Decision making is central to our survival as living beings and our intuition plays a major, definitive role. Most times, we are guided by our intuition and sometimes we are led to take certain actions based on our instincts.
There have been times I have had to rely on my intuition to make friends and take certain jobs. It has always worked out for me. Conversely, I have relied on my instinct as well to take certain actions and thinking back, I realized that my instinct was fueled by factors such as fear, anxiety, doubt etc which propelled my reactions.
If only I had been calm enough to connect with my intuition and understand it, maybe my reaction would have been different. This shows there is a fine line between relying on our intuition and instinct. These two terms are not the same.
Intuition is a form of knowing (discernment) that surfaces from deep within our consciousness. This knowing could be strong or weak, depending on how one is in tune with oneself.
To understand how intuition works, let's consider the words of N. D. Walsch, AN American author,
An intuitive statement is one that you know is true even before you know why or how it is true.
The operative word there is 'know' or 'knowing'. Some individuals believe it is nature's gift. Science has tried to explain how human's intuition came to be but the explanation is at best, abstract. Most times this knowing or knowledge proves true and very helpful in making rational decisions and avoiding pitfalls in life. It has helped many to judge characters and make the best of relationships.
Instinct on the other hand is a physical response or natural reaction to a situation. It may or may not depend on intuition.
In my understanding of intuition, I realize that some people think the common phrase 'follow your heart' is the same as intuition. It is not. Our hearts are very much separate from our intuition but they can complement each other.
Your intuition may say one thing and your heart (gut feeling) may say the exact opposite. Sometimes, 'following our hearts' can be a response to instinct rather than intuition. We may become so emotionally involved that we drown out our intuition and give in to such emotions. This does not mean that it's wrong to listen to our hearts when making rational decisions. Certain situations may call for empathy and looking beyond the surface.
You must have heard comments like, "what does your heart tell you?", "go with your heart" etc. This is where I believe intuition and the heart can work together and complement each other for the benefit of the person involved.
The most important thing is to truly know ourselves, know when our instinct is in play versus understanding what message our intuition is passing through to us. In the words of Socrates, "to find yourself, think for yourself."
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