Do you know that feeling – when you’re in the midst of a decision – where your intuition is telling you that you must do this instead of that? Maybe you don’t know why your intuition is telling you that, but the message is loud and clear, isn’t it? Do you ever get that feeling?
It’s almost as if a higher power is watching over you and is doing all it can to ensure you stay true to your purpose. But the higher power isn’t just watching over you, it’s a part of you and it communicates to you through your intuition, your gut feeling. Pay attention to the signs. Follow your intuition.
My Example
I hope the following examples from my life help to illustrate my belief.
Example One
I was a looking for an internship – as part of my undergraduate degree I was required to work for one year. I had travelled to London on consecutive days for this specific role and after an exhausting and demanding interview process I was offered the job. Great, right? It was. I was happy to see that my efforts had paid off in the form of a job offer. But something didn’t feel right. The company was very pushy and wanted me to start the following week, which meant finding an apartment in London in less than one week. Also the energy I felt from that place during my two consecutive days of interviews was not the energy I was expecting. Something just didn’t feel right so I turned the role down.
Fast forward one year later, when I had completed an internship elsewhere and was back at university, I started talking to this girl in my class about our respective internships. She told me that she had two internships: the first being so bad that she left after one month. It was the company I had turned down. My intuition signalled to me that something wasn’t right. I listened. If I hadn’t I possibly wouldn’t be where I am now. Life works in mysterious ways.
Example Two
I had finally arrived in China. It was a dream of mine to work abroad and I was realising the dream. However the company I was working for and the role wasn’t something I really enjoyed. The culture and treatment of the company wasn’t good. Also my manager was struggling with her role and therefore wasn’t of much use to me and others – she was feeling the pressure. I couldn’t be there much longer. I was only 3 months into it but immediately knew I had to leave and find a new role elsewhere. Therefore I told my manager I wanted to leave and ended up leaving in July, 4 months after I had joined.
However a month later – in August – the school had closed down and all of the teachers were either transferred to another branch within that company or out of jobs. Coincidence? Perhaps. All I know is that I trusted my intuition and left before I was forced to leave.
Listen Closely
Most people make the safe and easy choice in life. The choice where there’s less resistance (from others and oneself), but the choice which isn’t the one they really want to make. It’s the choice that everybody has made and is now telling them to make. But not because it’s the best choice, but because it’s the easiest choice where there’s less resistance.
We all want to fit in, in some way, shape or form. To want to be part of something bigger is in our human nature. But if it’s at the expense of yourself then it’s not worth it. How can you keep feeding others when you’re starving yourself?
Are you living your life true to yourself or are you living your life to appease others, whilst neglecting your own desires and intuition? It’s a difficult and painful question if indeed, you are living your life on someone else’s terms. But as we all know, pain = growth (if we understand the lessons the pain gives us). You can become a much more complete person by trusting your instincts and living life true to yourself. You can be more joyful, more self-aware, more confident, and more grateful. My only request is that you follow your own path, and not the path set down for you by others.
Many of us look to others to find out about purpose, meaning and chasing dreams. But we should be looking into ourselves. We’re all different, we all have different methods and desires and dreams, so why should we all follow one blueprint? That’s a blueprint to living an average life, never really feeling fulfilled. Nobody wants to look back on their life knowing that was the case.
Listen closely to what your heart wants. Be willing to risk it all if it means you listen to your heart. Be willing to stand against adversity and resistance if it means listening to your heart. Deep down, you know what is best for you. Don’t let the little seed inside wait any longer. Start nurturing it now and watch it grow into the most beautiful garden you have ever seen. Your garden.
To Know Oneself
Self-awareness. To know oneself. That’s a huge part of life. So how do we become more aware and have a better understanding of ourselves? It’s by listening to our intuition, our gut feeling. I believe our intuition/gut feeling is a form of higher power that resides in us. Every time we neglect it, we lose some of that higher power until we become weak.
On the other hand, every time we listen to and follow it, we become more empowered and confident, with complete faith that life is working for us and not against us. We see clearly why it was there in the first place. To lead us to where we’re supposed to be.
Your gut feeling is not just a feeling. It’s a real live sign that is there for your benefit.
Don’t neglect it. Follow it. Live true to your purpose. Trust your intuition.
Thank you for reading.
With love, Tony.
To know thyself. That’s the first adage oozing from my mind.
Following the beats is something people can mange smoothly. How come we don’t be like kids ourselves?
After perusing your stance, I couldn’t agree more. At first sight, this ‘intuition rules all’ theory may incur backlash. Since it might entail more than positive sides; and you cannot depend on it. Well, but I picked out what you meant is the gut feeling along with self. This article is not the methodology. You call on we should resign ourselves to the inner sides. Who we are and who we wanna be matters. To soothe the nerves from surroundings with a better you. If we care about others too much, we are trying to live for them or to read their minds. In which case, it’s absolutely in breach of logic.
Still I wanna cite Thoreau again. Yes I like him very much. This is a digression perhaps. Regardless, I find it echoes your spirit of ‘listen closely’ or at least they both share the alike mindset to ourselves and lives. ‘I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.’
Thanks for sharing your beautiful words Johnny. Very inspiring as always. I believe we’re here for a purpose, and I believe it’s our life mission to find out why. Here’s to our future mate. Cheers!