Intuition, or a drive from within to act on sudden inspiration, has such a negative connotation in society. We are expected to think with our heads and be “practical”! Here is what actor, Jim Carrey, had to say about practicality in his commencement speech at the Maharishi University of Management:
So many of us choose our path out of fear, disguised as practicality.
Jim Carrey: Ask The Universe & Follow Your Impulses
This is one of my favorite quotes. Why? Because as a society we are so entrained to conform to “society standards”, which discourages us from following our intuition, or inspiration! We take the “practical road” because it is safe. Less risky.
It is my theory that suppressing intuition, or suppressing the desire to act on divine inspiration, just builds up a tension so great in our soul that we begin to experience depression. Anxiety. Boredom, or malaise. And we miss our path!
And for what? So that we can feel “safe”? So that we can have predictability? Sure, predictability and safety have their benefits. But if divine inspiration calls and you choose to ignore it, the consequences may far outweigh the benefits!
Let’s Look At 3 Fresh, New, and Unique Ways To Look At Intuition
1. Are You Being Asked To Face Your Authenticity?
Intuition, I believe, leads us to our authentic selves. Consider someone who is being pressured within a family to join the “family business”. To do what generation after generation in his family has done. Is he going to follow his intuition to seek out other avenues – knowing he will be “letting the family down”? Or is he going to suppress his desire to follow a passion?
When feeling compelled, yet scared, to take the road unpaved (or “unapproved”), ask yourself the tough questions and be honest with yourself:
- Is there some other purpose for me in this life, other than meeting other people’s needs and doing what is “expected” of me?
- Am I more concerned with how others view me, rather than my own happiness?
- Would doing what is considered normal, or compliant, in this situation cause me to have feelings of fatigue and depression?
- Am I suppressing my true desires? What will the effects of long-term suppression be, versus the effects of short-term “acceptance” by friends, family, and society?
2. Following Our Intuition Leads To An Exploration Of Contrast, Or Duality
A person who is “awake”, or conscious, is going to naturally have the desire to explore contrasts in life. There is duality everywhere you look. Laziness existing alongside industriousness. Good existing alongside evil. Kindness existing alongside aggression. We have all seen people swing from one extreme to the next. And why? Our intuition leads us to extremes at times so that, ultimately, we can achieve balance!
Consider the friend who kept dating those “jerks” but in the end married a very stable and kind person. Perhaps your friend was “educating” herself about how she did, and did not, want to be treated. An exploration of duality can ultimately help us to get onto the path we were meant to be on!
3. Intuition, And Passion, Leads Us To A Higher Calling
Each of us is gifted with talents and skills which can be identified by looking at the things we are passionate about and inspired to do. By suppressing and turning away from these passions and impulses, we are denying the divine access to creation in this world through our given talents and skills. We are all here for a purpose, and that purpose sometimes does not, at least initially, look so practical.
I hope this unique perspective of intuition, or following your impulses, will call you to take a look at your own! What is your heart calling you to explore? What inspiration is bubbling up in your soul, beckoning you to follow it? Listen to that small voice that is inspiring you to greatness, and see the wondrous places your intuition can take you!