Inquire Within

Principle #47 in Jack Canfield’s book “The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be” is Inquire Within. In short, it just means to listen to your intuition.

It’s important to mention that listening to your intuition isn’t a talent that you’re born with or you’re born without. It’s actually a skill that you can hone and improve.

“All the resources we need are in the mind.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

Intuition can be as simple as thinking of a friend, and suddenly getting a call from that friend.

Sometimes, it can be a clear indication to take action. As an example, my mailbox frequently fills with information on refinancing my home. Normally, I just ignore these. However, an inner voice recently urged me to look into it, so I did. Ultimately, I reduced the mortgage from 4.5% to 3.5% at almost zero cost.  The day we closed, I learned that current interest rates had raised significantly and if I hadn’t acted when I did, there was no way I could get the same interest rate.

Intuition can be a subtle feeling that something is wrong. I frequently get this as I’m pulling out of my driveway when I’ve forgotten something. I’ve learned to listen to this, at least most of the time. When I go back inside and look around, the forgotten item is readily apparent. Not too long ago, I ignored the feeling and ended up on a weekend trip without my computer glasses.

For the record, a magnifying glass isn’t a very good substitute for glasses.

Increase Your Intuition

You probably recognize times when your intuition sent you messages. With that in mind, how can you get your intuition to speak to you more often?

One simple way is to expect the messages and look for them. You know best how these intuitive messages came to you in the past. Expect them to come again, and look for them.

This does require you to be in the moment. If you’re worried about something in the future or expending energy regretting something that happened in the past, it’s difficult for your intuitive voice to come through. I find that I receive intuitive messages the most while taking walks or going on bike rides.

Jack mentions that meditation is another way to increase your intuition. He says that “meditation will help you clear out distractions and teach you to recognize subtle impulses from within…. As you meditate and become more spiritually attuned, you can better discern and recognize the sound of your [intuition]…”

Said another way, meditation helps you be in the moment more often.

“The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery.
There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition
or what you will, and the solution comes to you,
and you don’t know how or why”

– Albert Einstein

Ask Questions

Another way to get direct answers from your intuition is to ask questions. It’s often best to ask questions that start with one of the following:

• Should I ___
• What should I do about ___
• How can I ___
• What can I do to ___

Fill in the blank with whatever you’re asking about. For example, it might be one of the following:

• Should I pursue a technical certification?
• Should I refinance my mortgage?
• What can I do to pass the Security+ exam
• How can I get a higher salary?
• How can I increase sales?

I often do this during a bike ride. I formulate the question and then repeat it to myself multiple times during the ride. Sometimes the answer is crystal clear by the end of the ride, and other times the message comes to me later. However, it has been an effective method of getting an answer to an issue that has been bothering me.

Inquire Within Summary

Your intuition has messages that can help you. All you have to do is tune into those messages by being in the present more often. Meditation is one of the best methods of helping you be in the present more and hear your intuitive messages. Another way is to simply ask your intuition a question and ask for answers.

Here’s a link to other musing’s on Jack Canfield’s Success Principles.

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