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A Great Life Lesson: Intuition In Disguise
“I’ve trusted the still, small voice of intuition my entire life. And the only time I’ve made mistakes is when I didn’t listen.” Oprah
As women, we are blessed with a strong, protective intuition and I’ve always believed very strongly in my own.
As a police officer…
I remember during a training exercise in the police academy one of the instructors (that I had a HUGE crush on) yelled in a very stern voice, “Hill, you have great instincts!” In that moment, I was able to recognize my intuition and ability to feel things that went beyond just survival instincts and I became the kind of officer that could just look at a person or car and know they’re “dirty.”
I experience this incredible feeling in my coaching practice.
When I work with my private clients, I can feel what’s underneath their money noise and I know what they need. It’s incredible and I believe one of the greatest reasons my clients experience so much success.
The real lesson came when my intuition failed me. Or so I thought.
I was devastated, doubted my intuition and stopped trusting myself when I found out the person I loved wasn’t faithful. I had NO IDEA and I wasn’t just “mind f***ing” myself. I really had no idea. He was tricky!
My devastation didn’t come as much from the failed relationship as it did from being so angry that my intuition failed me:
- How did I not sense anything?!!
- How was I so fooled?!!
- Am I an idiot?
- How could this happen to me?
- I’m so embarrassed!
Then I had one of those Oprah “aha” moments several months later…
My intuition didn’t fail me! It was there all along but not as clear and obvious as, “Hey, your man is banging other chicks.” It was in disguise. I believe it was there AND masked to protect me if only I would have listened. It has been one of my greatest lessons.
Our masked intuition is here to protect us.
My inner voice spoke to me in a way that had nothing to do with a partner being unfaithful.
Small examples of my intuition in disguise:
- I was repulsed by the thought of ever needing to look at his phone even to simply “Google” something. It made my stomach queasy and I had no obvious reason to feel this way. It was just there. So weird. I could not explain why I felt that way.
- I was always ten steps ahead and was obsessed with planning the future. I blamed it on my overly ambitious nature and the need to plan. It was my inner voice speaking to me.
“It’s not always easy to hear your inner voice – especially when certain louder, pushier, and seemingly more sensible presence wants to drown it out.” Martha Beck
It’s always there. Sometimes it’s just a little tricky and not always so obvious. If something doesn’t feel right, even if it’s not logical or you can’t articulate your feelings, then it’s not right. I share my experience because if you’ve ever felt this way, I want you to trust yourself again.
“When you learn, teach.” Maya Angelou
Have you ever experienced your intuition in disguise? Share you experience or any experience you’ve had with your intuition in the comments below. Let your story inspire others.
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12 Responses to “A Great Life Lesson: Intuition In Disguise”
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What a great post Karie! I love how you say “intuition in disguise”. That’s a great way to describe it. I too get feelings about people just by looking at them and would feel the same way if I was in your situation. I think it’s great that you were able to look back and realize that your intuition was there all along, just muffled. The question is how do we stay in tune with our intuition in times like this? I imagine some people meditate, others write in journals… for me a nice long run is what I currently do, though I know I could do more – I can’t quite commit to the others. I have a hard time just relaxing and slowing down. You’re right that being in the moment is key – though it is not easy to do. Always a work in progress. :)
Emily, thanks for the comment! How to stay in tune is such a great question. I think it comes down to CHOOSING to listen and TRUSTING what it says. You’re right though, always a work in progress.
Thank you so much for sharing this personal story, Karie – it’s certainly inspiring to know that it’s ok to let our gut be our guides even if it doesn’t feel rational at the time. I recently re-read a list of all my “mistakes” that I made (an assignment in Danielle LaPorte’s Fire Starter Sessions) …and next to each mistake/failure I had to write the lesson learned. Almost all of them were “didn’t follow my intuition”. Things like taking jobs that “looked good on paper” even though my gut told me “this is not it”…and winding up miserable one week into the position.
Like Emily said – it’s hard to do in the moment but it’s always a work in progress!
Heather, I think the work and fine tuning comes with doing activities like in D.Laporte’s book and recognizing when we didn’t listen and ended up miserable in a job or relationship. We’ll get better and better with time. Thanks for sharing!!! xo
Such a powerful story, thank you for sharing it. It’s so true… even if there’s not logical or obvious reason for bad feelings, there is energy there that your intuition can sense. I recently made my gut the CEO of my life. I’ve brushed off those little feelings or voices and ended up screwing myself over too many times. Even if everything looks good on paper, if my gut isn’t feelin’ good about it, it’s a hell no.
xo
Made your gut the CEO of your life!!! I love this! So well put. Thanks for sharing, Stephenie! I’m writing that on my desk.
Karie,
I can identify with my intuition speaking through me in disguise. When I was growing up I was taught not to listen to it. I was taught to mistrust what I was feeling that was different from what I was being told.
Here is the thing I am extremely intuitive which is a gift. Yet sometimes, its hard for me to accept that things are not the way I would like them to be or that people that I love would act in a way that would be hurtful.
I have learned to come to peace with honing back into my intuition. To realigned my life in all areas of my life and most importantly trust my GUT. If its says no- then its a no even though it may seem perfect on paper. I just had a gift that came into my life that I have to say no because intuitively know it’s not align with what my needs are. Ok I am rambling here- but great post!
Laura, thank you so much for sharing. I think you identified something so important: “…it’s hard for me to accept that things are not the way I would like them to be or that people I love would act in a way that would be hurtful.” Soooo good and honest. Thank you for that xoxo
Lovely, Karie. This is such a beautiful story…really. I know that it was so hurtful, but to come to understand your intuition is with you, ready to take the mask off when you are ready. This really speaks to me. My body,she knows things. Sometimes I ignore my intuition, if my body doesn’t feel right. I need to honor that more. I believe that we really are never blind sighted. We know. This is such a great reminder of how our “masked intuition is here to protect us.” I know that when I’m ready, all will be revealed. Great post, Karie!
Lisa, thank you for the beautiful comment. I love you to pieces!
Yup. Same here. My husband was having an affair for two years, with someone from work. I did not know. However that whole time I HATED his job, and desperately tried to get him to leave, and do something else…now it makes a lot more sense. I swear I have gotten more answers and clarity in one day from you than I have this whole month. Thank you Karie.
I absolutely love that you shared this! Another GREAT example of intuition in disguise. I think this is such an important conversation for women to have. I hope your heart has healed and you’ve taken the steps to build trust in YOU again. xo