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

This coming Wednesday marks the 18th anniversary of the awful 9/11 attacks on the United States. It was a devastating day for the world. The four co-ordinated attacks using passenger aircraft killed 2996 people and injured 6000. The attacks led to the collapse of the North and South towers of the World Trade Centre and cost $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage.

I remember that day vividly and can recall the immense shock and sadness that I felt. It was hard to comprehend and take in what had happened. The day had added significance for me. Having just completed my Executive Coach training and gained a qualification, I undertook my first official client coaching session at 2pm that day (UK time). This was 9am in New York. The first attack happened 14 minutes before this and the second 3 minutes later.

I was taught a very profound and valuable lesson about the importance of listening to my instincts/intuition from a story about 9/11 that I was told by a man I met at a conference many years ago:

He told me that he used to work in one of the twin towers. A few months before the attacks, he woke up one morning and a voice inside him told him to quit his job as it wasn’t making him happy. He was scared of the risk of quitting a well-paid job without a new job to go to.

However, something inside him convinced him that he had to trust the message and take action to prioritise his happiness and mental well-being over a salary cheque. He was told that everything would be ok if he made the change and moved on.

Thankfully he honoured his inner voice and intuition and resigned from his position. He left the job a few weeks before the attack. He wasn’t in New York at the time of the attacks because he had taken a break to go traveling and think about what to do next.

If he hadn’t have done so, I wouldn’t be able to tell you this story, as sadly all the people who worked on the floor where he worked were killed. He was extremely grateful that he trusted his instincts but understandably very sad that many ex-colleagues lost their lives.

Sometimes our minds can be busy that we can’t hear the subtle messages of our inner voice. This can also happen when we over-analyse situations.

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, as with all things, if we over use this trait and over think situations, it can be counterproductive.

It can mean that we procrastinate, tie ourselves in knots and lose focus and efficiency. Having a busy mind, full of information and mental chatter prevents us from being able to hear the quiet, subtle and powerful messages provided by our inner guidance system or intuition.

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

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. It also helps when your vision has become foggy or when you feel stuck.

Intuition is a resource if nurtured that can create a calmer, focused and productive way of being. In order that you can hear more messages from your instincts, it’s important that you quieten your mind.

Reducing the amount of mental chatter and activity will help you to hear the subtle and quiet intuitive messages. Taking time to meditate regularly to practice yoga or use mindfulness techniques will help you to achieve this.

Have there been times were you have listened to the wisdom from your inner voice and been thankful that you have done so? Alternatively, have there been times when you have ignored what your instincts were telling you and have regretted it?

This week why not take a few moments and reflect on how busy your mind is. What action can you 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