Thoughts on Excellence Free E-Newsletter Series
Volume 22, Issue No. 12a
August 1, 2024
By Dan Coughlin
In MWD (Merriam-Webster Dictionary), intuition means the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference, immediate apprehension or cognition, and quick and ready insight.
Another way of defining intuition is that it is your inner guide, the voice in your head that gives you an insight that you can use to move forward or to be aware of some opportunity or danger.
Your intuition is a tremendously important part of your essence. You may not have all the facts or experience or knowledge on a given topic, but if you are willing to slow down enough to listen to your own intuition, you may very well find a solution or at least progress toward a solution.
You Choose Your Will, Your Intuition Helps with the Steps
An important trait of your intuition is that it doesn’t choose what is virtuous or egotistical. It just simply provides you with insights for whatever you want. Your will is your power for self-direction. Once you choose your direction, your intuition will provide you with insights to move in that direction.
For example, suppose a person thinks gambling is egotistical, is driven by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and is really about immediate gratification and instant pleasure with no lasting value. However, this person really wants to gamble. In that case their intuition will provide them with insights and guide them to where they can bet on the next NFL game or where they can get into a high-stakes poker game.
On the other hand, suppose a person thinks helping young people is a virtuous use of their time. In this case the person’s intuition will guide them steadily toward organizations where they can volunteer to help people from age 5 – 17 or to opportunities with family or friends where they can be of help to young people.
Your intuition is always at your service. First, decide whether you want to focus on virtue or egotism in your life. This is a very, very important decision. If you don’t make time to consciously make that internal choice, then other people or your own natural impulses will make that choice for you.
Once you decide whether you want to go down the path of virtue or egotism, then your intuition will kick in and provide you with insights to move along your chosen path. Be open to really listen to and consider what your intuition is providing you with. These insights may very well help you to unlock doors and overcome obstacles in order to attain what you want.
Essential Walk Questions for You to Consider
- In the past few days, what insights did your intuition provide you with on any topic?
- What direction do you want your life to move down: virtue, which is what you think is the right thing to think, say, and do, or egotism, which is an exaggerated sense of self-importance and focuses on immediate gratification and instant pleasure?
- Once you choose your path, then slow down a few notches and listen for insights from your intuition that can help you to move toward what you want.
Republishing Articles
My newsletters, Thoughts on Excellence, have been republished in approximately 40 trade magazines, on-line publications, and internal publications for businesses, universities, and not-for-profit organizations over the past 20+ years. If you would like to republish all or part of my monthly articles, please send me an e-mail at dan@thecoughlincompany.com with the name of the article you want in the subject heading. I will send you the article in a word document.