Intuition is the same as a Gut Feeling – and Five Other Intuition Myths

In my work as an Executive Leadership & Intuition Coach, I hear the word “intuition” bandied around a lot. Although, some may view intuition as being spiritual, it has found more popularity amongst business leaders, in recent years, due to its grounding in neuroscience.

However, whatever angle you happen to be exploring it from, a lot of common assumptions about intuition are incomplete and unhelpful. Because of that, what leaders think of as intuition is often something entirely different.

I cover some of the most common myths below.

Intuition is the same as Gut Feeling 

The answer is yes, sometimes. However, this is far from the whole truth. Often, the gut can be misleading because when we experience emotions (even if we’re not consciously aware of what they are), we feel them in the body. The gut is often where we feel anxiety or “butterflies” if we’re excited.

The problem is it can be difficult to differentiate between emotion or impulse and real intuition. Real intuition is not an emotional experience. It is a clear, quick knowing. Although, it may be followed by an emotion (especially if you don’t want to do whatever the intuition is telling you to do), but the actual intuitive hit is emotion free.

If it “feels good” it’s intuition 

Contrary to what may be talked about in the spiritual world, following your intuition may not always feel good. In fact, it may feel downright uncomfortable or painful. As I mentioned before, intuition is not an emotional download. Your real intuition will guide you to the right action at the right time. How you feel about it (whether good or bad) is not the point.

So don’t confuse feeling good about something with it being good for your growth.

Impulsively eating junk food or drinking alcohol may feel good in the moment, but few could argue that it hurts you long term.

Only some “gifted” people have intuition

In our “guru” obsessed culture, we are told to look outside of ourselves (to coaches, healers, therapists, experts etc) to help us find our own answers. While all these things can be helpful, it does not take away from the fact that we ALL have the capacity to develop intuition.

We can literally train the intuition muscle for ourselves to help us to make better, quicker and more profitable decisions.

Intuition replaces your rational mind 

Simple put. No, it doesn’t. It is an extremely useful accompaniment.

Intuition can act as a primary filter, and you can then, use your mind to do the “logic” behind it. This is what your mind is useful for – solving problems. As opposed to brain over-analysis, which is unhelpful in a fast-paced world.

In a sea of information and data overload, your intuition works in conjunction with your rational mind to lead you to the best decision at the right time. Quickly.

Intuition is an uncontrollable, unconscious process 

Many leaders experience intuition as sudden flashes or downloads, when they’re “off duty”.

It’s extraordinary the number of leaders who have found the ideal solution to a problem or had an amazing idea while running, walking, taking a bath etc.

Neuroscience explains why – mental downtime is crucial for intuition because The Default Mode Network comes online. It’s during these quiet moments that our brains can make unexpected connections, leading to those sudden flashes of insight that seem to come out of nowhere.

Having said that, rather than relying on answers coming by chance, we can train our intuition to be available to us on demand. So, we can use it precisely all the time.

Intuition is too spiritual or "woo" and I won’t be taken seriously as a business leader. 

There’s a reason why all the most successful leaders in the world, from Steve Jobs to Einstein, talk about intuition. It’s what gave them the edge. Imagine knowing how to lead in all circumstances, knowing where to focus your attention to get a specific result and when and what decisions to make for the highest good.

Intuition is grounded in neuroscience, and involves tapping into subconscious knowledge and experiences, as well as tapping into the electromagnetic fields that surround the human body. All of which we can consciously access with training.

When we step outside of these six myths and start actively recognising and training precise intuition, it changes the game, in terms of the results you can achieve in all areas of your life.