Month: July 2024 Page 1 of 2

“The only real valuable thing is intuition.” Albert Einstein.

It’s very easy for our minds to get overloaded with all the information we have to process, analyse and assimilate. There are so many forms of technology battling to get our attention and focus.

Using our minds to think through issues logically and to formulate plans and strategies to meet goals and challenges is a great skill to have. However, if we over use this trait and over think situations it can be counterproductive. It can lead us to tie ourselves in knots and lose focus and efficiency. As a result, we can put off making decisions and procrastinate on issues.

Having a busy mind, full of information and mental chatter can prevent us from being able to hear the quiet, subtle and powerful messages provided by our inner guidance system or intuition. Often this inner knowing can be as gentle as a feather touch. Intuition can be described as the ability to understand something instinctively without the need for conscious reasoning.

Lynn Robinson in her excellent book ‘Trust Your Gut ‘mentions various business people, scientists and philosophers who have proclaimed the importance of intuition.

Here are a few examples: –

Jonas Salk, the developer of the Polio vaccine, wrote “The intuitive mind tells the logical mind where to look next.”

Warren Bennis, author of books on leadership, change and management calls intuition his ‘Inner voice’ and says that listening to and trusting it is one of the most important leadership lessons he learned.

Richard Branson, the entrepreneurial founder of the Virgin Group stated “I rely far more on gut instinct than researching huge amounts of statistics.”

Clothing designer Donna Karan said “One of our greatest gifts is our intuition. It’s a sixth sense we all have and we just need to learn to tap into and trust it.”

Buckminster Fuller, the futurist, architect and inventor with 28 patents to his name was a big believer in using the power of inner wisdom to create an extraordinary life. He said “Intuition often turns dreams into demonstrable fact.”

Lynn Robinson provides two schools of thought about the origins of intuition. Firstly, synthesis of prior knowledge, which she explains as a blend of logic, experience and subconscious information that’s stored in your mind and recalled when needed. Secondly, a higher power-divine intelligence which she says is ‘A compass of the soul’ that guides, informs and directs you towards success.

There are plenty of situations when it’s important to listen to your intuition, for example, when there’s insufficient data, too much information, conflicting data or when you need to make a quick decision.

Intuition is a resource that if it’s nurtured can create a calmer, focused and more productive way of being.

Here are some ideas to help you develop the ability to hear and trust the messages from your intuition more often:

Quieten your mind – It’s vital that you reduce the amount of mental chatter and activity so that you can hear the subtle and quiet intuitive messages. Meditation and mindfulness techniques help with this.

Ask your intuition for help – When faced with a challenge ask for guidance from your intuition with a specific question. Let the question sit and then record any suggestions or action steps in a notebook. You can check the accuracy of your insights. This will help you to build confidence to trust your inner voice.

Notice physical reactions in your body – Instincts, hunches and intuition tend to give a physical feeling in your body. Tune into this by noticing when you have a good or uncomfortable feeling. Ask yourself what your body is trying to tell you about a decision you have to make or a challenge or opportunity that you have to consider.

Take regular breaks from your routine – When your mind is full it’s vital that you take a break from your normal routine and create some space. You could go for a walk in nature or do some form of exercise. A walk in a woodland or by the sea will calm the mind. New and creative ideas seem to flow from time spent in this way.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider what action steps you can take to quieten your mind.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“Commitment is an act, not a word.” Jean-Paul Sartre.

The Open Golf Championship has taken place in Scotland over the weekend. It got me thinking about how tiny margins determine results in sport and how little actions make a huge difference. Also, it occurred to me that one thing that is common to all champions is that they have to have great commitment to their goal. It takes many hours of dedication and practice to achieve great things. Commitment is a choice. It’s defined in the dictionary as “The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.”

There’s a great quote from Yoda in Star Wars which I love. It’s simple but is full of wisdom about commitment. He said, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

The word ‘try’ always denotes a lack of full belief in something and indicates a small element of doubt. It provides us with the chance to talk ourselves out of something and give us room for manoeuvre. It gives us a potential cop out and an excuse not to do something.

For example, have you ever arranged a party, meeting or function and phoned someone to ask if they would like to come along? Someone who is committed says immediately, “Count me in. I would love to be there.” A person who isn’t sure if they want to come along will say something along the lines of “I’ll try and make it.” Do they ever turn up to the function or party? You probably will have found that they do not. They weren’t committed to attend. They were just too polite to say no when you asked them.

You either commit to something fully or not at all. For instance, if you have a chair to move, you either move it or you don’t. You don’t ‘try’ and move it.

When you catch yourself using the word ‘try’ in life particularly in relation to goal achievement, use it as a warning. It could mean that you aren’t totally committed to a goal or confident that you are going to act upon what you’ve decided to do. It indicates that you have some doubts or mental obstacles that you need to overcome first.

It’s vitally important to appreciate that whilst goals and dreams have a very valuable role to play in life, they are only as good as your personal drive and commitment to achieve them and make them a reality.

William Hutchison Murray was a Scottish mountaineer and writer, one of a group of active mountain climbers before and just after World War II. He wrote the following passage and I have personally found it useful. It inspires me to stay committed to goals and projects:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness concerning all acts of initiative and creation. There is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, and then providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen events, meetings and material assistance which no one could have dreamed would have come their way.

I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now!”

When confirming action points at the end of coaching sessions, I frequently ask clients to rate their commitment to their plans on a scale of 0-10. If I don’t get a 10 out of 10 response, then I ask the client what they need to do in order to give a score of 10. This may involve them resolving some inner doubt that they have. It could be that they also need to rearrange their daily schedule.

If they aren’t really committing to taking action, I suggest they drop the action point altogether and come up with something different.

This week, why not pause for a moment. Consider if you’re totally committed to your goals and if you need to let any go to make space for something new.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.” – Martin Luther King.

I have just returned from a lovely relaxing two week break in Cornwall. It was just so nice to spend some time by the sea and see some beautiful beaches and coastline. Walking on a beach one day brought to mind a story about rocks, pebbles and sand. It is a great reminder of what is important in life. So I thought I would feature it in this week’s blog.

Rocks, Pebbles and Sand

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items in front of him. When class began, he wordlessly picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles, poured them into the jar and lightly shook it. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed. He asked his students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things—your family, your partner, your health, your children—anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else—the small stuff”.

“If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important. Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the rubbish. In your own life, be sure to take care of the rocks first—the things that really matter. Remember, the rest is only pebbles and sand”.

But then…A student then took the jar which the other students and the professor agreed was full, and proceeded to pour in a glass of wine. Of course, the wine filled the remaining spaces within the jar making the jar truly full.

The alternative moral of this tale is: – no matter how full your life is, there is always room for WINE!

This week why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider if there is any action you need to take to make more time for the “rocks” in your life. Are there any changes you need to make to your daily routine?

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk