Set Intentions, Not Resolutions

One of the reasons many of us have such a hard time with intuition is because we live in societies that value action. No where is this more evident than around the New Year when we make resolutions to change our worlds in the next twelve months. We will do this. We won’t do that. Most of our resolutions depend on us making monumental changes.

But where does intuition come in? Intuition is an intangible force that’s connected to God, the Universe, the Spirit World or whatever spiritual tradition you believe in. It helps us to achieve our goals, but it usually helps us when we ALLOW it to – meaning we often have to take a break from some of our actions to allow it to do its thing.

Have you ever had the experience of being totally frustrated because a goal just proved so elusive and when you finally gave up because it was so difficult, it happened for you? That’s the power of learning to allow the Universe and your higher self to help you realize your dreams.

So how do you invite intuition to help you achieve your New Year’s goals and make the changes you want to make in your life? You set intentions, not resolutions.

Intentions are desires – the end results we wish to see. Resolutions are actions. Steps we plan to take. When you set resolutions, you let the Universe know, ‘I’ve got this. I’ve got it all under control.’ When you set intentions, you let the Universe know, ‘This is what I want. I’m listening for you to guide me so that I can get there.’ You may be led to write down some of the steps you will take, but you are less concerned with HOW things will happen and are open to discovering the How along the way.

Intuitive Action of the Day: What are your intentions for the New Year? Write a list of the changes you’d like to see in your life by December 31, 2011. Don’t figure out how at this moment. As you read over your list, ask your higher self for intuitive guidance on how to get there.

Be Open for Answers

Yesterday I wrote about engaging intuition by asking the right questions. Intuition is designed to help you achieve your best life. If you ask no questions, you're letting the universe know that you're complacent; there's nothing you need to know.

But in order to engage the flow of intuition, you've also got to be open to the answers. It therefore follows that you may find that there are certain situations in which your intuition doesn't seem very helpful:

---Situations when you already think you know the answer. What's the point of asking for signs or guidance when you've already closed your mind off to some of the possibilities?

---Situations surrounding your biggest dreams. If you really, really want a certain outcome, you're likely to close yourself off to some potential answers because you're either too certain that you're going to get it (or that you're not).

---Situtions connected to past hurts. If you're still reeling from a broken relationship or a breach of trust, you may not be open to all answers because of fears of being hurt again.

That's not to say you can't use your intuition to help you with the things that matter most to you. In later posts we'll discuss ways to trick your logical mind so that your intuition can be heard during emotionally-charged situations. But for now, when you're starting to engage your intuition, it's best to start with questions that you feel more neutral about -- questions that you're curious about, but not vested in the outcome. Once you start noticing how the universe responds to your questions, you can move on to bigger and better things.

Intuitive Action of the Day: Pick a question that you feel neutral about and ask for intuitive guidance about how to move forward. Pay attention to hunches you get and write them down.

Intuition on Demand: Bring on the Questions

Many people can recall a time when they just ‘knew’ something even though they logically had no way of knowing it. And we’ve all had our hunches that came true, when we said, ‘I knew that was going to happen.’ I call those intuition quick hits – they come out of nowhere; we never know when they’re going to happen, but it’s fun when they do.


So how do you go from being at the whim of intuition to being able to call up your intuition on demand? For example, I misplaced my driver’s license. It sure would be great if my intuition would provide one of those hunches right about now.

Well, it can. We can engage our intuition and get it working for us rather than merely entertaining us. The first step in doing that is asking the right questions.

When you silently ask a question, the universe reacts and provides an answer. The answer may come in the form of a song you hear on the radio, or it may come in the form of a book title that comes across your desk. Someone may even call you on the phone and provide you with the very information you seek.

The answer might not come right away; it may take a few days or a few dreams. But keep the question in the back of your mind and pay attention. Whatever way the answer comes, it was evoked by intuition.

What are some good questions? Anything is fair game.

Is this a good situation for me?
Should I become more involved with this person?
Is this person lying to me?
Is this a good time to start putting my resume out there?
Should I seek a second opinion?
Should I be concerned about my child's behavior?

Not sure whether this information is true? Don’t trust me. Pose the question to the universe and see what your intuition drums up in response.

Raising Intuitive Kids

It's been said that children are the most intuitive because they have not been conditioned to value logic over intuition and feeling. The following article lends credence to that belief. A small child heard the roaring wind outside, got scared and ran out of her room into her mother's bed. Later that night, a tree fell though the house and crushed the bed where the child had been sleeping. Read the article here. What if that mother had ignored her child's fears and pushed her back to her bedroom? The story would have had a tragic ending.

If you have children, or have spent alot of time around them, you might recall a time when a child tensed up around a stranger or you might have noticed a child pull away from some people and not others. I remember a time when my nephew seemed noticeably uncomfortable around a friend of his father's. I pointed it out to my sister, and since she has a lot of respect for the power of gut instinct, she made sure my nephew didn't have to be around this man.

If you'd like to nurture your children's intuition, take heed of the following tips:

--Honor emotional intelligence. Make it a habit to ask your child what he or she is feeling about day-to-day events, even if your child doesn't have a say in the matter. For example, your child may not be able to decide when you're going to head home from the park, but you can ask him what he feels about leaving now as opposed to fifteen minutes later.

--Pay attention to strong reactions. You know your child, and you know when something really pushes his or her buttons. If your childs reacts strongly in a positive or negative manner, consider acting accordingly. For example, my nephew's reaction to his father's friend was unusual and extreme. If this was my nephew's normal reaction to meeting people, my sister might have paid less attention to his discomfort.

--Encourage imagination. If your child starts telling you about an imaginary friend or an unbelievable experience, don't be so quick to shut it down. Some believe that imaginary friends could be ghosts. Even if you don't believe that, imagination is very important to intuition since it gives you permission to have an open mind - something that's needed when your gut goes against everything that you can see logically.

Special Delivery: Intuition or Coincidence?

I had an interesting experience in the post office the other day. I was standing in line and had the strongest feeling that I had left my wallet in the car. I knew that wasn't possible because I hadn't taken my wallet outside of my purse, but the strong feeling prompted me to check my purse for my wallet anyway. My wallet was there so I brushed the thought aside. When the man in front of me reached the counter, he handed the postal worker his packages. He then reached into his pocket and realized he had left his wallet in the car.

Mere coincidence? Or was I picking up on the fact that the man had lost his wallet?