8 Reasons You Should Make More Decisions Based On Intuition Not Fact

The Benefits Of Listening To Your Intuition

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Intuition is a sense or feeling that enables you to choose how to act in a given situation without knowing the precise reasons why that is the correct action to take. It skips the systematic thinking normally associated with decision-making. It’s is a complex cognitive process that can help you make sense of things that might not be immediately obvious. Intuition is sometimes referred to as your sixth sense.

Intuition is not foresight or a premonition about what is going to happen in the future— it’s the sense of knowing what the best next step to take is in the present moment. It is not a thought but a feeling. You can’t think your way to intuition. Instead, it arises from within—sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly.

Your intuition and instinct are not the same thing. Instinct is designed to keep you safe and alive at any given time—it identifies threats and helps you avoid or minimize negative consequences. In contrast, intuition can be used to make decisions for long-term benefit, which may involve facing fears or taking risks.

If you’re ever in doubt about the reasons to refine your intuition, here is a brief list of the benefits of doing so.

1. Better decision-making.

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Whether you make decisions based solely on your intuition or a combination of it and rational thinking, you should find that those decisions are more likely to work in your favor than if you relied on thinking alone. This is because our subconscious minds have access to far more information than our conscious minds ever could, and they can use this information to give us a gut feeling that we might not arrive at through rational thinking alone.

2. Improved relationships.

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An overlooked benefit of honing your intuition is the ability to forge better connections with others. Intuition is linked to emotional intelligence and empathy and thus can provide insights into how another person is feeling or what they are thinking. These insights can allow you to adapt your responses to reflect where the other person is at.

3. Living more authentically.

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Your intuition is in touch with your true beliefs, values, and principles. By listening to it, you can be a more authentic version of yourself and act in a way that respects those beliefs. Your intuition can guide you toward what really matters to you which will leave you with a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment.

4. Improved mental well-being.

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When you follow your gut feeling about something, you are likely to experience less stress and anxiety about that decision. Instead, you feel more empowered and confident. Your overall mental health should improve when you let your intuition guide you through life.

5. Flowing with life.

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Since your intuition knows your true feelings about something, you will feel as though you are acting in alignment with your core self when you follow what it says. You’ll spend less time deliberating over decisions and life will flow more smoothly.

6. Enhanced creativity.

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Your intuition can process complex information in a way that your conscious mind can’t, meaning it can come up with innovative ideas and solutions. You will be able to see from different perspectives and imagine new possibilities that would otherwise be hidden from you.

7. Less regret.

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Things will go wrong even when you listen to your intuition—that’s inevitable. But you will regret fewer of your decisions when they are guided by your gut rather than by logical step-by-step thinking. If something felt right at the time, you’ll accept that it was probably the best decision you could have made, despite it not working out.

8. Greater resilience.

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When hard times befall you, your intuition can help you to bounce back. Thanks to its role in problem-solving, a strong intuition can make you resourceful, flexible, and adaptable. You’ll find inspiration and ideas to get through to the other side of whatever difficulty you face.