Guest blogger Caitlin Pelliccia tells us about her experience with intuition.
Have you ever made a decision then you immediately second guessed yourself?
You had that first inclination of what to do next, but then your head suddenly got in the way with all thoughts around why you should or shouldn’t take that particular action?
It all comes down to trusting your inner guidance system or your intuition. Having confidence in knowing your next step.
I spent years living this way. I never trusted that I had the answers I needed, I second guessed every decision that I made and was always seeking outside help or validation of what I knew really deep down was the best choice. I wasn’t connected to my intuition and I didn’t trust that I knew what steps I needed to take.
In today’s society it’s so easy for our inner knowing or intuition to get clouded by all the noise of television, social media, friends’ and family’s opinions.
We’re constantly being stimulated making it harder for us to connect to and hear our own inner voice.
When you make a decision do you call all of your friends and maybe your mom to get their opinion on what you should do? How often do you follow their advice then come to the conclusion that that was the wrong decision to make? Then you end up coming back to the decision that you knew was right for you all along.
Our culture has trained us away from using our own intuition to find our way and instead we’ve become dependent on the opinions and decisions of others.
Do you remember going shopping as a teenager with your friends? You’d all come out of the dressing rooms waiting for the opinions of your friends on whether they liked your outfit or not. You may not have really liked it, but they did so you end up buying it and not really liking it wishing you had bought what you really liked. It’s a simple example of the prevalence of seeking outside validation for ourselves. This need for outside validation starts so young and is so ingrained in us, it’s no wonder we’ve been walking around disconnected from our own inner intelligence. We take their opinion and advice as the ultimate authority neglecting our own intuitive knowing.
As more people are awakening we’re starting to come back to this intelligence within us. To let it guide us because really, it knows infinitely more than we do. It takes time to trust yourself again so be patient and compassionate with yourself.
Each day use simple practices to strengthen this connection with yourself. It could be as simple as what you really want to eat for dinner, or what do you really want to do at the end of the work day. Take a minute and quiet your mind with a couple deep breaths if you need to settle your thoughts, and then ask your heart what do you want to do?
If you’re looking for guidance ask yourself: what’s the next step?
You don’t need to see the whole picture, as humans we can barely comprehend how the whole fits together, but if you can do the next step you’ll be exactly where you need to. Another way I like to connect with my higher self is through intuitive journaling, write down your question and let your intuition respond (hint: you usually don’t need to think about it - let the pen flow!). This has helped me build trust and confidence in myself and in my intuition.
These simple practices will help you build that connection with yourself and a trust that you already have all the answers you need within you.
Caitlin Pelleccia (guest blogger for Sacred and Simple) is a Reiki Master and Light Worker. You can contact her at caitlina.banks@gmail.com.