intuition

Clairaudience is hearing a clear message, but not through a human voice. My neighbor once told me, “I heard God talking in my ear, and He said…” She paused, and repeated, “in my ear.” At the time, I found it odd, but when I understood she was describing clairaudience, it made sense.

Clairvoyance is seeing an image of the message. This might be a flash of a mental image or scene. These may be more person-based, but often the image is symbolic or metaphorical. I have a relative who said she has seen 11:11, and she feels it is a sign from the universe that her deceased mother is at peace.

Clairsentience is a physical, emotional, or energetic feeling. When people say they had a “gut feeling,” they’re probably talking about clairsentience. It’s the most common of the clairs, and many of us experienced it. Once while seeking tips on how to interview a prospective employee, I read, “Pay attention to how you feel when candidates walk in the room, and when they leave.” I thought it odd, but I implemented it that day, Nowadays, I frequently interview by interactive video, but I still pay attention to how I feel at the beginning and at the end of the interview. If there’s any strength I have as a boss, it’s hiring outstanding employees, and I attribute it, at least in part, to this indescribable feeling I experience.

Claircognizance is some “instantaneous insight or knowledge about yourself, another person, a particular situation, and so on.” From time to time, I’ve experienced claircognizance as a bedside nurse. I don’t hear a voice or a get a physical sensation in my body. I don’t see an image in my head. But I have a strong sense that something is or isn’t right. I distinctly remember one physician who, after looking at my swift and dramatic action for a patient, asked me what I saw on the monitor. I said, “Nothing, I just had a feeling.” And he replied, “Oh c’mon, Marie, you’re a scientific nurse.” To which I replied, “True! But sometimes I just go on feelings.”

Tanya Carroll Richardson gives some practical advice on how to tap into each type of intuition. She also gives a link to a free quiz. Don’t miss it; it was fun and insightful!

Develop your intuition

Meanwhile, if you’re serious about improving your intuition, use any or all of Dr. Lissa Rankin’s 18 ways to strengthen your intuition. Of these 18, I feel most drawn to doing breathwork, which many spiritual practices encourage. Also, I use Flowly on a daily basis, as well as binaural beats from the EoC Institute. I have no affiliation with either of these entities, I just love what they sell for such a small investment.

Her other suggestion is journaling (and you’ve heard my pitch for journaling) and reading books. You might try Sonia Choquette’s Trust Your Vibes, or Caroline Myss’s Sacred Contracts. I would suggest starting with Developing Intuition because author Shakti Gawain has such a simple yet powerful writing style.

Likely as not, we all have different types of intuition, and different degrees of intuition. Like an app running in the background, we might be unaware of it, but our intuition exists, it’s accessible, and it can be upgraded. By using our conscious mind, we can access our subconscious mind — our invisible but ever-present “app” and our backstage crew — to grow ourselves and grow our business.