Intuition can be described as gut instinct or a sixth sense. Often dismissed as an ‘inferior system’ by many analytical-based thinkers, relying on intuition can help with decision-making when rational thought may not be available. In fact, some of the world’s top thought-leaders say that they often leverage feelings and experience when handling crises both in their business and professional lives.

When we subconsciously spot patterns, the body starts firing neurochemicals in both the brain and the gut. These patterns or feelings, often referred to as somatic markers, are what gives us that instant sense that something is right … or wrong. Not only are these automatic processes faster than rational thought, but our intuition draws from decades of diverse qualitative experience (sights, sounds, interactions, etc.) – a human feature that big data alone could never accomplish. This is why it’s also important to note that science can only quantify so much. In other words, not everything is scientifically measurable.

Robin Sharma, one of my most impactful and prolific mentors, often talks about what he calls the four interior empires – mindset, heartset, healthset & soulset. He believes that when all four pillars are aligned we can begin to live out our best lives. He also believes that energy is more valuable than intelligence. And that connecting to our higher nature, intuition and noble virtues everyday, is imperative to personal growth.

So, how can staying connected to our intuition and inner most beings help us achieve our wellness goals? Well, in the same way we exercise our bodies, when we exercise the muscle of our intuition, life’s hard knocks become much more infrequent, and grace and peace replace high and low emotional experiences.

Staying connected to our intuition or being more empathic, like most things, requires discipline. One of the best ways to strengthen our intuition is through meditation. Messages from our intuition tend to be quiet, so spending time in silence will help us hear and interpret these messages. Another method is through paying attention to our dreams as well as escaping our daily routines. When the cognitive mind is busy, it can override the intuitive right brain and the subconscious mind, the wellspring of intuition. But when we’re sleeping, our cognitive mind rests and opens space for the subconscious mind to signal us in our dreams.

Messages from our inner selves helps us learn to recognize the trustworthy voice of intuition so we can let this voice guide us instead of taking orders from external world and ultimately learn how to become more intrinsic in nature.