Are Intuitions messages of the HEART and do we have to follow them??

This question always lingered in my mind and after many debates with myself, I decided to write on this topic.

The answer will reveal itself at the end of the blog.

Hey All, It's November and the festival season in India is brimming with light and colour. Deepavali (Diwali) is fast approaching. This festival is associated with Rama, Lakshmana and Sita returning to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile in the forest.

Diwali - The Festival of Lights

I remember my grandmother telling me this story, and I was struck with how beautifully she described it.

I want to start this blog by relating the moment when prince Rama on the day of his Coronation was exiled to the forest for 14 years by his step Mother, Kaikeya. She instructed Rama to give up the throne and make way for her son, Bharatha. After the initial shock, Rama agreed to obey his mother.

Most of us have believed, and even the poets describe this incident as Rama's great character as an obedient son who wanted to uphold the rule of not breaking a promise. I feel this episode tells us more about Rama being in touch with his intuition than his great personality (which was also excellent).

Though he was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, he was not aware of his Godly Nature at that time. He had great instincts, and he relied on them. He believed that being in exile was not a punishment and that it served an important purpose in his life. It was only later; he learned the true meaning of his life while dealing with demons in the forest. His purpose was to defeat evil for good.

Let me tell you a personal story from my 11^th grade.

When I was in my 11^th grade, my intuition helped me a great deal in my studies and also my future.

Attending college was like a breath of fresh air after being in the same educational institute for 12 years. The initial days were filled with excitement and thrill. After 3 months, I received the results of my first assessment. My scores were terrible. I was absolutely gutted. I felt awful and lost in a sea of students with no importance given to coaching. With a drastic change in teaching style from School to College, it became a challenge for me to cope with my studies.

Nevertheless, I focussed and gave my 100 per cent for the next two months. But my inner voice kept telling me that this was not the best approach. After all,11th and 12th grades are significant in student life in India since they shape our future career. After struggling for 6 months, from June to November, I finally took a call to change my college in the middle of my academic year.

During the same academic year, a new College for Pre University education started in my home town. But I did not choose this institute at the beginning of the year, as I did not want to take a chance during this crucial period. The key that drove me to change college later was the positive reviews from friends studying in the new college.

It was unusual and unheard of to change college in the middle of an academic year, especially when there were only 3 months left for the annual examinations. Many people warned me to postpone my decision and make a move after completing the current year. Undaunted, I trusted my gut feeling and moved ahead. I remember my dad travelled to Bengaluru (300 km away) and successfully cut through the Red Tape to get the approval from higher officials for the same. I still recall the negative talk about my decision and adamance from my extended circle. This, along with my dad's hard work, made me feel guilty.  

The whole process created a lot of stress and anxiety. I had to leave my comfort zone and step into the realm of the unknown. But I made up my mind to use the next 3 months in my new college to the best possible extent.

When I finally got into the new college, I was amazed to see the passion with which the teachers worked at this institute. I got back the love for my chosen subjects. I remember spending each day in the next three months to my highest potential. Though I spent 6 months at the old college and 4 months at the new, my fondest memories come from the latter. I felt alive, making the best use of every single day. My results at the end of pre-graduation justified my intuition.

My intention here is to highlight the importance of following your intuition that provides endless opportunities and benefits. There are always people in your life who are supportive of your moves. If you do not have a vision for yourself, then no one else will see that for you. You have to make those tough decisions for yourself. Following your intuition will lead you to the right people and circumstances

I have now become a person who prefers to alter my choices rather than to nag about what is not working. Even the smallest shift from inside can change a lot outside.

I would like to share a quote by a person Lou Tice that goes with the scenario I am talking about.

"All meaningful and lasting change starts on the inside and works its way out".

Here I would like to explain the subtle difference between Fear and Intuition. 

Intuition is the voice inside you which wants you to do the right things. In comparison, Fear is the voice which resists you from doing it.

I urge you to please apply the power of your intuition in your lives. You will begin to see enormous possibilities everywhere.

While the heart chooses what it loves doing the mind tends to rationalize our desires and reactions.

You have to listen and trust your heart for some decisions. At that time, it may seem illogical or irrational, but you will end up better and happier. I would say go by what works for you, not by what worked for others (at least modify what works for others to your needs).

While researching for this topic - Intuition, I came across a brilliant story about Steve Jobs.

Who was a master of following his intuition.

This particular story is about establishing Apple Stores.

In 1997, Steve Jobs was worried that his Apple Computers were sold by Marketing executives in stores who were also selling other computer brands. They did not distinguish between Apple computers and others. He firmly believed his products were of premium quality and had exclusive features. So intuitively he knew that he had to build his stores to sell his products.

The problem Steve faced was two-fold.

1)     Computers were not considered a hot category in the 1990s. They were sold in shop's that were a part of suburbs to avoid high rentals in commercial space/cities.

2)      No computer company ever sold its products directly or at least not in the scale of what Steve envisioned.

His own company board was against the idea of Apple store. Undaunted, he recruited a person – Johnson, who had a passion for design and was the vice president for merchandising at "Target". Together, they secretly started building a prototype near his campus. He wanted to build Apple Stores in high footfall areas like Shopping Malls, Commercial place etc. Where he had a higher chance of converting a customer, his reason was straightforward; A person prefers walking ten steps to a place rather than 10 km to buy a computer. And when he launched his first store, the press and the competitors both scoffed at the idea and claimed that Apple would lose big money in this expensive Investment. Even the retail giants and other big companies were sceptical about the prospects of Apple Stores.

But, as we know, Apple stores became a blockbuster hit with the public, exceeding all expectations and helped establish a direct relationship with the customer. It also helped Apple achieve a premium brand status. You can check the fantastic facts of Apple store revenues by searching on Google. Next time, you drop into any electronic brand experience centre in a shopping mall, you need to thank Steve and Apple for starting this trend.

The real point here is to spotlight the role intuition plays.

As Steve Jobs famously said to the Stanford graduates – "You can not connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will connect in future. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference."

This Diwali - Say yes to your Intuition and light up your life

So, here is a simple question for you.

What is your deepest of desires? What is that you really want to achieve? What is that you are passionate about? 

If you have a passion you always wanted to follow, or If you have not figured it out, as your Life Coach, I will help you find your passion and start following your passion.

While I took a long time to find answers to these questions, I can help you find it with ease from my experience.

Please reach me at shobita.raghu@gmail.com.