First of all I recognised how many times I decided to do (or not do) something, even though my initial thought was to do something else, i.e. my rationale mind would override any 'gut instinct' thoughts. However, this is only possible after the event (sometimes a long time afterwards).
Trouble is, after doing that for years the 'gut feeling' becomes very quiet and hard to spot.
I suppose I then started to think about why I would change my mind. Mostly it boiled down to second guessing myself, lack of confidence in a given course if I couldn't justify it in a logical way.
edit: triggering emotions based on our actions from/towards our loved ones can basically make us act against our own self-interest.
I mentally gave myself red flags when my mind was being guided down a certain path after those triggers had happened - that got rid of a lot of the noise.
This is all quite aside from things I learned in meditation etc., although I expect it helped me to isolate my thoughts on the subject to some extent, good practice so to speak.
The hardest part to learn was to not try too hard. That was a function of my logical mind that caused me to oppress my own feelings in the first place.
Have you ever 'known' something, but you have no recollection of how you know it? I'm not talking about TV induced brainwashing stuff, I mean real-time, on the spot, "Oh, of course, it's that thing".
I'm trying to think of an example, but I'm struggling, it's like trying to describe a cloud and how it makes you feel. You can describe some of the properties but it doesn't really convey what the person looking at the cloud is experiencing.
#1 Rule though: Trust yourself above all others. Be prepared to be wrong, but I have found that it isn't a question of right/wrong, it's more about what's best for you in that moment.
You can act on instinct and it can have major short term repercussions, but later on when you reflect back on the path it took you on you realise that it was totally better for you in the long run.
#2 Rule: Don't take it for granted. Don't let your ego take control of this feeling as it will mess you up and make it go wrong. It needs to be used in all humility, and gratefulness towards God.
It could be argued those 2 should be the other way around now I think about it.
I'm not sure if that helps or not, literally typing what comes into my head :D
I love this thread. Here's an example and I have many.
I was in Coachella, CA in winter 2021 . Had been in Commiefornia for y months and was desperate to escape. This is when masks were required to enter stores etc.
I had just got clean from meth and sober from alcohol and felt like I could hear GOD again. I was walking towards some truck stops by the I-10 and got a very strong message/feeling almost like a voice but not exactly say how to this one, camp here , your ride will be here tomorrow. OK. Sure enough in the morning I made a sign EAST -GOD BLESS or something like that. After a while a man came up, asked if I knew Christ. We talked. Turns out he was going home to Gulfport ,MS with a truckload of flooring material for his small company.
I rode with him, we got through 'snowmageddon ' in Texas, made it to Gulfport, went right to church. I stayed in his truck that night then thd next day he got ahold of some contractor buddies that put me to work right away. Ended up staying until spring, learned how to do concrete, made money and stayed sober for a while. It was a good experience. A lady from the church made me a birthday cake! Lots of love. My birthday is coming up and funny enough I'm somewhat in that part of the Country now in Alabama.
I have been on this trip for 3 years straight, Colorado to Florida back and forth and have been traveling off and on 30 years.
As far as listening to your gut/intuition it's all about quieting the mind, not listening to worries/fears and getting to know which feelings resonate with Truth.
Alcohol and TV are the biggest hindrances to clarity. Spend time in the forest, in nature. Learn how to turn off the hamster wheel. I find long walks and some cannabis helps. A long walk to me is 20 miles plus. There's a point where I'm just walking, not thinking anything at all. Another action that helps is keeping a notebook to write thoughts down. Get it out of your head, onto the page. It seems to help process info and come to informed decisions. The less the monkey is chattering the more Gox can reach us.
I get my lifestyle isn't for everyone, in fact after3 years on the Road I'm ready to settle down again in Oklahoma. Have Faith and God Bless!
Good question.
First of all I recognised how many times I decided to do (or not do) something, even though my initial thought was to do something else, i.e. my rationale mind would override any 'gut instinct' thoughts. However, this is only possible after the event (sometimes a long time afterwards).
Trouble is, after doing that for years the 'gut feeling' becomes very quiet and hard to spot.
I suppose I then started to think about why I would change my mind. Mostly it boiled down to second guessing myself, lack of confidence in a given course if I couldn't justify it in a logical way.
edit: triggering emotions based on our actions from/towards our loved ones can basically make us act against our own self-interest.
I mentally gave myself red flags when my mind was being guided down a certain path after those triggers had happened - that got rid of a lot of the noise.
This is all quite aside from things I learned in meditation etc., although I expect it helped me to isolate my thoughts on the subject to some extent, good practice so to speak.
The hardest part to learn was to not try too hard. That was a function of my logical mind that caused me to oppress my own feelings in the first place.
Have you ever 'known' something, but you have no recollection of how you know it? I'm not talking about TV induced brainwashing stuff, I mean real-time, on the spot, "Oh, of course, it's that thing".
I'm trying to think of an example, but I'm struggling, it's like trying to describe a cloud and how it makes you feel. You can describe some of the properties but it doesn't really convey what the person looking at the cloud is experiencing.
#1 Rule though: Trust yourself above all others. Be prepared to be wrong, but I have found that it isn't a question of right/wrong, it's more about what's best for you in that moment.
You can act on instinct and it can have major short term repercussions, but later on when you reflect back on the path it took you on you realise that it was totally better for you in the long run.
#2 Rule: Don't take it for granted. Don't let your ego take control of this feeling as it will mess you up and make it go wrong. It needs to be used in all humility, and gratefulness towards God.
It could be argued those 2 should be the other way around now I think about it.
I'm not sure if that helps or not, literally typing what comes into my head :D
Thanks for a meaningful reply. I’m on the move but will think more about it as the day goes on. :-)
You are most welcome. I hope it helps.
I'll be glad to discuss it more if you ever feel the need, sometimes I don't know what I know until someone asks me a question.
That seems to be a lot of how it works. 'Knowledge on demand' ;)
I love this thread. Here's an example and I have many. I was in Coachella, CA in winter 2021 . Had been in Commiefornia for y months and was desperate to escape. This is when masks were required to enter stores etc. I had just got clean from meth and sober from alcohol and felt like I could hear GOD again. I was walking towards some truck stops by the I-10 and got a very strong message/feeling almost like a voice but not exactly say how to this one, camp here , your ride will be here tomorrow. OK. Sure enough in the morning I made a sign EAST -GOD BLESS or something like that. After a while a man came up, asked if I knew Christ. We talked. Turns out he was going home to Gulfport ,MS with a truckload of flooring material for his small company. I rode with him, we got through 'snowmageddon ' in Texas, made it to Gulfport, went right to church. I stayed in his truck that night then thd next day he got ahold of some contractor buddies that put me to work right away. Ended up staying until spring, learned how to do concrete, made money and stayed sober for a while. It was a good experience. A lady from the church made me a birthday cake! Lots of love. My birthday is coming up and funny enough I'm somewhat in that part of the Country now in Alabama. I have been on this trip for 3 years straight, Colorado to Florida back and forth and have been traveling off and on 30 years. As far as listening to your gut/intuition it's all about quieting the mind, not listening to worries/fears and getting to know which feelings resonate with Truth. Alcohol and TV are the biggest hindrances to clarity. Spend time in the forest, in nature. Learn how to turn off the hamster wheel. I find long walks and some cannabis helps. A long walk to me is 20 miles plus. There's a point where I'm just walking, not thinking anything at all. Another action that helps is keeping a notebook to write thoughts down. Get it out of your head, onto the page. It seems to help process info and come to informed decisions. The less the monkey is chattering the more Gox can reach us. I get my lifestyle isn't for everyone, in fact after3 years on the Road I'm ready to settle down again in Oklahoma. Have Faith and God Bless!
That's an excellent story, sounds like God is helping you help yourself :)
As always, we have to make the decision, but then we just have to trust. God bless you and those who helped you.