"The little things? The little moments? They aren't little."
- Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn, Center for Mindfulness in Medicine
Making Decisions Using Your Intuition
Listening to Your Yum & Yuck
Novelist Tom Robbins wrote that there are really only two mantras in life: "yum" and "yuck". Either something is yummy or it isn't. Listening to your yum and yuck and taking action based on this basic information sounds pretty simple. Believe it or not, it can also be an important key to living a fulfilling life.
When we're faced with a choice and are trying to determine the best course of action, it's an important moment. And there are countless numbers of these moments.
As Jon Kabat Zinn said, "The little things? The little moments? They aren't little." A seemingly insignificant choice may change the course of our lives. We can opt to choose a momentary pleasure or take the path toward long-term fulfillment. It may be hard to know which choice leads to what.
Some of us depend on our internal cues, or our intuition. Intuition is a word that comes from the Latin intuitio which means seeing within. However, intuition isn't always about seeing with your mind's eye, some people hear their internal wisdom as a whisper or a shout. And there are others who feel a physical response to a question or a choice. Whether you use it or not, you have it. Everyone does.
Sometimes our intuition isn't just saying yes or no, do this or do that, it's communicating by showing us clues as to which path to take toward real pleasure, or which path will navigate us away from pain or danger. We just have to listen to ourselves and the clues that catch our attention. Albert Einstein said: "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
Although intuition is always available, we often don't pay attention to it. We don't heed it. We somehow think we know better! It's said we have about 60,000 thoughts a day - the shoulds and shouldn'ts, thoughts of the past, projections into the future, and the drone of the promises carried to us by the media, "Buy this," or "Do it this way and you'll be happier." These thoughts are often loud, distracting, and can shroud our intuition.
Intuition can also be masked by habitual reactions to recurring situations, or unexamined habits of mind such as not trusting ourselves. Its wisdom can be overrun by our ego too - which operates by wanting to be in control and powerful. It's difficult to tell what is what sometimes.
With practice, it's possible to hear this communication and distinguish it from our own thinking process. Intuition isn't emotional, it's a clear and sometimes emphatic communication. It's not controlling or hysterical. Logic, control, emotionalism, and rationality are aspects of the mind, whereas intuition is a wise, steady communication of the soul.
Meditation can help too. Some say that prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening. But that isn't quite right. Yes, I do believe prayer is talking to God, but know that meditation truly "cleanses the doors of perception," if I may borrow William Blake's words. As we become more attuned to subtleties, and become more sensitive, we can then hear the whispers of our soul. These whispers are heard, not in our meditation, but rather as we walk through our daily life.
Sages who meditated daily in ancient times (and even some today) had very sensitive nervous systems. Sensitivity and silence are important benefits of meditation. Both help us to tune into intuitive intelligence - which sages call 'intelligence-loving- wisdom which interconnects all beings'. The Sanskrit term for this is buddhi, which describes our true wisdom as distinguished from the mind, intellect and ego. Buddhi is closely aligned with omniscience: "knowing all things at once; a universal knowledge; holistic, compassionate, unbounded and infinite."
Once you've become accustomed to your intuitive guidance, you can learn to trust it by following it's wisdom. This takes practice. It's like finally trusting your GPS to take you where you want to go. I asked two of my women friends about their experiences with intuition: "Was there ever a time when your intuition clearly said 'no', but you said 'yes' anyway?" Coincidentally, each said they'd heard a 'no' while walking down the aisle to be wed. They said 'yes' anyway, because at that time, it was easier. Both have divorced their husbands and are now onto happier lives. They now listen to their intuition.
We've all made choices that provide us with temporary satisfaction, or that "just make it easier for now." By listening to our intuition, and aligning every choice we make with it, we can find our way to a life that is more authentic and fulfilling. It can be as easy as listening to the 'yums' and 'yucks'.
Bill Gates says, "Sometimes, you have to rely on intuition." Oprah Winfrey says, "My business skills have come from being guided by my inner self -- my intuition." Donald Trump says, "I've built a multi- billion empire by using my intuition."
What if you listened, truly listened, and then followed your inner wisdom? Sometimes it seems easier in the moment to go against it, but if you did what kind of life would you have? Here are some easy steps to enhance your intuition for a fulfilling life:
1. Meditate. Meditation quiets the mind and expands your awareness. Both necessary to go beyond the physical information and the ego that wants to control your decisions. It is said meditation cleanses the doors of perception. And you'll need heightened perception to hear the subtleties of your intuition.
2. Ask yourself questions before making a choice: What do I need to know? What's the decision for me? Then be open to discovering your answer in unexpected ways. Some people like to ask questions before going to sleep. They then pay attention to the first impressions right after waking up - so their intuition can be heard before the mind chatter kicks in.
3. Pay attention to what catches your eye or ear. Or what you physically feel. Sometimes we get information by things 'out there', coincidences or signs if you will. Honor your way of perceiving. Realize that everyone has a unique way they perceive their wisdom.
4. Edit your editors - all of them: the ones 'out there' and the one in your head. We often count out most intuitive hunches before we fully consider them. Or an intuitive thought comes in and we immediately tell ourselves we're wrong. Be open, and listen to YOU. Stop saying "I don't know." Follow your own intuition about your life - not someone else's.
5. Listen to your body. A tightening of your stomach, a sick feeling, a moving away, or finding that you are not moving easily can be an indicator of things not being right for you or a 'yuck' or "no". Expansion or easiness, or relaxation is a "yum." Some people even count on their body to help them make the best choices through a practice called muscle testing. Your body doesn't lie.
Written by Sarah McLean
About the author: Along with her 20 year meditation practice, Sarah McLean has explored world spiritual and cultural traditions: she's been a 2-year resident in a Zen Buddhist monastery, lived in an ashram in India, taught English to Tibetan Buddhist nuns, bicycled along the silk route through Pakistan, meditated in temples in Thailand and Japan, and trekked the golden triangle in Asia. Sarah McLean is passionate about teaching and sharing what she’s discovered about the modalities of mind/body health, self awareness and her spiritual journey. Endorsed by Deepak Chopra and featured in the New York Times, Sarah is the founding director of the Sedona Meditation Training Company, where she teaches meditation and leads meditation retreats.
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When we're faced with a choice and are trying to determine the best course of action, it's an important moment. And there are countless numbers of these moments. 
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