This week we’re continuing in a similar vein from last week’s interview on self-compassion and self-care. We’re talking about the importance of getting back in touch with your intuition and being true to yourself.
Therese Nadeau is a psychic coach and spiritual teacher who says her mission in life is to help other people tap into their intuition – in business, in life, and in their relationships.
We started by agreeing that everyone has their own interpretation of success. When Therese works with her clients, just like in other types of coaching, they come with certain goals that they want to achieve. They might want to achieve a healthy and loving relationship; or it might be about how much money they have coming in every month.
“For me personally, success is being healthy, happy, and living a life of freedom where I don’t feel chained or inhibited, and I’m authentically living in my purpose and my truth. I feel very successful because I’m doing that. However, my bank account is not very full!”
How can intuition help you to achieve success?
Therese describes how being true to yourself is being authentically aligned with your intuition. When you turn that off, you’re not living your life to its full potential as you’re really denying a part of yourself. She also talks about getting stuck in the mind and losing touch with the heart.
This idea of being true to yourself is so key for me in this process of understanding what success means for you and, ultimately, achieving it. How can you ever hope to live a life that feels successful – and meaningful, and fulfilling – if it’s not aligned with who you are as an individual? With what you love, with what’s really important to you, and with what you believe in?
The concept of the head versus the heart is also something I’ve been exploring lately. Many of you, like me, will have grown up in a rational culture where everything needs to be explained by science. A lot of these concepts can be dismissed as being a bit too mystical and kooky.
Ultimately, though, we’re simply talking about listening to your instincts – and you’ve had these since way back when you were out hunting for survival. You might feel something in your heart, or your gut, or your pinkie toe! It’s something that’s happening outside of your conscious brain, something that’s more visceral than that. But often you’ve turned the volume down on these feelings and you rely much more on that rational part of your brain.
It’s not just in your personal life that intuition is important. It’s something that is a huge part of being successful in business. It’s true that in the corporate world it’s that rational brain that usually wins – careful reasoning persuasive arguments based on facts and figures – but in the startup world an intuitive feel for what will work is a huge asset. Sometimes you simply don’t have the data to make a well-reasoned decision and you’re going to have to go with your gut.
How can you get back in touch with your intuition?
Therese’s own journey started with meditation and she advocates this as the best place to start for most people. As we discussed in last week’s interview, it’s a great way to shut out all that noise and clutter around you and to just focus on yourself and your breathing. The easiest, she says, is to start with a guided meditation that will help you to relax, turn your mind off and go into your body.
“Intuition is a quiet, subtle whisper for most people and at the beginning if your head is really loud and noisy you’re not hearing those whispers, you’re not seeing those patterns in your life.”
We both agreed that this can be very difficult when you’re a ‘go-getter’ or a high achiever! Finding your own approach can be important – yoga can help for some people, tai chi, quiet walks through the forest, horse riding… Anything that allows you to be in silence and focus on your breathing, moment by moment.
Personally, I find nature to provide a fantastic and important counterpoint all those hours spent in the city, in offices, at our laptops. Even just going out for a walk in the park or maybe down to the river can help to re-centre you and literally be a breath of fresh air.
What’s the ONE STEP you can take to tap into your intuition?
Bring nature to where you are!
Therese describes how you create a sacred space or a little altar in your room at home – this is also recommended in the Chinese system of feng shui. Find images or symbols that speak to you and that give you a sense of peace and calm – maybe some candles or incense, and some photos of your loved ones.
Therese also suggests that you should think about the various pictures that are hanging around your home. Are these positive reinforcements or are they negative? Do they make you feel relaxed or do they remind you of something stressful?
In this context, I also believe in the importance of de-cluttering! It’s so much easier to feel calm and present, and to make important decisions, when you’re in an open space and you’re not surrounded by piles of paperwork or other things that need attention.
Get your free guided meditation to help you relax into your intuition here >>
Therese Nadeau is a professional psychic coach, spiritual teacher, and passionate soul mentor. She has worked with thousands of clients around the world providing them with tools and techniques to completely transform their lives for the better. Therese is a powerful workshop leader and intuitive coach, inspiring people to find inner peace and self-love. She is an authentic and nature loving adventurist sharing her passion for life and whole body wellness.
