Fear vs. intuition - recognizing the difference
Often times when you start on a self-development journey, there is a lot of conflicting thoughts going on in your head.Part of you is excited to shed some of those limiting beliefs and start gaining confidence. But a big part of you will feel even worse than before, self-doubt is at its highest. Or maybe you are at the stage where you feel pretty neutral, like you don’t know what to believe.I get it, it is confusing to know what your real thoughts are. You start to not recognize yourself anymore.But the main thing you must learn to master in order to follow through on the journey is learning to listen to your intuition.Your intuition knows exactly what is best for you and will guide you through each step effortlessly. It will show you the path to everything you have dreamed of for yourself.Sounds nice right? Like it’s almost too easy?Well the thing is that intuition gets drowned out by a much louder voice, fear.Fear is what has been conditioned in you since childhood, what has been passed down to you through family and religion, and what your self-doubt is born from.See fear was useful when our ancestors first were navigating the world, it would alert them to any possible dangers in effort to stay alive.That voice had to be loud, it was a part of our brain make up. So even though our society has evolved and we don’t have the same ancestral dangers, our brain chemistry is pretty much the same. Fear will now cling on to whatever it finds as a possible threat, yes even the fear of a big speech will leave your blood pressure soaring. Fear is also connected to the ego, the ego doesn’t want the old you to die and grow up because that is it’s comfort zone.Why do you think new experiences scare you so much? Even though you know it’s the right thing to do. This is why change is terrifying to most people, the fear of the unknown can be debilitating. But I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to fear anything anymore, you have an inner guide to help you. To show you the clear path along the way.The trick is to find that voice, and build on it. It’s gets easier with practice.The purpose of this post to first learn to recognize the difference between the two. In my next post I will detail how to start building trust and fostering the intuitive side of you.So let’s look at the different characteristics of each.FEAR
- Is stuck on past events and points out what you did “wrong”
- regret is the predominant emotion
- deathly afraid of failure and following through on new projects
- shuts down any idea of creativity or challenge
- is happiest when you stay with what you know and a routine
- has a sense of urgency, likes things have to be completed right away
- prompts anxiety, depression, guilt, and shame
- lives in all or nothing thinking, there is no in between
- this voice likes to play on repeat throughout the day, pointing out the same things
- this is a loud, harsh, predominant voice inside you
INTUITION
- gentle, uplifting and inspiring
- does not live in the past, dreams about goals for the future
- likes to focus on things you are capable of accomplishing
- wants what is best for you
- knows exactly the next step is and will provide gentle nudges
- much quieter voice, easy to get drowned out by fear
- thrives in new experiences, creativity and play
- does not spiral in an endless loop, it will provide its guidance and wait for you to act
- the biggest player in growing self-respect and love
As you can see, intuition is definitely the guide we all want in our lives and the great news is that we all have it! Just takes some learning, trust and a whole lot of patience.Check out part 2 in my upcoming post to learn how to start hearing your intuition!