How Intuitive Are You?

I remember reading about an experiment the US Military was doing to see why some soldiers were better at predicting where I.E.D.s were located than others. Two things jumped out at me — one, that intuition is highly informed by the subconscious processing of information — for example, the soldiers would look at a picture and just know something was “off,” but couldn’t name what it was (and yet, they were almost always right). Two, the importance of body clues in signaling intuition. “That cold feeling,” “hairs standing up,” etc. that signal danger — their bodies told them there was an I.E.D. there before their brain did.

It made me think about how often my body may send me intuitive signals that my brain shuts down. Not that I’m faced with the type of danger these soldiers are on a day-to-day basis, but how often do I rationalize the more subtle clues my body sends for more subtle situations? I’m guessing, quite a lot.

This week’s Challenge: This week, I will be mindful of the signals my body sends me, and notice what happens when I follow — or don’t follow — my intuition.

Avoiding being Opinionated (overuse): When I was going through my business coaching training, I remember struggling with the difference between being intuitive and making assumptions. Now that I’m versed in Tilt 365 and a bit more experienced as a business coach, I understand that it’s the overuse of intuition that leads to making assumptions. It’s a short drive from making assumptions to being opinionated — “knowing” what is “right” without empirical data to support that position. I have found that the simple remedy for this is twofold — first, to remain open to possibilities and second, to check in. That is, if I sense something going on, I ask about it (in a curious, non-judgmental way) — both in business coaching and in my day-to-day life.

Commendable Trait: Intuitive

Underused: Calculated

Overused: Opinionated

Strength: Creativity

Quadrant: Resilience

P.S. This isn’t the exact article I read, but here describes the context of the experiment referenced above.

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