We’re saddened by the passing of Steve Jobs on Wednesday. Whether or not you liked his leadership style or how he got things done, you’ll agree that he’ll go down history as a phenomenal innovator. Yet, from what I can tell, what has gone viral on social media since his passing isn’t how to build great technologies. Instead, they are:
* His
2005 commencement speech at Stanford University urging all to do what we love and
never settle for anything less. (A previous “Moments of Grace” article
was inspired by this speech.)
* A
quote from him that urges us all to listen to our intuition and our hearts.
Source: Thomas
Skavhellen from Facebook
Love, intuition and
heart? All heart-based and right-brain stuff that defies logic and rational
reasoning of the left brain, the backbone of the corporate world and western
society. Yet, because these recommendations come from a venerable titan of the face-paced
technology world, they make even the toughest skeptic among us pause and ponder.
More importantly, the fact that these words of Jobs’ went viral means that apparently
they really struck a deep cord within many of us--even those who’d normally
roll their eyes over mentions of such touchy-feeling things as intuition and
heart.
Assuming you’re on
board Jobs’ urging to listen to your intuition, let’s talk about that. Our
intuition speaks to us in a number of different ways. There are two simple
practices you can develop to access your intuition.
Meditation – Quieting your rational mind is the
best way to access your intuitive wisdom. Don’t believe me? Jobs meditated
regularly. Choose a style that works for you, whether it’s focusing on your
breath, a word or a mantra, or any other style that resonates with you for
quieting your mind. You don’t have to meditate for hours and hours. Even 10 to 15
minutes a day will do wonders in strengthening your connection to your
intuition.
Hot-penning – That’s basically a form of
journaling which is more a “heart-dump” or “gut-dump” than a “brain-dump.” Set
a timer for 5 to 10 minutes, preferably first thing in the morning before your
get-things-done rational mind kicks into full gear or when you can find the
time and space to relax and be receptive to insights. Until the timer goes off,
just write whatever stream of consciousness surfaces. Don’t think or worry
about grammar, spelling, etc.
Whether or not we
choose to tap into our intuition, the wisdom, knowing and unbounded creativity is
always there within us waiting for us to pay attention. Dreams are one means
through which our intuition sends messages to us. When we’re in deep sleep, our
rational mind is shut down, but our intuition remains awake and active. Its
wisdom regarding any situation we happen to be facing comes through dreams. I’ll
write a separate article on dreams another time.
Besides dreams, there
are also the four types of “Clair,” the French root for clarity. That is, our
intuition often offers us clarity for whatever we’re facing in our lives. When Jobs
recommended that we listen to our intuition, he basically urged us to get
clarity on what we love from our inner wisdom, to listen to our inner voice. The
four types of “Clair” are:
*
Clairvoyance
– clarity through seeing images and pictures
*
Clairaudience
– clarity through hearing messages, often soundless
*
Clairsentience
– clarity through feelings and sensations
*
Claircognizance
– clarity through knowing without reason
If you’ve ever seen
pictures in your mind’s eye, heard a voiceless message, felt an unexplainable sensation
in your body, and/or known something out of the blue without understanding why,
it was your intuition messaging to you. We’re all “Clair” in some way, but it
requires us to drop our skepticism and allow the messages to come through.
Don’t worry if you
aren’t yet ready to pay attention to dreams or any of the “Clair”s. Develop a
regular meditation and/or hot-penning practice. The key is to allow your inner
voice – your intuition, your heart, your gut – some regular airtime, so that it
doesn’t get drowned out by others’ expectations and prescriptions of how you
should live.
Live the life you’re
born to live. Listen to Steve Jobs.
Why not share your experience of accessing or following intuitive guidance in the comment box below?
~~~~~~~~~
You can find a
discussion of intuition and dreams in the Epilogue of REACH Your Dreams: Five Steps to be a Conscious Creator in Your Life.
If you love my book,
I’d be so grateful if you’d consider writing a couple sentences about it on amazon.com.
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