Month: December 2024

Listen to your intuition: When you zero in, you create great things 

| Brian E. Dick, MA, MBA, LPC

Photo by the author

Your intuition knows where you need to be, but you’re caught up in the drift. Sometimes there is a gap between where you are, and what is desired. The idea of “mission and values” are very powerful concepts, but when you’re being caught in the drifting force of other people’s priorities, moving forward is a chore.

Seth Godin pointed out this gap: “The calendar belongs to everyone else. Their schedule isn’t your schedule unless it helps you get where you’re going.”

Intuition is one of the keys to action, which is the most important precursor to closing the gap and realizing your mission. This is sometimes easier than it really is, when you’re pulled in direction that is not your own.

One of my favorite quotes on Intuition was made by the late Steve Jobs, who embodied an internal awareness that created great things. He said: “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”

Zero in on your intuition, and it will help you zero in on where you want to be. How do you get out of your current rut?

  1. Start writing. Journaling your ideas unlocks the floodgates to change. It might feel awkward at first, but it helps you zero in.
  2. Read something – not the news, but something out of the box, inspiring to you, or motivational. Let great minds inspire you.
  3. Make a list of “the gaps”. Name and label the gaps. Keep it simple.
  4. You may want to do a classic Pareto Chart(80/20) chart. What are the 20 percent affecting the 80 percent? https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/2251/pareto-chart
  5. Do a chain analysis on each of the gaps. An old school “Root Cause Analysis”https://limblecmms.com/blog/root-cause-analysis-rca/ is helpful for developing your intuition.
  6. Take a moment to reflect. Let your intuition guide you. Mindfulness is another tool. https://www.tarabrach.com/
  7. Begin looking at small changes first. Take actionable small steps toward closing the gap. Remember: Imperfect Progress is progress.
  8. Reevaluate, and repeat. Check whether you are zeroing in on your mission or vision

Knowing yourself helps you immeasurably with reaching great things. As you continue these steps, you will discover so many ideas, opportunities, and action steps that will hone your intuition and future direction.

The avoidance Trap – moving through the Haze

| Brian E. Dick, MA, MBA, LPC

Avoidance can be a most insidious and destructive emotion. It is a hidden barrier that affects all human beings.

So much energy is spent avoiding things we don’t prefer, don’t want to address, and don’t want to feel. It is the human condition, and affects every one of us. Robert Pirsig said it must succinctly in his seminal work: Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: “The truth knocks on the door and you say, ‘Go away, I’m looking for the truth,’ and so it goes away. Puzzling.” 

The reasons for avoidance has as its basis personal protection, and minimizing pain. Sigmund Freud believed that as human beings we seek to avoid pain and move toward pleasure. Really who wants pain? No one. We employ avoidance as a natural defense. Avoidance in the long run can lead to long term and chronic illness, fatigue, and mental health issues. As Bessel Van der Kolk underlined in his book: “The Body Keeps the Score”, the body really does keep the score, and avoidance defenses are at the core of it. Individuals who experience Trauma, live with the insidious reminder that in order to survive, they have to avoid.

How do you move through the haze of avoidance? The path ahead means identifying the emotions that are blocking you. It means identifying “what” you don’t want to face. Reducing the blocking emotions of avoidance includes:

  1. Identifying the emotion- whether it is fear, the bad feelings, or the catastrophic thinking.
  2. Reducing the avoidance emotion. Utilizing therapy, professional help. You have to reduce your body’s tendency to employ your fear mechanisms.

Take the next steps:

  1. Desensitize (reduce) the fear, by taking small steps toward embracing aspects of the issue, by behaving in a way that faces the avoidance issue.
  2. Problem Solve: Identify the next steps or alternative actions to gradually move through what you’re avoiding. Sometimes therapy or other self help resources or friends are important accountability structures. Share the worry.
  3. Take your time. Once you begin to work through the avoidance, the “haze” will clear, and you will notice your confidence and emotions improve.