Confidence is developed by also trusting your intuition. At some level, I've always known that I have a high level of intuition.
In fact, because it was frowned upon many years ago, I was almost afraid of it. I called it a 'sixth sense'.
Well, now I am more than interested in developing it as much as possible. When I was 17, I vividly remember having a clear warning, a feeling, not to go roller-skating late one night and I ignored it. It came so amazingly close to costing me not only my life, but also the lives of three of my girl friends.
We were on our way to the skating rink on the expressway, when a drunk driver cross the median and was coming toward me head on. I am utterly at a loss for words to this day to express how miraculous it was that I was able to maneuver my car out of his path going at least 50 miles an hour at the age of 17!
Needless to say, I am tremendously grateful.
Intuition is considered a function of our right brain. This side of our brain is the creativity center. It is also where inspiration for new ideas and imagination originates.
It thinks in pictures and is nonlinear. It gives rise to the emotional or feeling side of our being. Until recent times, this part of our brains in the corporate world and even I’d say society in general, was often subverted to the importance of the left halve of our brain.
However, it is interesting to note that when a study of top corporate CEOs were interviewed, it was noteworthy that those who have been known for extraordinary success stated that they considered their ‘gut feelings’ to be of utmost importance in their final decisions.
Take note, all of you ‘give me nothing but the facts’ types!
The left-brain is more analytical, rational and logical. It makes decisions ‘independent’ of emotions. It focuses on details and is very linear in processing information.
We certainly need these qualities, but the goal for the times in which we find ourselves is on development of the WHOLE brain. The era of overemphasis on the left-brain is over!
I am about to complete a business book that discusses the subject matter of intuition, ‘Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking’ by Malcolm Gladwell. In this book he gives numerous examples of how our intuition is often more accurate than painstaking logical investigation. Interesting book.
Developing a ‘Whole Brain’ can help your confidence in that you are better equipped to handle life in general. We were designed with these right and left sided functions for a good reason.
The more we can integrate these dichotomies (it appears this way on the surface anyway), the more mentally and socially healthy we will be. We will be able to navigate with our logic yet, we can be creative and emotionally healthy at the same time.
The key is to develop ourselves ‘wholistically’. You will be hearing even more about this type of information in the workplace in the upcoming years, as Emotional Intelligence awareness begins to make headway into corporate America. I can tell you that it has already begun!
Have you noticed the winds of change blowing in this arena?
What a wonderful blog! I loved the simplicity of yur writing and the perfect exam you gave that we all can embrace....a mistake that almost cost you your life as a teenager. Thank God that you made it through. The world would have missed out on your tremendous talent and ability!
Posted by: Sheree Franklin-Hill | April 01, 2008 at 06:48 AM