How To Be Smarter than ChatGPT: Activate Your Intuitive Mind
My past in retail taught me a valuable lesson: the power of basics and simplicity. As a manager, I'd often challenge my teams to explore multiple actions, dive into uncharted territories, but in that excitement, we'd often lose track of what truly mattered. That's when I'd declare, 'Let's go back to basics,' and it unfailingly steered us back on course.
So, when I decided to apply that same rule to my personal life, a brand new way of life opened to me. A way without resistance, a way of meaning, a way of alignment, a way on which it just feels right.
But what does it mean to go back to basics in one's personal life? It's simply about becoming aware of what is. It sounds pretty philosophical, especially for the logical minds like mine, which thrives on complex problems. At first, I denied its simplicity, always assuming that it couldn't be so straightforward. YET IT IS!
The key here is to calm the mind, to quieten the judgmental and over-analytical side. It's like teaching your mind to pause the incessant thinking and focus more on just being.
How did I manage that? Well, it took some time. My tool of choice was chanting meditation. I recall practicing it diligently every day for what might've been about 8 to 10 months. I distinctly remember a phase where I felt like I was losing my mind, and that sparked a bit of panic within me. I couldn't think the way I used to - my strength lay in planning, problem-solving, and being highly strategic. Yet, this opened a new door for me - accessing a higher mind, the intuitive mind.
Trusting this intuitive mind became my next challenge. Why? Because intuitive insights are often everything but logical. Following the intuitive mind feels like navigating through an entirely unknown world blindfolded. So, yes, I faced a LOT of resistance.
Learning to trust this new way of thinking - accessing knowledge through the intuitive mind - was a gradual process. I worked daily on trusting these intuitive insights that were not logically explainable, especially thoughts guiding my next steps in life where the 'why' wasn't evident.
It took another 10 months to fully embrace and trust my intuitive mind, as well as to trust the process. Surprisingly, I found myself in a situation where someone tried to solve an issue logically, and I couldn't follow that line of thinking anymore. I simply responded, ‘I no longer approach things this way.’ It was a transition from making countless assumptions to a decision-making process influenced by the simple observation of how it makes me feel. But for that, I needed to liberate myself from inner judgment, develop awareness of what is, and embrace all perceptions with complete neutrality.
Training to activate the intuitive mind involves developing awareness of:
My thoughts: Are they empowering or disempowering? Are they assumptions? Do they stem from taking the situation personally?
My limiting beliefs and inner critic
My breath
My emotions
My body sensations
My surroundings
And so much more…
An easy exercice I like to do to expand my awareness is asking, "What am I aware of right now?". I stay present and start listing.
Another simple tool to activate the intuitive mind when I feel overly active or agitated: Inhale and exhale through the left nostril only for 11 minutes. That's exactly what I did before writing this post. Total time spent: 15 minutes!
But what’s best in accessing the intuitive mind is the benefits of it! And one major benefit is TIME! More time for friends and family, more relaxing moments (vital for mastering the intuitive mind), and simply more time for everything I desire.
Happiness lies in understanding and accepting simplicity. Stop complicating things. Seek the simple and honest answer.
What AI is, is a super powered rational mind. What we are is Human.
What about you? How often do you use and trust your intuitive mind? Want to understand more about the intuitive mind? I recommend you to watch the movie AlphaGo. Free on youtube
