For most people, early education and training taught us to look outside of ourselves for the answers to our questions. But we have the answers we need inside. Our unconscious mind is the source of our hidden genius.

Everyone has intuition.

Successful people learn to develop this muscle and follow their inner guidance. If you want to leverage your innate wisdom to create greater success, you must learn to tap into your intuition at will.

Recognize When Your Intuition Speaks

To be able to use your intuition, you must able to recognize when it is speaking. Intuition is not loud and demanding. It is subtle and appears differently for different people.

Some people receive messages as visions or images, which can appear in quick flashes or unfold slowly, like a movie. Your intuition might speak to you as a hunch, a thought, or in words. You may even find that you are able to dialogue with your intuition to get more information and clarity.

You might notice physical sensations, such as goosebumps, discomfort in your gut, a feeling of relief, or a sour taste in your mouth. Others experience intuitive messages through emotions, such as feelings of uneasiness or confusion, when their intuition is trying to steer them away from something or, when the message is positive, feelings of euphoria and profound peace. Sometimes, intuitive messages are simply a deep sense of knowing and certainty. If you’ve ever said “I felt it in my heart” or “I knew it in the depth of my soul,” chances are it was a message from your intuition.

Deepen Your Intuition

Although intuition is something everyone has, you must cultivate it to receive the maximum benefit.

5 Tips to Help You Access and Use Your Intuition to Greater Effect:

1. Use Meditation to Deepen Your Intuition

Regular meditation will help you clear your mind of distractions, as well as teach you how to better recognize the subtle impulses from within. As you become more attuned to your inner world, you’ll be able to more quickly and easily pick out the sound of your higher self or higher power speaking to you through words, images, and sensations.

2. Make Time to Listen

Life is busy, and in the rush to achieve our tasks and goals, it’s easy to forget to stop and tune into our higher wisdom. Your most valuable wisdom comes through when you are open to receiving it. Devote time every day—and even multiple times each day—to consciously giving your intuition center stage.

3. Ask Questions

Don’t be passive when communicating with your intuition. Step up and ask for answers to the questions you are struggling with.

4. Write Down Your Answers

Intuitive impressions are subtle and can “evaporate” quickly. Neuroscience research indicates that intuitive insights not captured within thirty-seven seconds will likely never be recalled again. Many people find journal writing to be a highly effective way to access their intuition. Try it. You’ll be amazed at the clarity of what comes through.

5. Take Immediate Action

When you act on the information you receive, you’ll find that you get more and more intuitive impulses. After a while, you’ll be living in flow. Intuition works best when we trust it. The more you demonstrate faith in your intuition, the more you will see the results in your life.

Whether you want to make more money, make better decisions, solve problems more quickly, or create winning plans, tuning into your intuition will help you achieve your goals. Trusting your intuition is trusting yourself. The more you trust yourself, the more success you will have.


As the beloved originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, Jack Canfield fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre—and watched it grow to a billion dollar market.  As the driving force behind the development and delivery of over 100 million books sold through the Chicken Soup for the Soul® franchise, Jack Canfield is uniquely qualified to talk about success. Jack is America’s #1 Success Coach and wrote the life-changing book The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be and speaks around the world on this subject. Follow Jack at www.jackcanfield.com and sign up for his free resources today!