FAQ: How Can I Get Real Answers To My Toughest Problems?

Answer: Learn to Listen to Your Inner Voice of Wisdom: Problem Solving Through Inspired Intuition

Learn To Listen To Your Intuition (An Excerpt From Turning Trials Into Triumphs The Way Of The Phoenix )

The foundation on which to build your life is following your true path to your authentic self. The lessons you learn in your life will be unique in the way they come to you but what you gain from it, “your lesson,” will be found through listening to your inner voice of intuition.

We are all born with an inner compass to guide us along our path. I believe that as we direct our lives in a path of goodness seeking out and living true principles and providing meaningful service to others, we can keep this compass pointing to “true north”. But, if we become casual in paying attention and following the direction of this inner compass, we will lose our direction and bearings. Eventually the directions will cease and the inner guide will no longer work.

If we give careful diligence to listening for this guidance, or inspiration, and then correlate our behavior with what we have been given, we will receive more and more guidance. A major purpose for our existence is to seek out and live true principles. Does it seem reasonable that we would be given the assistance needed to do that? I say emphatically—yes!

A major purpose for our existence is to seek out and live true principles.

Some people call this guidance “intuition”. I think of it as “inspiration” from a higher and wiser source—God. You may think of it however it feels right for you but know that we all have the ability to tap into a source of wisdom and guidance wiser than ourselves. I believe we are entitled to this guidance and that we will save ourselves a lot of anxiety running around chasing after things of less value to us personally if we will simply learn to listen.

If we learn to “read” people and trust our gut feelings, instincts and intuition, instead of our logical mind, they will reveal to us all we need to know about them for our good.

You will be in the places you need to be, and gain information needed to assist you in your purpose and quest, as you follow your intuition. Following your intuition can keep you and your loved ones safe.

Application: If you will learn to use intuition as a daily guide for your actions, and take time to meditate, and cultivate a deep reverence for inspiration and guidance, you can tailor your own action plan for success.

Use your personal intuition to determine what is going to be of highest value in your quest to overcome your trials. Ultimately, we are all so unique in our experiences and temperaments that the things that will be life altering for me, may be different than the ones that shake your reality and cause you to move in positive new directions. You will find many suggestions in this book and through other sources about how to change your life and habits. You will have to decide which are most applicable to you. Learn to use intuition as a guide for every facet of your life.

What Kind Of Things Can We Receive Inspiration About?

We receive guidance and inspiration about actions we should or should not take. We can be inspired about the specific actions needed to overcome a bad habit or improve a relationship with someone. We can receive warnings of imminent danger to us or to those for whom we are responsible. We can receive enlightenment about how to comfort and provide meaningful service to another. We can receive direction and insight into our own feelings and motivations, which is a crucial component of self-mastery. We can receive understanding about the thoughts and feelings of our spouse and children and those closest to us. We can be guided in a path we would not have considered on our own. We can have pure knowledge pour into us that is not within our own experience or expertise.

Essentially we can be guided in everything we do if we are willing to listen and act upon what we receive as guidance.

Exercise: When you are wrestling with a problem “sleep on it”. Your subconscious mind will try to work out the problem for you. When you first wake up in the morning and your mind is clear, ask your mind for the solution to your problem.

• What problems do you currently need resolution for?

• What insights come to you early in the morning?

• What answers come in the restful state just before you doze off to sleep?

Exercise: Asking your mind out loud for the solution often brings a quicker answer. Take a few moments to really listen for the answer then write it down.

How do I know whether it’s really inspiration or if it is just my own mind coming up with the solutions?

Ask yourself the following questions to determine the answer to your problem:

• What am I being guided to do?

• Does it make any sense?

• Would this be something I would normally think of on my own?

• How did the idea come into my mind, or what was I doing when I received the insight?

• Does the new thought require an action that leads me closer to my highest values or away from them?

• Does the inspiration cause me to reach for added emotional or spiritual strength?

• Is what I’m thinking about going to help or elevate my life or someone else’s?

Here are some ideas about answering the previous questions based on my experience with inspiration and the counsel I have received from people who make it a high priority to seek for this “inner knowing”.

• If you can actually identify what action you need to take based on the thought you received, you are at a beginning point. This is good!

• Next, run the thought “past your gut”. Some people think of the solar plexus, or the area just under the rib cage and diaphragm as the center of our emotions. It is here that I have a visceral response, like recoiling internally, when someone has malevolent intent toward me. It is here that I feel anxious when something is just not right.

• If what you’re thinking makes you feel like you’ve done something really bad or acted against your highest values, or if it feels kind of sickening inside, or brings up intense reactions of “I really don’t think I want to do this,” it’s time for further analysis. It may not be the right thing to do. Just as we can receive inspiration from our higher source, our thoughts can be influenced by sources that would not lead us towards goodness, truth, or our highest values. It often takes careful consideration to perceive truth from error. Frequently, the counterfeit is very close to the truth or is the “easier” path. The key is “tuning in” to your inner feelings.

“There are counterfeits to every true principle in the universe”—Phoenix Alexander

Solve Your Problems By Listening To Your Intuition