Learning How to Follow Your Intuition
Do you remember when you were a young inquisitive child that was always listing to that little voice in your head? Sometimes it would tell you to do things that would get you in tons of trouble and even though you knew the consequences, you were willing to take the risk. I remember being that child and I never quite understood what that little voice was. As I got older, I’m certain I suppressed that voice in my head more and more in fear of disappointing or being punished by my parents, teachers, coaches, etc.
For years I did everything in my power to make my family happy. I went to the college I was told was best for me, I chose my major based on what others thought fit me, I even dressed and wore my hair the way everyone around me said I should.
Fast-forward to adulthood, I’m working in a job that my family approves of, I have a 401k, a good retirement and all the things that “they” said I should have. Anytime I had a gripe about what I was doing with my life I was quickly reminded of my blessings and how I had so much more than other people and that I should be thankful. So, I repeated the same routine over and over, day by day; suppressing my feelings and doing what was expected of me. Everyone was always telling me how great I was doing and how they were so proud of me, so why would I change anything?
There Has to Be More
As blessed as I was, I felt like something was missing. I grew up with religious parents and I was always taught that if I pray, everything would work out fine. It’s not that I didn’t believe that, but I had so many questions, questions that I was afraid to ask in fear of being looked at as weird or disrespectful.
One night during one of my YouTube binges, I came across a guy talking about meditating. To make a long story short, he spoke about calming the mind and following your intuition. The topic intrigued me so much that I started researching more and before I knew it three hours had passed.
Over the next few days, I spent more time listening to people’s stories about how meditation and learning how to follow their intuition changed their lives. I must admit, I always thought of these topics as kind of bizarre. I wouldn’t dare tell my family or friends I was interested in meditating or anything like that because I was too afraid of what they would say.
But then I figured, what do I have to lose? I’ve been living the way others want me to for years and I still feel empty. So, I decided to start meditating. I wasn’t sure what I was doing at first, so I went to YouTube and listened to some guided meditations. It wasn’t long before I started wanting to meditate in pure silence. I discovered a beautiful feeling inside that I couldn’t explain. That little voice I referred to when I was younger was getting louder and louder. No, it never went anywhere, but I suppressed it so much over the years that it had become faint.
Follow Your Intuition
The more I meditated, the better I felt. That little voice in my head was making me feel like I could do so much more. It’s like I had a new friend that was always telling me to do things strictly for my own happiness.
It didn’t take long for me to start making changes in my life, they were small, but they were changes. I started following my intuition more and taking action. I started doing things like trying new foods, I know that sounds small, but I had been a creature of habit, doing the same thing over and over, day after day. I started traveling to new parts of the city, trying new restaurants, joining meetup groups—all because I was listening to that little voice in my head.
As I became more comfortable following my intuition, I noticed my confidence was growing. I stopped stressing over small things and started following my heart. I felt alive and a bit invincible.
Conclusion
Learning how to follow my intuition and live for myself has become an exciting journey. Life is no longer stale. In 2007, I left a good paying job and became an entrepreneur and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Other adventures include hiking, white-water rafting, and more traveling. I now look forward to new discoveries every day and the beauty in all of this, is that I’m finally doing the things I want to do without the fear of judgement.