Professional Women and Intuition

We all know about women and intuition, or we think we do. Most of us use it naturally and some of us more than others. Using intuition and being able to think intuitively can of course be very advantageous in the workplace. There are several ways of looking at just what intuition is, various ways of developing it and learning to trust it. As professional women it can be useful to know when to use it and when not to.

The French Philosopher Henri Bergson described intuition as 'the ability to sense or know immediately without reasoning'. Albert Einstein called it a 'sacred gift.' One school of thought is that there is nothing magical about intuition. It is simply our brains making connections based on what we already know from previous experience and reading subtle body language signs. Howard Gardener, a Harvard professor and psychologist terms intuition as "basically a form of pattern recognition". Other schools of thought see intuition more as tapping into the universal consciousness, or a higher power. Whichever way you choose to look at what intuition is, it can be a powerful tool for professional women to use. It creates credibility, and understanding at a deeper level.

Developing your intuition and learning to trust it can be a fun experience. Most professional women know how to use their intuition naturally but there is nothing wrong with developing it further. Most of us recognize those subtle body changes that tell us our intuition is at work. That 'gut feeling' or for some almost a change of taste in the mouth, a feeling in your hands. Why not track your intuitive moments by making a quick note. You can go back and see whether your intuition was right. The more often it is the more you know you are in tune and can trust it.

Doodling, meditating, and day-dreaming are all ways to develop your intuition too. When doodling, drawing, or day-dreaming our minds tend to go into the alpha state where the conscious and sub-conscious overlap. This is where, according to some psychologists, the intuitive part of us takes over. Quieting the ever loud conscious voice gets us used to hearing that quiet voice that says - go this way, or danger, or that person is not what they seem.

Most professional women know that using your intuition in the workplace can work wonders. Knowing who to trust, knowing which idea is going to work or is worth a shot, thinking 'out of the box' are all useful applications of intuition.

There are times though when it is advisable to back up your intuition with logic and reasoning. Hiring a new employee or going with a particular action plan should be checked against logical criteria. Most of the time our intuition backs up the criteria but that doesn't always happen. Most women find that their intuition is never wrong when it comes to 'bad' feelings, but our intuition can sometimes fool us when it comes to the 'I have a good feeling' situations. Continue to develop your intuition, but check that you know the difference between intuition and blind impulse.

Please note: NAPW, The National Association of Professional Women, allows members and affiliates to post articles of interest to it's blog. This blog in no way reflects the views of NAPW.