How to Take the First Steps Toward Trusting Your Intuition

Are you intuitive? And, when you receive intuitive guidance, do you trust it and take the corresponding action?

Maybe you don’t really understand intuition or how to know if you are intuitive. If so, you are not alone.

The word “intuition” is most often defined as “the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning.” It’s an internal “knowing” or certainty.

The Conversation reported that a 2016 survey found that 50.3 percent of all Americans agreed with the statement “I trust my gut to tell me what’s true and what’s not.” Suppose that survey was representative of the world population. In that case, we could say 50 percent of all people believe they are intuitive and trust their intuition.

I consider intuition an internal guidance system. Intuitive people talk about “gut feelings,” “just knowing,” and physical confirmation, like hairs standing up on their arms when they know something is true or correct. Not only do they get “intuitive hits,” they trust this guidance completely—and act on it.

And intuitives swear that trust and action lead to magical transformations. The guidance might not make sense or seem crazy, but when followed, things change. They change. Their lives change.

I’ve heard the stories. I’ve seen the results.

Pay Attention

To trust your intuition, which means acting on its guidance, you have to receive it. Said another way, you must realize or acknowledge you’ve had an intuitive hit. Yet, many people—myself included—don’t pay enough attention to notice an intuitive message even if it were to smack them in the face.

(Maybe that’s why we call them intuitive “hits” when the guidance is strong enough to make us sit up and take notice.)

For quite a while, I’ve been aware that I don’t receive my intuitive hits. So, I’ve been paying closer attention, and I’m starting to notice when my intuition guides me.

Stop Ignoring Intuitive Hits

I understand that my intuition guides me all the time. In fact, I think I notice my intuitive hits more often than I acknowledge. But I ignore them.

Worse, if I do pay attention and acknowledge the guidance, I don’t trust it. Therefore, I don’t take the corresponding action.

Then I wonder why I don’t get amazing transformations… “Where’s the magic?” I wonder.

It’s on the other side of trusting my intuition.

If I trusted my intuition, which means acting on the guidance I receive, I would get more intuitive hits. Or maybe I would just notice the internal advice more often.

First, though, I have to stop ignoring my intuitive messages. Then I can trust and act upon this guidance.

Tarot as an Intuitive Vehicle

I’ve been taking courses related to receiving intuition. As a result, I’ve developed a practice of doing intuitive readings with Tarot or oracle cards for myself. These tools help me tap into my intuition.

The other day, I suddenly had the thought, “Pull out your Tarot cards and do a reading for someone else. It will help you tap into your intuition.” It has been many years since I read for anyone else.

You may think Tarot is about being psychic, not intuitive. But intuitives can read cards, too.

In my late 20s, I learned how to read the Tarot. I was not told to study what each card means but, instead, to allow my intuition to speak to me through the image.

I have proof that when I read Tarot cards my intuition comes through. I would occasionally do readings for other people, and they consistently told me the readings were accurate.

In this case, I decided to trust my intuition. I posted a message in a Facebook group populated with people who might be interested in a free Tarot reading, which is what I offered. One person took me up on the offer.

The reading was accurate, according to the woman. This proved to me, once again, that my intuition is there. And, if I can receive and use it for other people, I can do the same for myself.

If you don’t think you are receiving intuitive messages, try using a Tarot or oracle deck of some kind. Ask a question…pull a card. See what advice you get.

Trust Your Intuition

I believe we are all intuitive. It’s just a matter of whether or not we’re paying attention to the internal guidance system. If you acknowledge your intuition, the next step is to trust it. You do that by following the guidance and taking action.

As a result, you’ll see your intuition getting stronger and more frequent. If you ignore those intuitive hits, though, like me, you’ll struggle to get more of them and perceive them clearly.

Follow Your Intuition

You’ve probably heard that advice: follow your intuition. I’ve been paying heed to this admonition to trust and take action.

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to interview for a coaching position that seemed like a good fit professionally and financially. I went through an extensive interview process, but the farther I got into it, the more I knew the position was not right for me. Every time I had to take another step in the process, my body felt heavy and my emotions turned negative. I started feeling angry and frustrated.

I realized this was my intuition telling me the position was not for my highest good. So, I didn’t wait to be offered (or not offered) the job. I wrote an email that explained, “This opportunity doesn’t feel right for me. Therefore, I’m no longer interested and am removing myself from the mix.”

I’ve also followed my intuition about registering for several high-ticket personal and spiritual growth coaching programs this year. I based my decision solely on the fact that I felt drawn to the programs.

I’ll admit that I had issues around the amount of money required to enroll, but I trusted and took action. The programs were terrific and just what I needed at the time—and I paid for them all without issue.

Watch the Magic!

I’ve not seen any huge transformations due to my small, intuitive leaps or growing ability to trust my intuition. I have, however, seen a bit of magic here and there.

For instance, I felt called to reach out to a psychic who used to be a client of mine for a reading. I knew she had a tremendously long waiting list. I put myself on the list and followed an intuitive nudge to send her an email and let her know I’d done so. She replied within 24 hours. Her email said, “I thought of you last week and wanted to work with you again. Would you like to trade sessions? I can do your reading in July.” Of course, I said yes.

This past week, I texted a former neighbor. I was looking for a professional referral she’d provided previously but couldn’t find it. While she has been slow to respond in the past, I had a text from her in moments. And she told me she had many more names to give me.

We decided to meet and catch up. Before I could respond with a date, I ran into the woman. She was heading to her old house to ready it for sale. I just happened to be walking near her driveway when she drove by.

A little trust. A little action. A little magic!

3-Step Process for Trusting Your Intuition

The more you trust your intuition and take action on it, the higher the likelihood of strengthening this skill. Yet, trusting can feel scary. After all, you are acting on a “hunch”—no data or reasoning involved. Just your gut feeling.

You might think receiving intuitive guidance is the biggest hurdle to jump over. Actually, it’s trusting the advice you receive.

So, how do you trust your intuition? I have discovered three specific steps that help me deepen my level of trust.

1. Ask your intuition to guide you.

Don’t wait for intuition to guide you. Engage your intuition with questions. Eventually, you won’t need the queries to receive intuitive information.

For instance, you can feel your way into decisions. Ask for intuitive answers to questions, like “Should I eat this or that?” “Should I go here or there?” “Should I wear this or that?” “Should I walk or lift weights?” Build up to more significant decisions and actions.

By asking for guidance, you open yourself to receive it. When you get an answer, you are paying attention. Thus, you are more likely to notice and trust the intuitive hit.

2. Acknowledge intuitive guidance.

When you notice an intuitive hit, acknowledge it. Say to yourself, “That’s my intuition.” Receive the fact that your intuition is speaking to and guiding you.

The more you acknowledge that you are intuitive, the deeper your knowing that you are intuitively guided. That knowledge helps you trust the messages you receive.

3. Take Action

Then, you have to trust the information received enough to take aligned action. Start with small actions if necessary, like responding to the answers you get related to the questions asked about food, activities, clothing, etc.

Build up to actions related to significant life choices. You’ll feel more confident doing so when you see the results of the more minor actions you’ve taken based on intuitive guidance.

The more you trust your intuition, the stronger your intuitive abilities become. Action flows out of trust. We rarely want to do something based on advice if we don’t trust the advisor.

Your intuition is a trusted advisor. It has your best interest in mind, and it will speak more often and loudly when you are listening. After a while, though, you’ll only need to hear it whisper to notice the guidance being offered. And you’ll hardly hesitate to act upon its advice.

Do you trust your intuition? What magic has happened when you took action on your intuitive hits? Tell me in a comment below. And please share this post with friends who might need to trust their intuition.