A coaching client of mine, Diane Bolden, shares a story how she got the courage to quit her job and start her leadership coaching and consulting business.

Take a look at our new video series On the Road to Real: The Adventures of Pistachio. It is full of ways to become aware and tap into your intuition.

If you want one-on-one help using your intuition, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

By Vickie Champion

Determining if it’s our intuition can be a tricky thing. Sometimes there is such a fine line between the answer that solves all our problems and complete paranoia. Then there are times our intuition throws us a curve and surprises us.
 

Here Are Ways to Tell if Our Intuition or Inner Voice Is Speaking to us …

Our intuition…

• Comes in a whisper or a glimpse. To me it’s a calm statement or a quick peek, a matter-of-fact.

• Keeps gently reminding us. The message will not change and it will keep repeating over and over -- sometimes for years.

After one of my workshops, a woman approached me. I asked her if she liked the workshop. She replied: “Not really, I don’t believe in intuition because I’m a Christian.” Her answer caught me by surprise. What does being a Christian have to do with intuition? It didn’t make sense to me until I remembered what one of my bosses told me years ago, “The key to understanding anyone’s view or anything new is to first be open to learning the terms for it, then connecting the dots is easy.”
 

Here are 22 Ways to Describe Intuition….

          1  A knowing.

Sometimes we think money can solve all our problems and using it to try to alleviate our guilty feelings is one of them.
 

Here’s Two Signs we Might be Using Money to Relieve Our Guilt…

When we…

1 Catch ourselves using words like “I need to”, “I should” I have to”, “I ought to,” and I’ve got to.”
 

Here’s what Vickie Champion talks about in this video…
 

INTRODUCTION

 
Hi! I’m Vickie Champion. I am a business and life coach who helps people listen to their “intuition” or “gut feelings.”
 
This is one of the videos in a series called “Is this your Intuition?” One of my assistants will describe a common scenario and then ask you if the person used their intuition or not? Then I’ll tell you my answer and explain “why” I came to that conclusion.

Here’s what is talked about in this video…
 

INTRODUCTION

My name is Vickie Champion and I am a business and life coach who helps people get out of the fear and use to their intuition or gut instincts.
 
I thought it would be fun to let you hear from one of my coaching clients who had a decision to make and used his intuition, Jeff Taylor.  He is blogging about his experiences and can be found at http://www.MyInnerJourneyToHappiness.com/. Here’s Jeff’s story.
 

Here’s what is talked about in this video…
 

INTRODUCTION

My name is Vickie Champion and I am a business and life coach who helps people get out of the fear and use to their intuition or gut instincts.
 
I thought it would be fun to let you hear from one of my coaching clients who had a very interesting example about using our intuition. Here is Diane Bolden who is also a leadership coach and the author of “The Pinocchio Principle” with her story.
 

Here’s what Vickie Champion talks about in this video…

INTRODUCTION
Hi! I’m Vickie Champion. I am a business and life coach who helps people listen to their “intuition.”

This is one of the videos in a series called “Is this your Intuition?” One of my assistants will describe a common scenario and then ask you if the person used their intuition or not? Then I’ll tell you my answer and explain “why” I came to that conclusion.
 

A COMMON SCENARIO- CHOOSING A HOTEL

Here’s what Vickie Champion talks about in this video…

INTRODUCTION
Hi! I’m Vickie Champion. I am a business and life coach who helps people listen to their “intuition.”

This is one of the videos in a series called “Is this your Intuition?” One of my assistants will describe a common scenario and then ask you if the person used their intuition or not? Then I’ll tell you my answer and explain “why” I came to that conclusion.
 

A COMMON SCENARIO- ACCEPTING A JOB

Here’s what Vickie Champion talks about in this video…

INTRODUCTION

Hi! I’m Vickie Champion. I am a business and life coach who helps people listen to their “intuition.”

This is one of the videos in a series called “Is this your Intuition?” One of my assistants will describe a common scenario and then ask you if the person used their intuition or not? Then I’ll tell you my answer and explain “why” I came to that conclusion.
 

A COMMON SCENARIO- MAKING A CONNECTION AT A NETWORKING EVENT

Here’s what Vickie Champion talks about in this video…

INTRODUCTION
Hi! I’m Vickie Champion. I am a business and life coach who helps people listen to their “intuition.”

This is one of the videos in a series called “Is this your Intuition?” One of my assistants will describe a common scenario and then ask you if the person used their intuition or not? Then I’ll tell you my answer and explain “why” I came to that conclusion.

Most of us forget to trust our “intuition” or “gut instincts” with simple things like finding a boy/girl friend. It usually means the difference between having a difficult relationship that is more stressful than it’s worth or finding a relationship that is pleasant, low-maintenance and amazing.

Whether you’re on your first date or have been dating for some time, one of the easiest ways to detect a great relationship is to pay attention to the flow. Below are some simple ways to know if you’re heading for a difficult, ho-hum or disastrous relationship.

12 Signs Your Date is NOT Perfect for You:

When you…

Are you one of those who want to be right at all costs? Maybe you get your thrills from always having problems to deal with. Or perhaps you think all this woo-woo is nonsense? Then I don't need to tell you the benefits of ignoring your intuition, gut instincts or inner voice. You probably think this list is NORMAL and the way LIFE IS. I know -- I use to be you.

This blog is for those of you exploring other ways to live, like I did several years ago.

Here Are Some Benefits of Ignoring Your Intuition:

You...

Do you wake up in the morning feeling secure, confident and excited about all the good experiences the day will bring? Are you watching yourself become a better person every day? If so, you must be using your intuition.

Intuition is described as a knowing, a gut feeling, an inner voice, an awareness, a hunch, a gut instinct or a sense.

Here are Some of the Benefits of Using Your Intuition:

When we use our intuition...

• We don't need to make sacrifices to solve a problem.
• Stress, anger, and resentment disappear.
• Obstacles fade away and we get in the zone.

It seems like the world is getting a little crazier. There are natural disasters from earthquakes to volcano eruptions, angry political rallying and celebrity affairs that get weirder with every news report.

Trust your Intuition
One of the ways to start feeling safer is to stop putting all our faith in the experts, government, laws, and anyone or anything out there that is promising us security. Instead, let's start trusting our gut instincts. You know, that silent voice or knowing inside that can quell our fears, pull us out of any jam in an instant, and solve any situation without hurting any one. I call it my intuition.

Take notice of when happenings go along smoothly with no struggle at all and very little, if any, effort. When we listen to our intuition or inner voice the path is easy with no obstacles. We might say we’re “in the flow” or in a state of “natural synchronicity.”

An example of NOT “being in the flow” is:

Before attending a breakfast meeting with a customer did you oversleep after a night of tossing and turning, drive on the most congested streets, wait for a parking spot and have your customer forget about the meeting?

I was glancing at the book Your Sixth Sense by Belleruth Naparstek the other day and came across this interesting information about those that easily use their intuition, gut instincts, gut feelings, or inner voice. She interviewed 43 extremely psychic people with solid reputations and a good public track record. Many shared the same health issues, family dynamic and talents.

Typical Characteristics of the Intuitives she Interviewed were:

• A woman in her mid-40s
• Parent or grandparent who displayed psychic abilities
• Some degree of two-handedness or two sidedness
• Being an only child

Do most of your work days run smoothly? Do you feel you are lucky in business? Either your business is happily thriving in this economy or you’re excited to reinvent your business because of it. You must be following your intuition.

Intuition has been defined as a knowing. Other people describe it as a gut instinct or a sense they get. Business owners operating from their intuition notice that their productivity is up, their stress down and that their dreams are coming true.

Here Are Some Other Signs You ARE Operating Your Business Using Your Intuition:

If you find yourself…

Are you one of those business owners who do everything the hard way? Maybe your bottom line is decreasing but you are reluctant to change.

Our intuition can be defined as a gut instinct, a sense or a knowing. Intuition can fix any business problem, eliminate stress and difficult situations, increase productivity, give us the ability to achieve our dreams and most of all, make the process enjoyable.

Here Are Some Other Signs You Are NOT Operating Your Business Using Your Intuition or Gut Instincts:

If you find yourself…

• Spending your day solving one PROBLEM after another.

Believe it or not there are conditions that actually activate our intuition and make it easier to hear intuitive answers.

Are you ready to awaken your intuition, gut instincts, or inner voice? Here are 9 ways:

1 Taking a Shower -

There’s something about warm water beating on your body that releases those intuitive insights.

2 Commuting -

Whether we travel by plane, train or automobile, the commute often gives enough quiet, reflective time to recognize intuitive answers.

3  Brainstorming -

When we bounce ideas around with other people and allow ourselves to open to new possibilities our intuition slips in perfect ideas.

What’s so great about releasing the fear? Every aspect of our entire life would improve tenfold. First, we could hear our intuition or gut instincts so that it could guide us in the decisions we make every minute of the day. When that happens, we could find the perfect job. We could see our relationships with significant others, our children, our clients and ourselves turnaround. By releasing the fear, we could have what everyone wants: we could be HAPPY.

Here are Some Signs We’re Releasing Fear…

When we find ourselves…

• Not taking SIDES

What's so bad about being afraid? Lots! Worry, doubt, and fear causes us to act in ways that get us in terrible situations. Fear causes illness, financial problems and conflict with others.  Fear lowers our self-esteem, and most of all, causes us to remain unhappy.

Here are Signs we Might be in Fear...

When we...

• Are STRESSED, UPSET, ANGRY or RESENTFUL.
• Want to CONTROL the situation.
• Want to PROVE something.
• Find ourselves confronting a lot of OBSTACLES.
• OBSESS. Replaying a situation over and over and thinking about how it could have been avoided, what will happen because of it, what needs to change to fix it and who's to blame.

The Anatomy of Gut Instinct

We’re under more stress than ever before as the economic meltdown has affected everybody in some way or another. We are losing jobs at a record clip. Entire industries are becoming extinct overnight.  Families are being forced from their foreclosed homes. Because of these hard realities, relationships with family and friends are suffering and so is our mental, emotional and physical health.

Everyone is feeling confused, lost and afraid. It’s hard to know what direction to go in. So now it’s more important than ever to rely on your intuition…

I was talking with a student of mine yesterday. She has been looking for a job for several months with no luck. She had a positive perspective, was working at it constantly, read “What Color is Your Parachute?” and answered all the questions, yet… still jobless. She’s feeling blue, and her parachute just isn’t opening as she had hoped. She was baffled about what she was doing wrong.
 

First of all, I cannot stress this enough: this is not just a recession. America is going through a major transition. Everything thing is being turned upside down, inside out, and round about in an effort to straighten it out, and your career is too. So you will have to rely on our intuition more and more.
 

Welcome to the world of Vickie! As I have been watching the news, with the markets crashing and home foreclosures increasing and social security disappearing, I have also been watching levels of panic and confusion rising among the people around me. I’ve had a strong desire to reach out to as many people as I can and, using my knowledge and expertise, do my part to take the fear away through these changing times.