As the countless scenes of festive gathering recently played out in my mind I began to wonder, if in all of those moments of reverie, there might be someone out there who would be taking a moment to announce their gratitude for the loss of their business or home. Or someone else who might be mentioning the appreciation they feel for the cancer they were recently diagnosed with; or if anyone else would be proposing a toast to the dissolution of their long-term relationship. I wondered if a scene like that were even possible.

I mean, sure it’s easy to celebrate all the things we WANT to have happen in our lives, but if things haven’t gone well for us this year, or last year or the last 10 years, would it be possible … could we be grateful for Life?

NATURE AS THE HEART OF APPRECIATION

I made the decision this year to step out of the routine of obligatory celebration to spend some time with the Master of true wisdom and gratitude, and spend the day in the heart of Nature. A much needed ‘re-calibration’ seems to have more importance for me this year – as I am sure it does for you as well.

Nature invites us to let go of the ever-present ‘polarity of mind’, the part of us that judges good or bad, right or wrong, ethical or immoral and allows us to step into the true Heart of Appreciation. In Nature … Life simply IS. Wisdom thrives, beauty abounds and there is the energy of Appreciation everywhere.

That very same Wisdom lies within our own hearts as well, but it so often gets jammed up by our brain and our mind convincing us that Life as it is, isn’t good enough. Or the choices we made in the past weren’t smart enough, or the people in the world aren’t US enough, or we as who we are in this moment … aren’t something enough.

Within the ‘Heart of Nature’ there is no polarity – there is no battle of opposites – all things are blended, balanced and integrated back into the whole, which is the source of all creation.

If you take some time to observe nature without the overlay of the mind telling you it is good or bad you will begin to notice that nature can and does thrive in an ever renewing and evolving balance that is Life. And so too can we.

An acorn is broken open on the forest floor and the seeds are eaten by a mouse ~ and it is Life. The mouse is captured by a hawk and fed to the young fledglings in the nest ~ and it is Life. A lightening strike hits the tree that holds the nest ~ and it is Life. The forest burns to the ground clearing everything ~ and it is Life. A new forest grows, the animals return ~ and it is Life.

A breath of nature causes some event that changes everything as it has been known and creates a foundation for something new … and it is Life. Unfolding. Revealing. Renewing. Expanding. Evolving. Each small piece before, providing energetic source for everything to follow.

Nature holds no judgment either way when things happen. No gratitude OR condemnation. No thanks or regret. No good, no bad, no indifferent – just Life.

LIFE … IS

I invite you to take some time during this upcoming holiday weekend to get out in nature and quietly review all of the outcomes, situations, challenges, battles, victories and events that have been a part of your life. See if you can hold a space in your heart for all of them to simply exist without making them good or bad – but just allowing them to BE. Can you do the same thing with all of the perceived ‘GOOD’ in your life? Can you do it with all of the perceived ‘BAD’?

Spend some time releasing the polarities and watch and feel what happens in your heart. It will open in a way you may have never experienced before. Observe. Feel. Notice. And realize that this open nature is who you truly are ~ this place of being is the source of your greatest power.

It would be truly awesome to see if you could bring THIS energy into every event you participate in this holiday weekend and the days that follow; ESPECIALLY with family. Be aware of how you are able to navigate differently than you have in the past by allowing it all to unfold without judgment. When you can do this, you begin to truly see the beauty and fabulousness hidden within the personalities you call family and all the dynamics surrounding that system of Nature.

Our intent as Evolutionaries is to become balanced in Body, Mind AND Emotion – the path known in enlightenment circles as ‘The Middle Way’, a place of neutral yet potent power that opens our Intelligence to the highest Wisdom possible.

Try to maintain this Middle Way as often as you can, being gentle when you notice you have slipped back into the habitual polarity mindset of positive and negative. In this place of balance, your Evolutionary vision becomes clearer, your Intention becomes more energized and you are able to create more and more situations that you CAN appreciate. From here you can celebrate – like all of nature does when a new life is authentically empowered.

I wish you all well over the upcoming celebratory season and invite you join me in raising a toast  ~ “To LIFE”.

As Evolutionaries, we must view the world and our lives within it, from a higher and more energetically refined perspective. We must look at the actions we take and the attitudes we posses when we seek to create change, not as ‘entitlements’ but rather as foundations that determine how things will unfold. These foundations are either stable and can support the new dream or idea, or they are not. The foundation that Occupy is building is not a stable foundation, and we do not benefit ourselves; or the planet by believing that it is.

IT’S TIME FOR A RE-EVOLUTION

Have you noticed … the core of the word Revolution is Evolution?

The Occupy Movement will not work, because it has at its core, as do all un-Evolved Revolutions, a distorted and illusory belief that it is US against THEM, the Have’s against the Have Nots, the 1% against the rest of us, the rich against the poor, the corporation against the ‘Every Man. No desire to create or sustain change on a personal or global level; that is based in this sort of energy, will ever succeed in the long run.

As the crowds and emotions grow around The Occupy Movement, which seeks to change things by forcing the wealthy 1% to physically ‘pay up’ in order to level the playing field and shrink the gap between the ‘haves and the have nots’ – a huge opportunity for real change is being missed out on; the opportunity to change ourselves.

Sure, make a physical stand if you want to … but that will not change things at the root or causal level. If you don’t believe me and you still think that un-evolved dissent will change things, just look at history. The founders of the USA started a revolution to avoid financial persecution and unbalanced distribution of wealth by the nobility, by fighting, killing and dying so things would be different … and now, over 200 years later here we are again, this time … on a global scale … but now the ‘nobles’ are called Corporations, The Wealthy, The Stinkin’ Rich or the 1%.

Almost weekly, ‘evil dictators’ are being overthrown all over the world, only to be replaced by a different but identical ‘regime’ based in fear, control and limitation; each one more diabolical than the last. The faces may have changed, but the paradigm that drives the systems … all of them … has stayed the same.

This current ‘Revolution’ would have us believe that the terrorists are now the bankers, and the people who in our mind have more than they deserve. A new war has been waged. But this one is closer to home than ever before… it is in our pocketbook.

STICK ‘EM UP

What would you do if someone walked up to you on the street and demanded you give them your money? Would you give it willingly? What would you say to that person who wanted to remove something from you against your will? If you were an Evolutionary you might give it willingly, knowing full well that you can generate more of it whenever you need it, but there aren’t many of us out there who are that empowered… at least not yet. And until you ARE that empowered, you cannot demand that any other person on the planet be.

What would YOU do if you were one of the 1% of the most Wealthy who were being forced through rebellion by the 99% to give up a portion of your wealth? If you were really honest about it, you would not do it willingly – you would probably shout at the protesters who were camped out on your lawn and tell them to go get a job. Go DO something. Go CREATE something. Go BE something.

Even if you as the 1%, did concede to their demands, ultimately there would be little change or grounded success, because it wasn’t an idea seeded within your own heart. The results of those changes, regardless if it is about money, or race, or sexuality, or love, or faith, will never truly take root and come to a fruition that everyone is pleased by; because the energy simply does not support it.

Regulating others is NOT going to solve the problem. SELF REGULATION which is considered a core emotional and evolutionary strength will light the way.

I am NOT one of the wealthy 1% … not even close; but I do have the same opinion as those who would have their wealth forcibly removed from them. But for a reason that is based strictly in how we create our reality and where and when we expend our energy.

Protesting, griping, complaining or thinking that someone else is responsible for your level of success in any arena is a complete and total waste of time and energy.

The amount of energy required being angry, jealous and self righteous is more than enough of what you need to shift your awareness and start creating solutions of your own; be they financial, emotional, physical or spiritual. But if you burn that energy in rebellion you will have none left for evolution.

BECOMING AN ENLIGHTENED REBEL

Instead of Occupying Wall Street, or Fleet Street or Oakland, I invite you to ‘Occupy YOURSELVES’, perform a Personal ‘Sit In’. Take some time to participate in a ‘Singular peaceful demonstration’. Take some time to get to  ‘Know Thyself’. As Evolutionaries we know that the source of change happens internally long before it is ever noticed on the external reality, so we owe it to ourselves to start there.

Do you want greater wealth? Do you want to have enough resources to do what you want, when you want, however you want? Then I must ask you an important question … WHERE are you FOCUSING your ENERGY? And how much of it are you WASTING on forcing other people to change their attitudes? Never mind the global crisis … where are you burning your own energetic resources, funds and finances in your day-to-day, moment-to-moment life?

The financial situation will collapse – it has to, because it is not based in true energetic or evolutionary laws – it will collapse whether you get angry about it or not. It is changing because the energy that is required to build it, support it and empower it, no longer can … It is a true example of ‘unsustainable resources.’

When you Occupy Yourself you begin to recognize your own personal and eternally sustainable resources – those of creativity, imagination, innovation, purpose and passion. Those are the refined energies of true value and these are the energies that will usher in a real and meaningful Revolution. If you want to be a Rebel, use these energies to source your mission for change. If you want to be an Evolved Rebel – HOW you approach your desire to change is even more crucial than WHAT you do to generate it.

If you are angry at the level of greed in the world – then I invite you to practice ultimate generosity; both with your resources and your compassion. If you are disgusted by the level of dishonesty surrounding us – then I invite you to live in the highest integrity that you are capable of maintaining – in word, thought and action. If you are disturbed by the perceived imbalances of materialism and consumerism – then I invite you to look into your own life and see where you are contributing to those distortions and begin to gently remove those aspects from your life.

In the lyrics of the song Revolution, John Lennon said,

“ You say you’ll change the constitution

Well, you know

We all want to change your head

You tell me it’s the institution

Well, you know

You better free your mind instead

But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao

You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow…

Don’t you know it’s gonna be ~ alright…”  

There is no 1% and the rest of us … there is only the whole. When you ‘Occupy Yourself’ with the understanding that you do not become powerful by stripping power from someone else (regardless of how they achieved it), and that you are responsible for your own reality, (which includes how much wealth you do or don’t have) then EVOLUTION becomes REVOLUTION in its highest form. And from that higher perspective, you would have to agree with Mr. Lennon and say ‘It’s gonna be … alright.’

Live your dreams.

Mr. Jobs was not the only visionary who relied heavily on his Intuitive intelligence – if you look on the list of any of the top influential minds of today and throughout history you will find that they ALL give credit for their success to their Intuition. The enigmatic and often severely ‘poopooed’ intelligence that many of us don’t even know we posses – or if we do acknowledge it within ourselves, it is often with a sniff of skepticism about its power and our ability to use it properly.

My mission in life is to reassure people from ALL walks of life – that Intuition is not some voodoo, woo-woo, magical, mind trick, special gift that some people have and some people do not – but that it is a natural, and obvious tool that we all have access to and are (at least in my mind – and in Steve Jobs mind) fools NOT to use in EVERY aspect of our lives.

Intuition is our ‘FIRST INTELLIGENCE’ – it is a level of knowing that goes beyond any and all things we have ever been taught, or heard or experienced in our day-to- day lives. Intuition is the intelligence that exists in alignment with all Universal intelligence that gives us access to solutions that have never been thought of before, ideas that have never been considered before and possibilities that have never been imagined before.

Our Intuition serves to guide us to our HIGHEST POTENTIAL.

Intuition does NOT rely on previous knowledge – it does not find its information in study, research, analysis, graph sheets or statistics. True intuition which is NOT the same thing as instinct; seeks the routes, solutions and innovations that are in alignment with the potentials of our Evolution and seeks to guide us BEYOND the tired and worn, unproductive and ineffective patterns of our past.

Intuition works hand in hand with Imagination, Innovation, Inspiration and Intent – and holds the lead position in what I like to call the ‘Five I’s (eyes) of Visionary Power’. It gently leads us to look with different eyes and to see from a different perspective, any and all of the things we experience. Whether those things are a crisis in our health or relationship, a fork in the road in a career or life path, or an opportunity to create success and great abundance – our Intuition stands ready, willing and able to guide us to the attitudes, actions and alliances that will make the most of each of those situations ~ all the while, ensuring that our highest survival and most powerful evolutionary potential is maintained.

Intuition is specific, unique and designed exclusively and precisely for each individual. MY Intuition guides ME based on what I need to reach my highest potential. YOUR Intuition guides YOU based on what you need to reach your highest potential. Intuition cannot and does not serve more than one master.

Which is why those who are committed to following the guidance of their Intuitive voice often leave others confused, baffled or irritated … (or convinced that they have truly lost their minds!) And if the truth be told, they have lost their mind – at least the one that does not possess the power to really see beyond what is already known, or the one that everyone else relies on to gain the same results or create the same solutions.

Intuition does NOT come from the human brain, nor is it housed in the intellect. Your brain, what you know, what you have been taught, your IQ, or your GPA will NOT help you with your Intuition … it simply isn’t wise enough.

The human heart is the hub of Intuitive Intelligence, with the spokes of creativity, innovation, passion and vision radiating out from it like the spokes of a magnificent wheel … constantly rolling and moving towards greater and higher ideals and potentials.

Relying on your Intuition is simple, but rarely is it easy. Intuition requires you to have and use your courage in every moment– because it leads you to take risks, to let go of what you know, to do things that are not always comfortable and to take action based entirely on faith and faith alone – with no proof, validation or outward signs that you are doing the right thing. There are very few people on the planet who are willing to make that kind of leap or take that kind of risk. People who say they want to change their lives, but never really do are those who do not listen to their Intuition.

Our Intuition will say ‘Leap. Jump. Go for it. Let go of what is known. You will be safe.’ But our Intellect talks us out of it by saying, ‘What will people think? How will I pay my bills? It will never work. I can’t. So we don’t … and life stays the same.

How many times in your life have you heard the soft nudging of your Intuition and ignored it or talked yourself out of the wisdom because you were afraid? How many times have you allowed fear or faithlessness to hit the mute button on your highest intelligence? You aren’t alone … we have all done it.

But the truth of the matter is, if you want to be a Visionary in your own life … that is to see potentials and possibilities for the future that do not exist now, you are going to have to be willing to take some chances and let go of what feels safe and known.

The pathway to success is NOT a straight ladder that allows you to put one foot in front of the other with a constant solid support under you – it is more like a jungle gym with opportunities, possibilities and advantages that fly your way like a rope swing – and when they do fly your way, your Intuition will tell you to jump. If you want your life to change and evolve, you better jump.

You may never be certain about where you will end up, but your heart, your courage and your Intuition will always guarantee that the view, what you see with your new eyes and the perspective you achieve will never be the same as it was before, regardless of what the outcome turns out to be.

Steve Jobs and any of the other visionaries throughout time (Michaelangelo, DaVinci, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Galileo, et al) … depended on something greater, grander and more compelling than most of us are used to … but it made all of the difference in their lives AND in ours. (As I type this post on my MacBook listening to my music from I-Tunes) If he … or they … hadn’t followed their hearts, what do you suppose our world would look like? If you were brave enough to follow YOURS … what do you suppose your world COULD look like?

So keeping in alignment with what Mr. Jobs said – ‘If you have a dream for your life, stop wasting your time, listen to your heart, follow your Intuition ….. and jump!’

Would you like to become a visionary in your own life and develop your Intuition to serve you every day? … Check here!

Live your dreams!

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.
~Joseph Campbell

I am feeling compelled to take the gloves off today to take a moment to address something that we all must be aware of.  Now more than ever as the potent energies of change, shift and upheaval are rising all around us … the luxury of denial or being naive is no longer available.

Now I know that each and every one of my readers are smart, determined and intelligent people, who want to create great lives of joy, purpose and significance  - who would like in some small way (or maybe large way) for their lives to have meaning and to have their efforts in life stand for something … and to maybe, just maybe … leave the world a bit better place than it was before they got here.

That commitment in and of itself is a noble and heroic undertaking – and it is a journey that is rife with opportunities to gain great success as well as to face challenges, overcome obstacles and discover what it is we are truly ‘made of’.

But there is a single truth that EVERY Evolutionary human being MUST understand if they are going to navigate these ever turbulent rapids that are surrounding us all, so as to emerge on the other side of the white water stronger, more potent and more conscious than ever before. That single truth is this …

We MUST be willing to claim the position of being the singular HERO of our own lives, and be willing to embrace ALL of the challenges, obstacles and victories that any heroic journey contains … AND be willing to realize that there is no external source, no outside force (government, romantic relationship, legal or military guard, or financial windfall) that is going to do it for us. Not, one. And while we may be surrounded by people, friends and loved ones who assist, support and encourage us along our journey – it is we and we alone who must take the steps to see it all to completion.

THERE ARE NO VICTIMS IN THIS ‘CLASSROOM’

If you truly wish to succeed on the path you have chosen in life, you must be willing – with 1000% commitment to let go of any idea of being a victim of the circumstances that you have experienced along the way, or to blame any of those above mentioned external forces as being the source of your inability to thrive. That is a cop out that most of us have clung to at one time or another and it is an unconscious choice that keeps us small, impotent and tied to the past.

The reality is – you will not be able to claim your Hero status, and create the potent life you have dreamed of and that you are capable of … until you have grown tired of playing the victim.

Evolutionary Intelligence understands that CONSCIOUSNESS creates REALITY – that reality takes form as our health, our relationships, our finances, our business dealings, our children … even our perception of luck and whether it is deemed ‘good or bad’. Realizing that OUR consciousness determines OUR reality makes it impossible for us to continue to blame any external source for our trials and tribulations – OR for our successes and victories. Consciousness – our individual consciousness is the source of all of it.

There are many people out there who will take responsibility for the ‘good outcomes’ in life, but will project ‘negative results’ outward … these people will continue to be victimized by the system, or the people, or the circumstance to which they have completely given their power to. (Which ultimately as an Evolutionary understands are simply mirrored reflections of our own un-illumined consciousness.)

Where have YOU given your power away to a victim based mindset and whom or what do you continue to rail against in an effort to get ‘them’ (whoever ‘they’ are) to say, do, or behave differently? Where do you minimize your own past successes or diminish your own greatest assets? How often do you catch yourself hanging out in the past or thinking that things ‘SHOULD’ have …. or ‘COULD’ have been different? These are all victimized mindsets that obliterate our ability to take true and mindful responsibility for our lives and set us up to spin our wheels in a sense of frustration and lack.

WHERE YOU STUMBLE, LIES YOUR TREASURE

Those times when we have crashed and burned, lost it all, had our heart broken, or faced our own mortality are genuine gifts that must be used in order to raise our consciousness, question our own perceptions and decide whether or not we are truly embracing all of our potential. Those are the times that our Hero is called into action – and the decisions he makes in those moments determine every outcome and every situation to follow – and how they all turn out in the end.

Author and philosopher Joseph Campbell says of those times “It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.”

We all stumble, we all face personal and intimate difficulty. This is truer now for more of us than ever before. The only way we become victorious over these challenges, is to banish our need to project external blame or seek outward solutions – and instead reflect inwardly to where our Hero possesses all of the tools and intelligence needed to bring us out of the abyss and back into the light of our highest joy and potential.

So when you look out into the world, or into the corners of your own life and see things that do not please you or that you wish to change – do not pump your fists in the air and raise a war cry to ‘the people in power’ to change their game … change your game instead … and tie on your cape and your superhero mask and get to work yourself!

Live your dreams! Feel free to comment/share and post below!

Just like we as individuals posses a meticulous yet completely unique code in our DNA, which we consider our personal ‘source code’  – so too do the situations in our lives posses a ‘code of information’ which outline, add density to and ultimately define them … good, bad or indifferent.

All of the information, regardless of the complexity of the ‘living situation or circumstance’ is held in a small yet information packed ‘energetic envelope’ that we can access if we know how.

OPENING THE ENVELOPE

As evolutionary beings using our Integrated Intuitive Intelligence we are capable of opening that envelope and accessing those codes so we can become more powerfully capable of creating positive change and successful outcomes in our lives.

Let me give you an example … as an Intuitive I have from time to time been asked to assist law enforcement with ‘sussing out’ information regarding a particular crime or situation. Knowing as I do that this crime – like ANY other situation has an energetic base source code that defines the players, the details, the actions and the outcome in the complete event – I am able to access that source code and translate the information that gives me the Intuitive clues I need to assist the folks who have asked for my help.

This information is then ‘decoded’ by my open and relaxed, active yet neutral mind – which then translates that information through my six senses. Communicating through imagery, sound, feeling and impression to provide a mental replay if you will of the situation needing attention.

We are all capable of translating source code so we can improve, change or completely alter ANY situation in our lives.

So how do we do it?

ACCESSING THE CODE

Step #1 – First of all it is crucial to remove any emotional charge around a given situation. Being in a calm, open and coherent state charges the Intuitive mindset required to open the envelope of information. Taking a few calming and clearing deep breaths is a great way to start neutralizing any emotion you may be carrying around the situation you are looking to change.

* Develop and maintain a practice of Active Coherence.

Step #2 – Setting an Intention of wanting to understand clearly what the current circumstance is, without judging it and what steps need to be taken in order to clarify it, improve it or change it (which ultimately would be YOU aligning your Intelligence with an ‘altered source code’ which defines your NEW or PREFERRED situation, which could be considered a healing of sorts) Setting an Intention can be as simple as stating to yourself, “Show me the TRUTH of this situation.” – so your Integrated Intelligence can begin the information search that it needs to find your solution.

** Set a CLEAR Intention for True Understanding.

Step #3 – Be willing to let go of what you know, what others have told you is right or what your ‘logical mind’ believes to be true. Integrated Intelligence is an innovative mindset – it finds solutions that you have not thought of before and that your logical mind has not yet had the chance to disassemble because it hasn’t seen it before.

This can be a stumbling block for folks who are very proud of ‘what they know’ or who identify with education, degrees, schooling or previous training – if you consider yourself to be very ‘Intellectual’ – I invite you to adopt a bit of mindful flexibility – or your Intuitive mind will not be able to maneuver through the solid wall of ‘knowledge’ you have constructed.

*Forget what you ‘know’.

YOU ARE THE KEY

Every problem, situation or circumstance holds within it – the keys to its solution.

Your job is to align yourself with the energetic information of the circumstance and be willing to courageously follow the direction your Intuitive mind provides for you ~ even if it makes no sense to you at first.

Eventually and with consistent practice, you will be able to align yourself with the source code of ANY situation and be able to shift attention, come up with new ideas and take action to create the outcome you desire.

If you would like to learn more about developing your Integrated Intuitive Intelligence and applying it to ANY life situation you have – check this out.

Feel free share/comment or link to facebook below!

"The Intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind a faithful servant. We have created a society that has honored the servant and forgotten the gift." ~ Albert Einstein

**This article originally appeared on www.womenentrepreneur.com in 2010

Richard Branson swears by it. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates both confess to depending on it. Oprah Winfrey credits the majority of her success to it. Countless other gifted, successful, leaders in entertainment, finance, medicine and enterprise have used this enigmatic, largely misunderstood and often ridiculed tool. This tool possesses the ability to change the world of business and improve a persons’ health. It aids in reducing stress and increasing creativity, efficiency and profitability and is finally ‘coming out of the closet’ to be validated by science AND commerce to be a tangible, practical and applicable skill that everyone can use.

What is it this magical tool and where can you get it

The tool is INTUITION… and you’ve already got it, you just haven’t been taught how to use it properly.

BEYOND ‘THE GUT’

We have all heard about ‘gut instinct’ and as Entrepreneurs we have made decisions based on just having a ‘knowing or feeling’ about something that others didn’t get or have. Sometimes those gut impulses have worked in our favor and sometimes they haven’t, but we all recall moments in our lives when ‘we just got a feeling’ about something and we made a decision based on that impression.

But gut instinct isn’t the same as Intuition… gut instinct is a survival skill. It is a remnant of our days as cavemen whose only concerns were finding a mate, putting another meal on the table and avoiding the Saber-toothed tiger at the door.

While sometimes life in the Entrepreneurial trenches may still feel that way and often times our gut is a good indicator of what we should or shouldn’t do in a particular moment, it is not nearly sophisticated enough to guide us through the new and rapidly changing environment that is Entrepreneurship.

Intuition is the more evolved, refined and sophisticated cousin of gut instinct. Intuition is Champagne to gut instinct’s Malt Liquor‘, it is Mozart to ‘Mary had Little Lamb’. It goes far beyond the temperamental ideas of ‘Feminine Intuition’ or the supernatural ideas of a ‘sixth sense’ and can be fine tuned to operate specifically and at will as a beneficial tool of the mind and partner on the road to success.

YOUR PERSONAL GPS FOR SUCCESS

Imagine that your Intuition operates like a personal GPS system; if you know how to use it properly you can count on it to get you from point A to point B with relative ease and peace of mind. You can expect that it will steer you clear of road blocks, keep you free from traffic jams and direct you to the quickest and most direct route to your desired destination. All the while helping you maintain good fuel efficiency and giving you a pleasant view along the way.

These are the Six Steps to activating your Intuition.

Step #1 – Clearing the ‘Stress Static’

The number ONE obstacle to being able to unleash the power of your Intuition is Stress! Stress is like static on a phone line, when you are worried about a deadline, concerned about finances or overwhelmed by too much to do, you cannot access the parts of your mind that are integral to creative problem solving or higher intelligence.

Working harder is NOT working smarter. Stress makes you LESS efficient, less effective and in the long run costs you a lot more than time and money. Getting stuck in your head and analyzing, asking others for advice or thinking, pondering or processing things will never bring up creative or innovative ideas or solutions.

Take a tip from Albert Einstein who claimed all of his groundbreaking solutions came to him while he was out walking in nature or outside of the laboratory and who said “You cannot solve a problem on the same level of thinking that created it.” You have to go out of your mind; that is break the patterns of stressful thought that have been the source of the problem in the first place, relax the mind, clear the static and allow Intuition to speak instead.

Action Step: Take a break, get outdoors and breathe.

Step #2 – The Power of the ‘Ask’

The power of a properly worded question is crucial when accessing your Intuition and just like the GPS in your car, in order to get where you want to go, you need to know precisely where you are starting. In simple language you need to know what questions to ask your Intuition in order for it to respond in a beneficial manner. Where most people trip up, especially in the beginning, is by looking for solutions or answers by using ineffective questions.

Giving your Intuition a strong starting point depends on a strong ‘direction request.’ Questions should be worded ‘in the present moment’, be positively oriented and results based. For example – ‘How can I most effectively improve cash flow?” is a far more empowered question than, “How am I going to make payroll?”  “Is this new partnership beneficial to my business mission?” will give you a far more Intuitively potent result than, “Is this guy going to screw me over?”

Action Step: Get clear about what you DO want and the ultimate goal, NOT what you are afraid of or are trying to avoid.

Step #3 – Forget what you ‘Know’

People who think they ‘know everything there is to know’ about their field of expertise, have a very difficult time accessing their Intuition. Intuition is housed in the non-linear and non-rational, right side of the brain and finds solutions that do not follow ‘traditional or schooled avenues’ of thinking. If you are convinced that there is only one way to solve your problem or create a certain outcome, then you limit the pathways through which your Intuition can communicate with you.

This is why ‘Beginners Luck’ is such a potent phenomenon, because those who know little or nothing about a situation are not limited by what they DO know, so their minds are open and accessible to any and all possibilities that may present themselves. Give yourself permission to forget everything you have ever been taught, or what you THINK you might know and be willing to be surprised by what information comes your way.

Action Step: Adopt a bit of Humility

Step #4 – Go to your Heart

Science has recently discovered that there is a level of intelligence carried in the heart that out powers the brain by 10 to 1. The heart being the first organ in the body to develop has more lines of information going from the heart TO the brain, than the other way around. This is why when we are stressed and our heart is racing due to fear, anxiety or any of the countless other pressures that being an Entrepreneur can present, access to problem solving Intuition is impossible, because our brain literally SHUTS DOWN.

Intuition thrives on the level of mind that I call ‘Integrated Intelligence’, that is bringing ALL levels of intelligence together to function as a cohesive whole. Balancing the powers of the head (left brain, analytical thought and right brain, creative thought) with the intelligence of the heart brings us to the powerful middle ground of agile creativity and opens the channels of higher mind and wisdom needed to solve problems and come up with new and innovative ideas.

Action Step: Practice Gratitude

Step #5 – Pay Attention

Intuition doesn’t always speak the language we understand, often times it will speak to us in the language of the right brain – the language of symbols, images, art or music and it may use any or all of our five senses to guide, direct and influence us.

Once you have asked your Intuition for direction, pay attention to what begins to catch your attention throughout the course of your day, or even at night through the messages in your dreams.

You may hear a song on the radio or hear a line in a movie, or a statement from a friend that contains a tag line with the perfect solution to your problem. This is your Personal GPS in action, saying ‘Turn here’, ‘Look here’, ‘Watch this’. It’s up to you to notice it and take action.

Action Step: Become a great Observer – Watch more, speak less.

Step #6 – Have FUN

I believe the reason most of us became Entrepreneurs was so that we could design our own lives, so we could have a sense of creating our own destiny, so we could do some good and have some fun along the way. Sometimes though the pressures of being ‘self made’ make finding joy almost impossible.

Intuition thrives in an environment of ease, peace and grace. It speaks most clearly through a mind that is not overwhelmed or burdened with the pressure of having to get it right or needing to prove anything to anyone. Intuition gives direction through a system that is flexible, agile and open to anything. Intuition is the language spoken to athletes when they are in the zone, to musicians who are in the flow and entrepreneurs who are on the leading edge. It speaks to us through our Natural state – being Intuitive IS our Natural state.

Take a moment to rediscover the joy that being an Entrepreneur was meant to bring you, it might take you a bit of time, but if you can get back to that feeling and do your best to make it your ‘starting point’ for everything moving forward, you will find that your Intuition begins to speak as clearly and directly as any solid, tangible or real personal coach or advisor ever did. The difference here is your Intuition is concerned only about your needs, it is available whenever you need it and never charges for its services.

Action Step: Lighten up and remember to laugh (especially at yourself)

THE NEW MAP MAKERS

As many of the most successful people in history have proven, it is those who have trusted that small inner voice, to break free of the pack, and carve their own pathways that leave the greatest footprint for others to follow.

If we are going to survive and thrive in rapidly changing business climates, escalating economic shifting and rampant old world extinction, our navigation and direction tools have to evolve. It isn’t enough to count on the ‘experts’ to guide us through these changing times, because no one has been on this journey yet, the maps have not been drawn.

Maneuvering through this new economy and new global business will require each of us as individuals to chart our own course and in the process bring direction and inspiration to the whole. The old ways of doing business can’t help us do that… but our Higher Intelligence, our Inner Guidance, our Intuition can; and it does it with ease, grace and a sense of joy and purpose.

Intuition is a skill we all NATURALLY possess. Everyone can use it. It isn’t a gift given to a chosen few. When developed and used appropriately, it can guide us to improve our careers, our relationships, our health and our world. There is no greater power and it is waiting quietly beneath the surface to serve us, whenever we need it…. All we need to do is ask.

To learn more ways to develop your Entrepreneurial Intuition, please visit www.simonewrightconsulting.com

So here is the truth about STRESS and MONEY.

It is a physiological and biological fact that STRESS makes us STUPID. Stressing about money … makes us REALLY Stupid.

The pressure we feel in regards to our finances actually does things to our Intelligence system that causes us to make unwise, impractical or just plain dumb decisions when it comes to our cash. In a continuously circulating system that gains momentum as it feeds on itself … our money worries put us in a position of creating more money worries, which causes more stress, which causes more ineffective financial focus, which causes us to make bad choices, which causes more money worries. You get the picture.

The human brain over tens of thousands of years, has developed specific areas to process language, store memory, practice empathy, create works of art and a myriad of other intricate skills that make us human. But there is no area in the brain that has developed to handle the ‘concept/idea or practice of money’ – there is no ‘occipital cash lobe’ that gives us the ability to be brilliant with our ‘quan’.

Money is a relatively new human invention – dating back to about 9000 BC when the first bartering practices were recorded, and has gradually, over time, morphed into the paper (and now digital exchange) that we all know and fear so well. But the greater meaning of money for virtually every one on the planet – is that it has become a system, a means, a symbol of SURVIVAL . In our modern society, if you don’t have money … you don’t survive. And that can be stressful, especially as you watch the balance in your bank account begin to dwindle.

Now of course, most of us are very, very far from the threat of not being able to survive. (I am not speaking of those who face destitute poverty in our society – Yes, I know those poor souls are out there) But for the MAJORITY of us, because money has become so ingrained as a SURVIVAL tool – the fear of not having enough of it or losing the bit that we have – activates our ancient primal instincts … and those instincts are NOT money wise.

When a system (human or otherwise) is in SURVIVAL mode (stressed out/under threat/at risk of losing something important) – the parts of the brain that are involved in higher, more evolved and intelligent thought processing … actually shut down! The areas of your Intelligence system that can guide you to efficient, effective or wise money choices are turned off, so the body can take care of the survival issues it believes are crucially pending.

When you are worried about keeping your job, or how you will pay your bills, or whether the stock market is going to plunge, or whether the stack of chips you just placed on ‘RED’ is going to pay off … or when you are being pressured to make a decision about an investment, or told there is a threat of missing out on an opportunity (which is how the stock market, real estate and car sales ALL operate), your body switches into a form of ‘Survival Mode’. While you are in this agitated state – it is impossible to be financially intelligent.

The reason the #1 cause of Divorce is ‘Money Worries’ is because when people are stressed about money (or worried about ANYTHING for that matter) the ability to effectively think, communicate, empathize or consider another living being are completely obliterated. When any system is in survival mode – it truly becomes a battle for survival of the fittest … and it is impossible to develop, nurture or sustain a relationship of any kind in that circumstance.

Here are some simple and practical ways we can activate our Intelligence system to be ‘Money Wise’:

#1 – NEVER MAKE A FINANCIAL DECISION WITH A DEADLINE. The pressure of ‘missing out on something’ activates the adrenaline in your body and shuts down the mental skills required to make a wise decision. If someone pressures you to make a financial commitment because ‘time is running out’ … let them know you need some space and politely excuse yourself to a place where you can take a deep breath, relax and get centered before taking action. Scarcity and time constraints are the big guns used by high pressure salesmen, auctioneers and the stock market … and we all know how we feel about them. There will always be another opportunity to spend wisely.

You can use this knowledge to benefit YOUR bottom line and SAVE money if you know that the seller needs to meet a deadline. (Like at the end of the month at car dealers or a must sell situation in real estate.) Because the sellers Intelligence system will be under stress and YOURS is balanced, you will have the upper hand and should be able to negotiate a better price for yourself.

#2 – NEVER SHOP (for anything) WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY. We have all had those days when we have gone into the grocery store when our stomachs were empty and ended up coming home with 5 bags of groceries with barely an ounce of nutritional value in any of them. When our bodies are depleted nutritionally, either because we haven’t eaten for several hours, or we have been eating a lot of empty calories – our body goes into a mild state of ‘starvation mode’, this triggers ‘survival’ chemistry to become active in our system. And as we have learned; if a body/brain/intelligence system is in Survival mode – higher intelligence and rational cognitive function does not work.

If you are going to make an important purchase, be sure you have provided your body with some good, healthy nutrition before you agree to the sale. (This may also be why people who broker big deals that are meant to be win/win will do it together over a meal.)

#3 – LEARN TO MANAGE YOUR STRESS. Making any sort of financial decision whether it is buying a home or a new pair of shoes can be risky business if you are doing it while in an incoherent or aggravated state of emotion. ‘Retail Therapy’ is a common term when someone goes shopping to feel good, numb their pain or distract their attention; depression, anger, loneliness, insecurity or grief are all great triggers for spending. Scientists have discovered that the very same parts of the brain that are activated by sex, drugs and addiction are the parts stimulated when we spend money. The brain cannot tell the difference between the former and the latter … it is all just chemical stimulation to our nervous system and it doesn’t matter how we get ‘the fix’ … we just know we feel good while we are doing it.

Developing a regular routine of relaxation or meditation will help alleviate all of the stressors that are presented to you throughout the day. When you are able to manage the thoughts, emotions and perceptions that cause your body to react stressfully and as a result can manage the chemicals that activate Intelligence, then your ability to navigate through any situation, financial or otherwise will be greatly enhanced. Take a walk in nature, go for a swim, take a moment to look at some beautiful artwork … all of these practices will regulate your nervous system and your ‘Wealth Wisdom’ will be activated.

#4 – DO YOUR HOMEWORK – Going into any situation, financial or otherwise, where you feel you are outwitted, or someone is smarter than you, has more information or knows some ‘secret’ that you do not – activates the stress hormones that keep us from being MONEY WISE. Why? Because our ancient animal brains perceive this ‘better person’ as a threat. The survival instinct is to associate with the smartest, strongest, most potent animal in the herd, and when we feel weaker, or dumber, or less informed … our bodies automatically go into fight or flight.

If you are making a big purchase, buying a home, investing in the stock market, buying a car … DO YOUR HOMEWORK. The Internet puts loads of detailed and objective information at your fingertips and there is no excuse for not gaining as much information as you can prior to sitting down to negotiate a deal or spending a single penny. The self esteem that comes from being informed levels the playing field and once again balances the stress chemicals that would normally leave you feeling like you have been ‘taken to the cleaners’. Knowledge is indeed financial power.

Our ability to be MONEY WISE does not come from having a huge team of financial analysts or planners telling us what to do, nor does it come from being born to privilege. (One look at Wall Street and the Banking system will clarify that) Financial Wisdom comes from learning how to access and balance our emotional intelligence and activating our higher cognitive function so we can make decisions that extend our wealth, benefit our families and improve our lifestyles over the long run and for the long term.

If you want to know how to manage your Money … you need to know how to manage your mind first.

Integrated Intelligence and my upcoming program The New Mind of Money will help you do that. To be informed as to when The New Mind of Money Program will be launched – please sign up for our Newsletter.

The price to pay for this level of ‘Enlightenment’ … and it seems there always is one … is that his new brilliance is highlighted by a twitchy dark arrogance and an adrenaline fixation; and even more worrisome … the side effects include paranoia, psychosis, brain damage and … well, um … death.

Call me crazy, but death sounds pretty limiting.

I am always intrigued by movies like this (which is by the way, the first release by Sir Richard Branson’s – Virgin Produced) – that open the door ever so slightly to allow us a sneak peek at what might be possible for human potential, only to slam it shut by painting that potential with the grimy ooze of ‘the dark side’ … as if to say … ‘Yes, this level of intelligence is possible … but once you achieve it … all hell will break loose and you will long for your old days of mundane ordinariness.’ Sort of like the ‘red pill/ blue pill’ conundrum of The Matrix. Or the ‘brain tumor’ explanation for John Travolta’s brilliance in the movie Phenomenon. It tells us … if you are going to be this gifted, this advanced, this Enlightened … well, you gotta die at the end.

I don’t buy it.

It is my belief that elevating and evolving human potential to an advanced level IS possible and to some degree is happening already. And like it or not – it is going to take an elevation of human potential to lift us all out of the rather rampant mess that we have gotten ourselves into. It is going to take a grand leap of the ‘development of Human Intelligence’ to change the status quo and turn our global, local and personal situations around.

Regardless of the intentions of Government, Education and Health Care (these intentions may be good or bad, depending on what side of the aisle you sit on) relying on these OLD systems is not going to help us, so we need to STOP looking there for the answers. Why? Because every one of these systems is committed to the ‘OLD’ intelligence, the OLD patterns and the OLD outdated ideas that clearly do not work. The Intelligence, Innovation and Imaginings that are required to turn things around will come from the individual, from the entrepreneur, from the visionary who is not tied to old ideas … it will come from you and me. But we will need to be willing to drop all of our fears about embracing our brilliance and be willing to adopt a new, grander idea of ourselves first.

If a new and limitless idea of human potential is to come to fruition, then maybe Hollywood is right … something WILL need to pass away … but it isn’t us as human beings or individuals. It is the old ‘imaginings or ideas’ that need to be sacrificed. As in all Evolutionary practices, in order for the new dream to be born, the old dream has to go.

So perhaps the deeper message of ‘Limitless’ is that the possibilities of advanced human potential DO exist, but we cannot expect them to come in an easily digestible tablet. In order for humanity as a species to be capable of that type of advanced intelligence, a whole lot of ground work would need to be done first.

It may be that operating on that level of heightened potential is like driving a Ferrari when you have only just gotten your learners permit … perhaps it is a bit too much muscle for a beginner, but with the right amount of practice – mastery of that type of power IS possible. But we need to be brave enough to be willing to truly let go of all of the things that so obviously don’t work in our lives any more, or more bravely question if they ever worked for us in the first place.

I like the idea of being Limitless and I believe that we all have our ideas of how that would look to each one of us. I also have a certainty that it is possible, we don’t need to take a pill to achieve it though … and we don’t need to self destruct in the process. We need only to get out of our own way and allow the Intelligence that is waiting to be revealed … to have its way with us.

It doesn’t matter if you are the CEO of a multi-national company, an entrepreneur running a one man operation, or a recent college graduate just tumbling into your first ‘real job’ – the fact of the matter is … if INNOVATION is not your number one priority, you will be left in the dust.

One of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time, Richard Branson, said of the innovative spirit, “I’ve had great fun turning quite a lot of different industries on their head and making sure those industries will never be the same again.” So the secret, at least according to Sir Richard is simply to turn everything upside down.

Okay. So how do we do that? And what exactly IS IT that will be getting the old upsy-daisy?

Suffice it to say, if something is standing on it’s head – the perspective will certainly be different. So if we are to heed Branson’s advice, in order to turn an industry upside down, WE are going to need to ‘alter our perception’ first. The greatest innovators have the ability to ‘see things differently’ which gives them the ability to perceive solutions or ideas that no one else does. So in order to innovate, we need to be able to do the same thing … And yes … I guarantee it is 100% legal.

Perception is a function of our Intelligence system, and is uniquely formed in each individual by the repeated patterns of both internal and external influences from our environment. To put it more succinctly, our perceptions are formed by what we see, think, hear, feel or experience physically, mentally, emotionally and even chemically. All of these influences hard wire our nervous system and our nervous system becomes our mechanism of perception.

The simple way to begin to alter our perception is to begin to change our informational influences so we can activate new ways of thinking. To put it simply, in order to activate innovation we need to begin to ask different questions – questions that will push our nervous system and creative thought processes into new and more dynamic directions.

Altering perception begins when you start asking yourself or your team a new set of questions. Empowered questions. Evolved questions. When an empowered question is asked, an Integrated Intelligence will go to work immediately to find the most effective and efficient solution to answer it.

Often times developing an empowered question will offer you 90% of the solution.

Instead of asking ‘unempowered questions’ that begin with WHY … like WHY won’t my boss give me that promotion? or WHY is our product not selling? or WHY can’t I save any money? Consider asking questions that begin with HOW or WHAT.

Questions like … HOW can my company, product, brand be different in the marketplace? Or WHAT details can we add/remove from our product that would make it more user friendly? HOW can this project be completed on time? WHAT does my boss need to help make his job easier? HOW can I bring more value to my job? WHAT resources are we overlooking that can make us more profitable? … you get the picture.

WHY questions do not activate the creative processes in the brain to find SOLUTIONS. WHY questions are often times subjective with no solid answer. So stop asking them.

HOW or WHAT questions beg the brain for ACTION steps, and ignite the innovation connections that offer new ideas. When these new connections are stimulated, the brain begins to alter its wiring, so new PERCEPTIONS become activated. It is when these systems are switched on that the solutions appear before us as though they were sitting there the whole time. Which of course they were … we just weren’t setting ourselves up to recognize them.

Okay, this really is a no brainer and it might seem like common sense … but I am going to go ahead with it anyway, because sometimes we forget to do the things that are in our best interest. Most times it is because we don’t know WHY we should do them … so here are a couple of GREAT reasons why getting off the sofa and getting into some exercise could help you be a more dynamic and creative thinker.

The goal with Integrated Intelligence is to fine tune the ‘Intelligence muscles’ of the brain and body to balance and improve function so we can be more Creative, Innovative and Intuitive  … and I.I offers lots of ways to do that, but did you know that exercising our BODY is also a crucial way to improve brain function?

We all know (or at least have a vague memory) of how good it feels when we participate in regular and consistent exercise, the increased flow of oxygen and release of beneficial hormones and chemicals not only improves how we look in the long run, but also improves how we think, process information and handle stress. With as little as 20 minutes of daily exercise, which includes cardiovascular and /or high paced muscle training, our brains gain just as many benefits as our body does. And when our brains and hearts … are working at optimal levels … every aspect of our lives gains benefit.

Here’s why…

When we exercise at a moderate or high level, our bodies break what is known as the ‘blood-brain barrier’. It doesn’t matter what type of exercise it is … anything that requires our heart rate to increase and  breathing to escalate, will do the trick. It can be jogging, yoga, hiking, cycling or even love making… (got your attention on that one didn’t I?)