Follow Your Inner GPS
/
Have you ever felt a sensation of “I just know” - without having any words or rationale to explain it? Perhaps it was when making a decision between several options, saying yes or no to a new possibility, sensing whether or not to pursue a relationship… The sensation of what to do kind of just came to you, you went with it, and it turned out well.
This “I just know” sensation is our intuition, a mysterious integration of our body, mind and heart intelligences (and perhaps other intelligences too), that is expressed in sensations by our inner guidance or inner GPS. Someone religious or spiritual might use a language involving God, guardian angels, or any other meaningful choice. Regardless of the words used, it’s this hard-to-describe sensation that is not head-based and that is actually tricky explain in words. When we follow such guidance, we’re usually well served and end up satisfied with the results.
How strongly are you connected to your inner GPS? How do you access it when you need it most? How do you know when it’s your GPS guiding you versus another, less intuitive and more reactive, part of you?
What’s tricky is indeed differentiating our inner guidance from other impulses that we routinely experience and that could seem similar at the surface level. The “I just know it’s the right person” when dating, for example. Yet in most instances it’s intense chemistry or a craving for connection that is driving our so-called certainty, rather than our much more subtle intuition.
A key element of our inner guidance or inner GPS is that its messaging is usually quite neutral emotionally. The guidance is low intensity, yet clear and obvious. When intense emotions are involved, the resulting information usually comes from other parts of our system - more reactive, more impulsive, more personality-driven.
It’s important to note that our intuition doesn’t always guide us to what we think we want, and it sometimes seems to defy logic. Yet there is a peaceful, neutral certainty about it.
Living life in alignment with our inner guidance makes all the difference when it comes to making wise choices and ultimately feeling fulfilled. Sometimes it takes us away from things or people we thought we “wanted”, and it ends up being for the best; and other times it leads us to places that initially feel unlikely or even uncomfortable, only to turn out to be the ideal direction.
How do we cultivate a strong relationship with our inner GPS?
Slowing down: living life at a slower pace and with enough of quiet time allows us the spaciousness to sense our more subtle sensations.
Mindfulness: a self-observation practice is essential to becoming knowledgeable about our internal landscape, and being able to differentiate intuition from emotions.
Self-regulation: learning to regulate emotions in real-time to calm down the nervous system supports a more neutral baseline, allowing the noticing of our more peaceful, more neutral intuition.
Practice and feedback loop: practicing following our intuition and taking notes about the results over time, and giving ourselves feedback on whether it was real intuition or impulsivity. Over time, practice leads to expertise.
Working with an Integral Coach is an excellent way to receive customized guidance on your journey towards building a stronger connection with your inner GPS. Contact me for a free consultation if you’d like to explore what it would look like to work together.
