Intuition is a primal gut instinct, built in for survival. When your pet senses danger – it retreats and follows its gut instinct. Humans are the only living creatures that ignore those primal gut instincts. We are the only living creatures that sense danger - yet continue to move toward it.

Lynn Robinson, Author of “Trust Your Gut: How The Power of Intuition Can Grow Your Business” and Founder of LynnRobinson.com, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Lynn teaches us how to recognize when intuition is attempting to communicate with us - and to learn to listen to it.

Here’s a sampling of topics from the show:

• Logic and facts — are left brain qualities and intuition is a right brain quality. Your logic speaks in one voice and your intuition speaks in another - BOTH are giving you valuable information.

• Increase your intuition by — asking yourself an open ended question and then wait for information to arrive. Practice this by writing down your question on a piece of paper and placing it in your pocket. You will find that throughout your day, images may flood your mind, hunches may reveal themselves and flashes of insight will arrive. Remember, intuition contains a “fleeting” quality - do not dismiss fleeting thoughts.

• “Freeze framing” — is a valuable tool to increase intuition. When you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious and are unable to make a decision, shift your focus from your emotions and focus on your “heart” and your breathing. This will slow down your racing mind and assist your in filtering out the information you are to receive.

German-born American physicist, Albert Einstein, once said, “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” He believed in it - and he relied on it. As does entrepreneur and co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, who was quoted as saying, “Often you have to rely on intuition.”

Intuition is a valuable tool that each of us carries. If you learn to listen to it and use it to your benefit, especially when it comes to important decisions, you can begin to become more confident in yourself, reduce self-doubt and become empowered by it.

Lynn offers additional techniques to increase your intuition and begin to tap into your “inner consultant” to make wise decisions. If you’d like to learn more about the power of intuition or learn techniques to increase it, you can do so by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Lynn’s full interview.

 

 If Your Intuition Is Talking, Listen! [29:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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1. It is always interesting how that little voice can sometimes be so accurate. I do believe in going with your gut instinct. Lynn’s own story of intuition is exciting to hear.

   Comment by Amanda — 4/24/2008 @ 11:34 am

2. Lynn Robinson,

   Philosophically speaking, you don’t have something like intuition. The human being means of survival is logical thinking. I believe you could have some kind of “gut” feeling that is responding to your subconscious mind, but we don’t have intuition. I will listen to the podcast and come back later with further thoughts and comments. In the meantime, please read the following page: http://www.aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/instinct.html

   Best Premises,

   Martin Lindeskog - American in Spirit.
   Gothenburg, Sweden.

   Comment by Martin Lindeskog — 4/25/2008 @ 2:58 am

3. I am a believer in intuition or gut instinct and view mankind as a rather arrogrant species. There’s certainly more to this universe than logic and facts - the beauty of the unknown. And all of our logic and fact based thinking still can’t provide answers for many of life’s mysteries. I believe Lynn is correct in her belief that man’s existence here on earth is comprised of logic and fact based thought processes combined with primal senses that our culture has instructed us to ignore.

   Many a great man has believed in the power of intuition and has acknowledged that we do not yet retain all of the facts of our existence. Regardless of what your personal beliefs are, however, I think everyone should listen to themselves - whether it’s through logic or gut feelings. Follow your own heart. . .

   Comment by Chris — 4/25/2008 @ 10:15 am

4. I too believe that life is not black and white. There are a lot of gray areas that may or may not be explained. Intuition, I guess, must be one of those areas. I am a firm believer that intuition helps guide us in life.

   Martin, believe what you want but I find it amusing that you discredit Lynn & her business before you even listen to her interview.

   Comment by Don — 4/25/2008 @ 12:00 pm

5. Don,

   I didn’t “discredit” Lynn & her business. I only wanted to make a statement and get the conversation going. I will listen to the show. Please chill out! But, life is black and white. If you start with a grey mixture, you have to start with a combination of black and white. I recommend you to read John Cox & Allen Forkum’s editorial cartoons and their books with the title Black & White World. http://www.coxandforkum.com

   Comment by Martin Lindeskog — 4/25/2008 @ 7:33 pm

6. Lynn’s work is on the cutting edge of everything that we need to to overcome the tremendously challenges that we are all facing. More people are going to move into the mindset of creating their own businesses. When people consciously choose to work at this level it will give you a greater access or creative ideas and profitiablity. http://www.truepositivethoughts.com

   Comment by Sheree — 4/26/2008 @ 10:04 am

7. For you, Martin. . .

   “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, can no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.”

   - Albert Einstein

   Comment by Margaret Chow — 4/27/2008 @ 1:52 am

8. I was impressed with Lynn’s story involving intuition that brought about the thriving business she has today. What a great story and isn’t it funny how things happen. I believe all things happen for a reason, and Lynn choosing to take the seat she did that special day - is proof of it.

   Comment by Allen — 4/30/2008 @ 3:34 pm

9. Margaret Chow: So, by quoting Albert Einstein, I should take the role as the blind man?! ;( I practise some of the things that Lynn Robinson is mentioning, e.g. a type of open ended questions by introspection. My point was to discuss the concept of “intuition” from a philosophical perspective, but I see that I failed to get the message across and I got hit hard by some comments… Was it your “intuition” that played a trick? I hope we could continue the thread in a nice manner.

   Comment by Martin Lindeskog — 5/5/2008 @ 9:42 pm

10. Obviously intuition must be a touchy subject. I think things happen for a reason and that fate puts us in certain opportunities. It was great to hear Lynn’s take on intuition and how she has made a successful business by trusting in it.

    Comment by Tucker — 5/9/2008 @ 9:25 am

11. My intuition tells me to share a story of when I hired a web designer even though I didn’t feel confident we were on the same page. He had come highly recommended, but the more we talked the further apart our thinking seemed to be. I ended up losing my deposit because I didn’t listen to my intuition which told me to keep looking for a person with whom I could communicate clearly and comfortably.

    Comment by Marian Banker — 10/15/2008 @ 3:22 pm

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