Intuitive Thinking — Founder Fairy Dust
Intuition or that gut feeling you get (and we all do) is the ability to know something without conscious reasoning.
“I define intuition as the subtle knowing without ever having any idea why you know it,” Sophy Burnham, author of The Art of Intuition.
You feel it. In a conversation with Alexandra Fine, the dynamic founder of Dame Products, a sexual wellness company, she talked about her need to create space to tune into what her body is feeling and telling her.
How do you cultivate it?
In an interview with Goop, Joe Perreta, the psychic medium, suggested: “[w]rite down the stuff that you think might be intuition — thoughts that pop into your head, physical sensations that keep you on the right track. Remember how it feels and make note of where you feel it within your body. Whenever something comes true, pay attention.”
I am not getting all woo-woo on you (if that’s what you think when you hear psychic), rather intuition is an intelligent form of communication and it’s different for everyone. It is based on past experiences, knowledge, patterns, and encounters.
Maybe it’s a shiver down your spine, or goose bumps — the tingles! An image you see in your mind, a color, an animal. A book cover you see or a song you hear.
In her book Thrive, Arianna Huffington highlights the intentional nature of cultivating our intuition, “…[it] is always there, always reading the situation, always trying to steer us the right way. But can we hear it? Are we paying attention? Are we living a life that keeps the pathway to our intuition unblocked? Feeding and nurturing our intuition, and living a life in which we can make use of its wisdom.”
What Am I Feeling?
How do you know it’s your intuition and not just emotions or intense feelings at play? You practice, you examine outcomes, you learn to listen and discern.
Because it’s true what appears to be your intuition may be wishful thinking. It may be fear talking. It may reflect some unconscious bias. You may be trying to please other people — investors, team members, or strategic partners.
Lisa Donovan, the founder of The Pattern, an astrology app, shared on the podcast, Second Life with Hillary Kerr, that the mistakes she has made in her business were when she ignored her gut. She said you start to get into people pleasing mode and making decisions not from an authentic place.
So, are you being too emotional or too authentic? Is it often referred to as a “women’s intuition” because women are more in touch with their emotions? Do men lack the same intuitive sense?
Is Intuition Gendered?
As my conversation with Alexandra continued, she wondered if men actually rely on it more, making snap decisions and moving ahead without concerning themselves with what others think. Is this ego?
Whereas, it has been shown that women are more collaborative, seeking diverse opinions and showing empathy. Perhaps because women are conditioned to be community oriented.
Men, on the other hand, are conditioned to keep their emotions in check.
As Albert Einstein said: The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
Maybe we are coming around as a society. Today, it is far more acceptable for men and women to talk about mental health, meditation practices, and emotional well-being.
Sunny Bonnell, Co-Founder of Motto Branding and co-author of “Rare Breed: A Guide to Success for the Defiant, Dangerous, and Different”, calls great leaders “Rare Breeds.” These are the trailblazers and disruptors; they are audacious and rebellious. Hello, founders!!
In an article for Inc Magazine, she listed the 6 uncommon virtues of “Rare Breeds” and lists #3 as ‘obey your instincts’.
Alexandra shared that she was getting better at making decisions others disagreed with and expressing those decisions unabashedly. She is definitely a rare breed!
