Tapping into your most powerful professional resource

The world of business is undergoing radical transformation. With the explosion of technology, a new world economy, and a mass exodus of talent from employment to entrepreneurship, the rules and tools of business have dramatically changed, making leadership an expedition into uncharted and often choppy waters. It is now more than ever survival of the fittest.

Fortunately, there is one ageless faculty a professional can draw on in such an unpre-dictable era to guide him or her to successful guaranteed business success—your intuition.

Some call it “instinct.” Others know it as the “gut feeling,” or a “hunch.” Emerson called it “the divine impulse.” I simply call it, “your vibes.” Whatever you call it, we all recognize it as the deep, bone-marrow kind of knowing that transcends reason and logic, defies understanding, and yet undeniably points you in the right direction when all else fails.

Most successful professionals know what intuition, or trusting your vibes, is and have experienced it. They agree it is an invaluable tool for success in the modern world. But few know how it works, and fewer still know there are things you can do to activate and accelerate it to work when you need it.

For starters, your sixth sense, your vibes, works best from a solid foundation of knowledge. How knowledgeable are you of your business? As a professional worker, how well-informed are you of your company’s affairs? And by informed, I do not mean simply having an awareness of paper facts. Real knowledge is far more than information; it’s derived from having direct experience with your employees and clients in the trenches. When did you last visit the engine rooms of your company, or observe the day-to-day world of your managers and workers? Do you even know who your co-workers are and how they are performing? Are you keeping your knowledge of the company current and sharp by refreshing your direct experience on a regular basis?

Secondly, intuition, or your vibes, is driven by enthusiasm. It is a byproduct of an intense desire to make what you care about even better. Are you passionate about your business? Or has your focus deteriorated to just meeting the bottom line? If you’ve lost a genuine love for your job, then intuition will be overcome by cynicism and fear, causing your company to lead you, rather than you contributing to and leading the company.

Next, tuning into your vibes requires a clear and organized mind. Intuition is a subtle and fleeting insight that can be easily lost under a mountain of unfinished business, or swept away in the drama of disorder. Is it time to catch up with old matters, finish unfinished business, and clear your desk? The more you procrastinate, the greater your loss when it comes to tapping into your intuitive reserves.

Finally, your vibes are a physical, as much as a psychic sense. It depends on your physical body relaying messages as if it were a radio broadcasting to your mind through your gut feelings, your subtle vibes, your heart-based instincts. If you are hung-over, stressed-out, under-exercised, sleep-deprived, over-scheduled, and preoccupied, then chances are you will miss the subtle calling cards of your intuition. You can only pick up the intuitive broadcast if the radio (your body) is working.

Your vibes best capture your attention when your mind has quiet moments. If you rush through each day like a firefighter on a drill, you will feel very little of anything, let alone the subtle vibrations coming from your intuitive channel. To discern the subtle takes time. Slow down; give yourself a break. Some of the greatest inventions and visions were born in a moment of doing nothing. Doing nothing doesn’t mean nothing is being done. On the contrary, giving yourself a little breathing space allows your higher awareness to kick in and offer its input.

To activate your sixth sense (your vibes), you must calm your other senses as well. Delegate. Meditate. Take a walk. Do whatever it takes to eliminate distractions and create a window of intuitive opportunity. Conrad Hilton used to sit quietly until intuition kicked in. Benjamin Franklin flew a kite. Isaac Newton meditated under an apple tree. Find your quiet corner for inspiration. Expect intuition to show up. And it will!

The dictionary defines intuition as “immediate cog-nition,” which requires a paying of acute attention. The word literally means, “inner teacher.” Get into the habit of listening to your “inner teacher” and expecting it to guide you. When you expect something you create an energetic vacuum which the Universe seeks to fill. A case in point is two guys driving into town—one expects to find a parking space, the other doesn’t. They both turn out to be right. 

Your intuitive vibes work off the creative part of your brain. Mix your routines up a bit to keep your attention fresh and to avoid falling into a mental rut. Take a new route to work. Enter through a different door. Wear a color you don’t normally wear. Cut lunchtime in half and take a walk.

Intuitive people do not dwell on problems. They ponder offbeat solutions and expect to find them. In fact, they consider this a creative sport and love playing it. They work their intuitive muscles to enter a super-conscious state of mind.

Above all, have the courage to trust your vibes. Every great leader has been willing to play the fool. Disney was considered a nut. The Wright brothers were called daft. Edison was “eccentric,” at best. Progressive thinkers have always challenged conventional wisdom as they blaze a trail to the top.

The bottom line is if you want to succeed in a changing world of business and have a great time along the way, utilize and trust to the fullest your greatest natural business tool—your vibes.

Sonia Choquette, author of Trust Your Vibes, is a world-renowned intuitive and spiritual teacher. Visit www.soniachoquette.com for more information.

10 things you can do to activate your intuitive vibes

1. Write down your professional goals. Intuition supports clear intentions. Keep your goals clearly posted and review them every day.

2. Visualize your success. Imagine exactly what you want to happen in your business. Intuition supports your vision. Sharpen your visualization skills by sharing your vision with others and observe if they can see your dreams as well as you.

3. Get enough sleep. Your vibes shut down when you are fatigued.

4. Keep a little notebook or tape recorder and record your gut feelings, ah-hah moments, and bright ideas as they arise. Do not edit, censor, or dismiss anything. You will soon see it all counts.

5. Sound it out. Find sympathetic friends who will listen to your intuitive hunches. Sharing a gut feeling is the best way to validate your intuition and gain confidence in listening to your higher awareness.

6. Take time out for reflection. Intuition lies just beneath our conscious awareness and rises to the surface during quiet moments. Rushing through the day prevents your inner voice from speaking out. Schedule regular periods of 5 to 10 minutes throughout the week to do nothing but sit and ponder.

7.  Leave the job at your desk. Sometimes the best way to activate your intuitive and creative muscles is to walk away from a problem and let the answers incubate on their own. Do something stimulating and fun on your evenings and weekends. Allowing this side of your brain to take over while giving your work side a rest brings new perspectives and ideas that can take you to a new level of solution.

8.  Ask for help. Have the wisdom to be open to receiving help in all ways, and do not hesitate to seek guidance the minute you need it. Being open to guidance is the starting gun to an intuitive life and separates the ordinary from the extraordinary in today’s working world.

9. Keep your office clean and organized. Your sixth sense thrives on order, not chaos. A clear desk leaves the clear mind needed for tuning into your vibes.

10. Acknowledge your intuitive successes openly and comfortably. Share your vibes positively, regarding them as a natural asset designed to help you succeed and not as something to wrestle with or question. Recognize they are a reflection of your higher power, and put them to use every day.

by Sonia Choquette