The intuitive person is a lucky person. The good news is that everyone is intuitive, even those who insist that they do not believe in intuition.
Many people who fancy themselves to be “realists” do not believe in anything they cannot explain. They think intuition is some kind of metaphysical nonsense. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
To discount the importance of intuition in attracting good luck and good fortune is to deny ourselves a golden opportunity to appraise the many chances that come to us in life.
Intuition, when properly understood, plays an important role in increasing our luck potential. It is a form of more inner wisdom that communicates with us from the subconscious level of mind where all information and reference are stored.
Creative people rely heavily upon their intuitive perceptions. It is through intuition that gifted musicians; artists and writers have made contact with the Universal Mind, and then poured forth their inspiration to the world.
People considered to be of genius caliber are invariably those who have had the courage, confidence and daring to heed and follow the guidance of their own intuition. Such people do not really possess unusual powers.
They are merely acknowledging what is inside us all. The difference is that they choose to use their intuition while others seem intent upon stifling it.
Do you think it might have been intuitive people that Henry David Thoreau was referring to when he wrote of those who respond to a “different drummer”? Not surprisingly, such people are often thought to be strange or eccentric. From childhood on, they are encouraged to be sensible, to adopt a more practical or realistic approach of life.
How much better it would be to take a more practical, more realistic approach toward intuition. From this moment forward, I urge you to think of it as a “success instinct,” a guidance system that is constantly striving to steer you in the right direction. In some cases, it knows its target, goal or answer, and the objective is to reach it or to accomplish it.
In other instances, where the target or answer is not yet known, the objective is to discover or locate it. Whatever the situation, intuition
plays a vital role, for it keeps you informed when it is on the correct course, and also warns you when things are beginning to go astray. In the first instance, the little voice inside you will urge you to “just keep doing what you are doing.” In the latter case, it will nudge you from within with the subtle (or possibly not so subtle) suggestion that you are starting to “get off the track.”
Intuition is a means though which our Higher Self attempts to voluntarily communicate with us. It is always trying to do this! We need not make any demands upon it, nor do we need to exert any effort to call it forth. It is there, just waiting to be heard!
THE ACCIDENT THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN
Any potential emergency, which arouses the emotions and causes the heart to beat more rapidly, generally brings intuition into action. If you have ever experienced a close call, you may have felt that something came to your aid at the very last moment and by split seconds, enabled you to avoid a serious accident.
I think it would be safe to say that most of us have had such an experience. But not everyone gives credit to intuition in quite the same way that a close friend of mine does. She believes in intuition to such a degree that it is both an exciting and amusing experience to hear her talk about it.
One day, this friend started across the street when the Walk light came on, then suddenly stepped back up on the curb. Over powered by a sudden impulse not to proceed, she had barely had time to reflect upon her actions when a car went flying past her at a speed in excess of a hundred miles per hour.
The next morning, she read an article in the paper about a bank robber who was apprehended after a high-speed chase. Had my friend been in the crosswalk at the time this person drove
by, she would have been instantly killed. As it was, she was alive and well, and more than a little eager to tell me about it.
The part I found so amusing concerned itself with her insistence that what she had actually been involved in was an “accident that didn’t happen.” Later, as I got to thinking about it, I decided she was right. All the elements of an accident were certainly present. A speeding car. A driver out of control. A potential victim. It was only my friend’s intuition that altered the final outcome.
Admittedly, some people are more intuitive than others are. This is because the frequency of intuition is known to vary greatly from one individual to the next. People who function more from their left brain or logical mind are generally less intuitive than those who function primarily through the right brain or creative thinking part of the mind.
It is also believed that women are more intuitive than men are, possibly because women have a predisposition to right-brain thinking, which is more in touch with their true feelings.
Intuitive people as a whole tend to be more self-confident and independent. Because of their healthy self-esteem, they are more inclined to open themselves up to unconventional ideas and messages that come from within. On the other hand, those who have an excessive need for security, who fear change and who cannot tolerate uncertainty, are also those who will close off the messages that were meant to assist them in taking advantage of luck producing opportunities.
Instead of being open to new ideas, such people seek to control every situation; to make their lives more predictable, and in the process, live under a rigid standard of rules that leaves no room for exploration, spontaneity or change. Such people can often be heard to say: “It’s impossible.” “I just can’t do it.” “I’ll never find the answer!” What they are actually doing is sending
messages to their intuitive mind – telling it not to bother! But individuals with high self-esteem and self-confidence live with the conviction they deserve and expect an answer to any situation or opportunity that confronts them. This, in itself, will stir their intuition.
Make no mistake about it! Our luck-producing intuition can be increased proportionately to our attitude adjustment. It all goes back to the basic ways in which we feel about ourselves.
If this is an area that needs attention in your life, you might wish to read two of my earlier books that deal with this subject: The Ultimate Secrets of Total Self-Confidence and The Advanced Formula for Success. Both will help you to achieve these goals in an easy, stress-free manner.
HUNCH VS. INTUITION
Somewhere in the cell structure of the brain there exists an organ which received vibrations that are most commonly referred to as “hunches.” Such knowledge is generally received when the mind is under the influence of heightened stimulation and should never be lightly dismissed. To call such knowledge a “hunch” is to underestimate its true significance.
To speak of hunches is to speak of a form of self-deception, which comes from confusion between true intuition, conscious wishes and superstitions. The problem is that hunches invariably invite bad luck by causing us to underestimate the true risks in any situation. A hunch can make us overconfident and cause us to take reckless actions that are destined to bring us bad luck and misfortune.
From a prosperity standpoint, people have not always known what to do with their incredible powers of intuition. For the most part, they do not even understand what it is.
The word itself is derived from the Latin intueri, which means “to see within, to consider, to contemplate.” While philosophers and psychologists all have their own definitions of intuition, they basically agree with Webster’s definition: the act of faculty of knowing directly without the use of rational process.
Both philosophers and psychologists now recognize intuition as a natural mental faculty, a key element in generating creative ideas, forecasting the future and revealing inner truths.
Intuition comes on its own. You can no more force intuition than you can force someone to fall in love with you. In speaking of his own highly inspired works, Mozart one said, “Whence and how they come, I know not, nor can I force them.” In other words, we can open our minds to intuition, and prepare ourselves for it by creating a mental and emotional environment in which it can properly thrive, but we cannot will it to occur upon demand.
Nor should people make the mistake of believing that they can become more intuitive through positive thinking, through artificial enthusiasm, through autosuggestion, or some form of religious invocation.
You cannot fool the mind! It is done unto you, as you believe – subjectively speaking. Your mind knows what you really believe and will only respond on that level. Whatever you might choose to believe intellectually will never override your self-doubts on an emotional level. The impact of your emotions will always be stronger!
GIVE INTUITION A CHANCE
Perhaps you have not followed your intuition because its urgings have often seemed so incredibly fantastic that it seemed best not to act. This is often the case with people who have reached some crisis point in their lives and who sense that they must now make some drastic changes if they hope to survive. Still, old habits die-hard.
Knowing that your health is being jeopardized by a high-pressure job that is netting you a six- figure income will not necessarily cause you to walk off calmly into the sunset.
Although your health is being destroyed – although you may even die – there is still the matter of how you have always lived! Should you choose to reject your immediate lifestyle, it could well mean that you have been wrong!
Wrong about the way you’ve been living – and thinking. No one likes to be wrong. Strange as it may seem, people would rather be right than happy. Still, that small inner voice refuses to go away. Despite your inner confusion and discomfort, it continues to urge you to take another path. What should you do?
First, let me tell you what most people would do. They would either ignore their intuition, or wait until they were able to reason through its prompting. But intuition is not concerned with reason. It is a faculty of the mind that does not explain. It simply points the way. After that, you are on your own to do or NOT do whatever you see fit.
Highly gifted people, and those who are thought to be incredibly lucky, are those who have enough self-confidence and faith in their intuition to see it through. Ordinary people, on the other hand, wait for “proof,” and so they continue to flounder in the conflicts created by their own intellectual reasoning.
Before you can comfortably follow any intuitive path, it is necessary to understand that intuition is basically concerned with pointing the way to your greater good. That is its primary function and motive.
It wants what is best for you. Always!
Once you are able to accept this, you will automatically become more receptive to what it is trying to tell you, and after that, you will begin to notice some subtle changes taking place. For one thing, you will realize that intuition is actually right for you, that it is interested in you, that it knows all about you, and is determined to show you the best way.
Where is the “proof” of this? It is in your own faith that this incredible power exists. Notice how it gives you a greater ability to achieve, how it enables you to attract better conditions and happier experiences.
The more you think about this kind and loving power, the more you will find intuitive guidance working with you and for you – and the easier it will become to accomplish your goals.
You will find this to be true in every area of your life, not only when it is necessary to make major life-altering decisions, but also when you suddenly need to “think on you feet.”
Remember the friend I spoke of who had involved herself in an “accident that didn’t happen”? As I’ve already told you, she is a great believer in intuition and constantly heeds its wise counsel in matters both great and small.
Early in her marriage, before she learned how to cook all the wonderful gourmet meals she regularly prepares today, she was faced with an unexpected and potentially catastrophic dilemma.
“My husband was a sales manager,” she told me. “Occasionally, he would invite his sales crew out to dinner, but once, he invited the men,
and also their wives, to have dinner with us in our home. Although I gave no outward indication, I was immediately thrown into a panic, for I barely know how to boil an egg! In those day, I relied heavily upon convenience foods and frozen entrees. Now, suddenly, I was faced with the task of preparing a dinner for fourteen people, something I felt would need to be truly original, innovative and unique in order to engender pleasant memories long after they evening had passed.
“At the outset, the situation seemed impossible! I had no culinary skills – and yet, I wished to impress my husband, as all young brides are eager to do. The real question, of course, was what to do!
As I silently thought about it, the answer suddenly came! If you can’t be good, be a little outrageous. In the process, you might even be able to pass off your limited menu as a deliberate theme.
I began to think in terms of ‘opposites,’ inspired perhaps by my great affection for the original Odd Couple, Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. It occurred to me that Felix and Oscar had succeeded on the basis of being an unlikely combination. And so it was that I came up with an unlikely combination of my own – a dinner consisting of hot dogs and champagne! With all the fixings. Served on sterling silver trays.
“It turned out to be an exceptional evening, an incredibly warm and comfortable experience for everyone involved. After it was over, I knew I would be eternally grateful to that small inner voice that had guided me. The one that is guiding me still.”
Have you ever had such an experience? Many people have. Just as many have received intuitive messages that proved to be essential to their safety or well being. Just in the nick of time. Or so it seems.
The fact is, the source we have come to rely upon in unexpected situations is always there – and always stands ready to work for us.
Trust it. Believe in it. Start using it!
TRAINING YOURSELF TO “TUNE IN”
Intuition is similar to a radio receiver through which ideas, plans or thoughts flash into the conscious mind. Because our attention is most often tuned in to the outer world, we do not always hear of heed the guidance of intuition. Yet, if we were to keep a deliberated record of these intuitive promotings, we would be truly astonished at how often they actually speak to us.
- How do they speak to us?
- And exactly what do they say?
It is important to understand that there are both Yes and No phases to intuition. Since the No phase may be a bit more predominant, it is often the only one that is really heard.
When intuition messages in the No phase are ignored, their recipient will generally live to regret it.
“A little voice kept telling me not to do it! I should have listened. NOT listening was the worst mistake I ever made in my life!”
Because No messages tend to be louder and more emphatic, many people assume that this is the only way in which intuition works. For one reason or another, it is always telling us NOT to do something. Nothing could
be further from the truth! It is just that the Yes phase tends to work in quieter, more subtle ways, perhaps because it is less often concerned with critical situations and more often concerned with truly opportunistic ones.
You can most effectively contact the Yes and No phases of intuition by allowing yourself a period of solitude during the day – a time for quiet thought or meditation. Since intuition is not inclined to force its way into your conscious mind, it is important to create an atmosphere that is most conducive to its subtle yet powerful message.
As you begin to open yourself up to this wise Invisible counselor, do not struggle, even in your thinking to make things right or better. Instead, simply accept that whatever you think about, turn your attention to, or express any interest in, will gradually reveal its secrets to you. Before long, you will come to understand that the very thing you are concentrating upon desires to know YOU!
At this point, you will stop thinking of whatever it is you want or need as something separate and apart from yourself. You will stop thinking that it is difficult or even impossible to obtain.
You will stop scheming, maneuvering and manipulating in order to gain your way. Instead, you will begin to realize that all things are already at hand, ready to present themselves to you in the form of new and exciting methods, ideas and plans.
At this stage, you will find that you have developed heightened abilities, and that you are also being instructed from within on many things you need to know. You will be delighted to discover that your incredible intuition, the very thing that has been prompting you, has already gone
before, and prepared a way for you to follow. The strength and urgency of your desires is proof-positive that a way has already been prepared.
Now then, get ready for some surprises! Once you begin to trust your intuitive feelings, much good will come to you quickly, and without a struggle. Long-range goals will be realized much sooner than expected. At times, you will feel as if you are literally being showered with personal prosperity and good fortune.
You will be among that select group of privileged individuals who always seem to be in the right place at the right time! The lucky ones! The Winners! That happy and prosperous group who have developed an intuitive sense of what to choose, and when and how to act.
No longer will you be blocking off that natural flow of inner wisdom and knowledge. Nor will you see only negative messages in adverse circumstances, as you were once inclined to do.
Many years ago, Epictetus, the Greek Philosopher, advised, “Whenever any chance befalls you, remember to ask yourself how you can put it to use.”
The so-called “lucky” person is one who expects to be lucky, who permits his imagination to dwell in the positive realm rather than in the negative, and who is confident that he can respond to the opportunities of chance whenever they occur. This state of mind will quickly reveal the potential in every situation – yes, in every situation, not just in a few.
The basic idea behind the creation of good luck is this: You cannot be lucky in life until you are lucky in your mind. Mind is the creator of all that exists in the physical world. In the course of dealing with this
incredible power that is Mind, it is important to sharpen every mental tool at your disposal. Intuition is one of those tools. Rather than making your lucky, intuition will assist you in attracting good luck as it points out the best direction for you to take. Conscious human reasoning is one thing, but never, never underestimate the potent power of intuition!
Becoming a better judge of character
Intuitive feelings are very useful when dealing with others, providing as they do a quick estimate or “rundown” of a person’s basic character and intentions.
On a non-intuitive basis, we are limited to judging a stranger by his appearance and superficial behavior. These are seldom if ever reliable. The intuitive person is more likely to have a “feeling” than an opinion on whether to trust or distrust, to like or dislike, to approve or disapprove of someone he must deal with.
Just as there are people who can help us increase our good luck and good fortune, there are also those who will try to hurt us, or at the very least, bring out the worst in us.
I have always had a highly developed intuitive nature, and it often confused me because I did not always understand it. As a child, I could not really explain what it was that compelled me to like certain individuals, while distrusting and openly avoiding a number of others.
In many cases, I was thought to be a snob but, more often than not, I was also right. Today, it is generally accepted that both children and animals have an extraordinary sense about certain things, and their own degree of receptivity is thought to provide a valuable gauge in judging strangers.
If children are more perceptive in an intuitive sense, it is only because they are using a God-given gift in an open, spontaneous way. Of course, this will quickly come to an end if adults continue to insist that they are behaving in a strange or abnormal way. All too often, parents, relatives and well-meaning friends will admonish children for not being more logical in their thinking.
“Grow up – get real – stop daydreaming!” are words a child frequently hears and eventually learns to obey. In the process, much is lost which must then be relearned later in life. So it is with intuition.
It is indeed fortunate that in this enlightened age, we are finally beginning to acknowledge certain powers of the mind that have long been neglected. Ironically, it is these unexplored faculties of the mind that seem to have the greatest power for producing a prosperous and successful life. Can you afford to ignore them? Hardly – for that would be equivalent to ignoring a major part of yourself.
All that you see in this world came about because of someone’s inner vision, “feeling” or “intuition” that it could be done. Refusing to be impeded by those who thought them eccentric or abnormal, the great minds went on, thinking…constructing…inventing.
- Aren’t you glad that they did?
- And what about you?
Can you afford NOT to follow the intuitive path, thereby suppressing those glorious dreams, those fantastic ideas and incredible feelings that persist in telling you that you were placed on this earth not only to BE, but also to BE a WINNER? Listen to that voice! Allow it to communicate with you both in inner and outer ways.
In the former case, your intuition will speak to you through inner promptings, or in direct knowledge from within. But it may also speak to you through the words of a friend, through a phrase in a book or newspaper, or even through a series of events that take place around you.
Remain alert!
Observe – listen – and LEARN so that you can take advantage and profit from your intuition.
Testing Your Own Intuition
How often does intuition enter into your life? How well do you avail yourself to it? Read the following questions and then mark the answers that you feel most accurately describe you:
- Before attempting to solve any problem, I
- Try to consider everything that is relevant to the issue.
- Work my way systematically through every conceivable solution.
- Play around with various ideas until something strikes my fancy.
- When someone complains that they are not feeling well, I
- Often know what is wrong.
- Feel able to make a fairly accurate diagnosis after listening to the symptoms.
- Feel totally in the dark on such matters.
- Do you feel you have a kind of “instinct” for knowing when people are having personal problems.
- Yes.
- No.
- Only with those who are extremely close to me.
- Would you say that all major decisions in your life have been based on logic?
- To some extent.
- Yes.
- No, I tend to trust my feelings.
- If someone asks for your help in making a decision, how would you react?
- Try to find out what sort of an answer this person is seeking before actually suggesting anything.
- Base my answer on what my own feelings tell me would be right for him.
- Bring logical analysis to bear on the various options available.
- Is it hard for you to do what you want when others attempt to discourage you?
- No. I am more inclined to follow my own feelings in the matter.
- Yes. When other people interfere, I tend to become confused.
- I am often influenced by the judgment of others.
- If you dreamed that someone close to you had died, would you?
- Contact that person immediately?
- Feel a bit disturbed, but think it would be silly to act on it?d) Ignore it as a bad dream?
- How do you tend to judge people when you first meet them?
- On the basis of personal appearance.
- By the things they say.
- By my own feelings about them.
- Do you trust anyone else’s intuition?
- Yes.
- No.
- At times
- Can you always be sure when people are telling you the truth?
- Always
- Sometimes
- Not usually.
- Do you find that you tend to be thinking about someone just before he or she unexpectedly gets in touch with you?
- No
- Sometimes
- Often
- Do you think “women’s intuition is
- A polite term for a lack of logic?
- A reality?
- A myth?
ANALYSIS
Since the value of each most intuitive answer is 5, a perfect score would be 60. The lower your score, the less you are inclined to rely upon intuition.
| Answers: | 1)c | 2)a | 3)a | 4)c | 5)b | 6)a |
| 7)a | 8)c | 9)a | 10)a | 11)c | 12)b |
5-15 score suggests you are an ultraconcrete thinker. It indicates you lack intuition more or less totally. It would seem that you don’t want to admit that it could exist. Your tendency for concrete thinking limits you to stick to rigid, almost unimaginative solutions to almost every problem.
20-25 score suggests that you are a concrete thinker and have a basic distrust of intuition and a strong tendency toward concrete, hardheaded thinking. On the other hand, your resistance to your intuitive feelings may have something to do with accepting something you cannot fully understand or rationalize.
30-35 score suggests you are a semi-intuitive type who is skeptical about the value of intuition. However, unlike the first two types you are open to relying on your intuition on certain occasions while still not fully trusting it.
40-60 score suggests you are the intuitive type. You believe in intuition and are very intuitive yourself. Furthermore, your intuitive insights often pays off, saving you time while giving you the reputation of being a quick and purposeful thinker. This is a highly positive trait, however, you must remember to balance it with sound judgment so that you do not become overconfident or unrealistic. As with everything, BALANCE is the keyword.
Concrete thinking balances with intuitive feelings will enable you to take advantage of your cognitive reasoning ability while enhancing it with your intuitive insights. This dynamic combination will allow you to take
full advantage of your intuitive feelings and achieve results few people experience.