Intuition

This past weekend, my son, husband and I climbed the beautiful, majestic granite Enchanted Rock in the Texas Hill Country.

After climbing to the top, we chose to descend down the isolated west side of the rock—which is not on the map and fairly challenging—so we could end up in Echo Canyon. We like to travel off the beaten path and it looked like a fun, doable adventure.

As we moved down the steep rounded side, John and I each choosing slightly different routes with our agile son at our heels, I reflected on what an individual journey this was for each of us.

We carefully chose where to place our feet and how to move down the challenging landscape based on yes--our comfort, skill level and physical fitness—but also in large part, our intuition.

I have been struggling since last spring with managing two businesses—one 9 years old and one 18 months old—and how, frankly, to do this without falling into overwork and while still staying deeply connected to my family. It has not been easy and if weren’t for financial necessity, I would never have agreed to this as my friend says “crazy making!”

For the past year, I vigorously sought out a phenomenal business coach/consultant who had experience supporting professionals in my specific scenario and with my unique challenges, but no one was showing up. I was surprised and frustrated. I’m a huge believer in asking for help, and help (in the manner I had envisioned it) just wasn’t materializing!

In November, I was gifted with some pearls of insight from three mentors, which I was very grateful for. But ultimately, I arrived at the realization that I could hire someone to suggest business strategies—based on data, spread sheets and such—but none of that really mattered if the course of action didn’t deeply resonate with me.

My intuition is my built in GPS system. And even though sometimes the guidance I receive may not make solid business sense—or even common sense—when it first surfaces, I have learned that if I ignore this, my “work” (whether that be business, spiritual or relationship) will quadruple.

I’ve come to think of my intuition as a dear, dear friend. She is always accessible, never too busy for me and she will sit quietly while I go round and round with my same old story until I’m ready to get quiet and hear her speak the truth.

My only job is to create enough space and quiet in my life, to hear her.

P.S. If you’re wanting to enhance your intuitive abilities, check out my friend Dianna Amorde’s workshops. She is a Harvard-trained consultant specializing in Intuitive Intelligence who works with Fortune 500 companies on harnessing this strength.

And, if you’d like to be in the company of other women from around the US who are also interested in living this way, consider coming to my deeply nourishing April 24-26 Women’s Spring Self-Renewal Retreat at The Crossings.

PHOTO: West side of Enchanted Rock, Renee Peterson Trudeau