2 Ways To Trust Your Intuition vs External Advice
“How do I know when to trust my intuition and when to follow other people’s advice?”
We’ve all wrestled with this question in some way, shape, or form.
With so much information out there, it’s easy to…
Get distracted
Chase shiny objects
Ignore your intuition
Get lost in comparison
Overthink and over-analyze
Doubt yourself
I’m all-too-familiar with those things.
For the last 13 years, I’ve learned about information overload the hard way.
For 7-8 of those years, I spent almost every waking minute consuming information.
Ever hear the term “self improvement junkie?” That was me to the T.
I would voraciously consume books, audiobooks, podcasts, articles, YouTube videos — like an addict.
I thought there was some holy grail of information out there that would be the master key to making my life better.
It took me YEARS of doing this to realize…
I was trying to fill a void
It was based in never feeling “good enough”
I was learning way more than I could apply
I wasn’t embodying everything I learned
I was ignoring my intuition and inner wisdom
I was chasing other people’s goals
I created as many problems as I solved
I would never fill an inner void with external information
So I took a step back.
I prioritized the inner work, getting to know myself, listening to my body, meditating, honing my intuition, being present with myself and others, etc.
Gradually, my intuition grew clearer and clearer.
Now, I’m much better at balancing my intuition with external information and advice from others.
Am I a master? No. But I feel like I’ve climbed so far up this mountain, and the view is already incredible.
In light of this, I want to share 2 powerful frameworks with you.
These are simple lenses you can use to trust your intuition vs external advice.
1) Inner Inspiration, External Confirmation
Those who thrive know how to balance their inner wisdom with quality advice from others.
To progress and shine in anything, you need STRONG internal motivation to keep you going.
That’s key. But the “external” world also provides you with feedback, at all times, to help you hone your direction.
A professional basketball player, for example, has an unstoppable inner drive to keep playing and improving.
That’s what keeps them motivated to practice every day. They also get feedback every day.
If they miss a shot, they might realize that their footwork was a bit off and correct it. That’s external feedback. Or maybe their coach recommends that they practice a certain move every day, and they try it to see if it improves their game.
It’s similar in business.
A great entrepreneur has an idea, then moves forward with it. As they take action, they see the feedback they get in the marketplace, and adjust accordingly.
They’re only able to work on the idea every day for years because of a strong inner drive. And they’re only able to pivot and optimize their business because they discern important feedback.
These examples hint at how we can all evolve and thrive by balancing our inner and outer worlds.
Strong internal motivation + Discerning external feedback = Mastery over time
Now let’s get into the second framework…
2) Intuit Based On Principles
Another simple and effective way to balance your intuition with external advice is to focus on PRINCIPLES.
With any area of life, and life in general, there are certain principles (fundamental truths) that create the best results.
One trap of clinging to external information is getting caught up in the surface-level tips, tricks and tactics.
For example, a principle of good writing is consistency (writing every day). A surface-level tactic of writing is to use “power words.” Someone who just tries to use power words but ignores the principles of writing comes across as click-baity, annoying and like a copy/paste robot trying to get attention.
Knowing principles acquaints you with deeper levels of your relationship with information, so you can see the undercurrents that most people don’t see.
With this deeper perspective, you’re able to navigate on your own volition, and use your inner wisdom to create your own approaches and adapt to any situation.
On the other hand, if you fixate on surface-level tactics, it’s like a robot programmed with protocols. You become bound to those protocols without being able to see beyond them, or invent your own methods.
Remember, some of the biggest magic in life comes from creative solutions, unique insights and forging your own path.
When you consume information, look for the deeper principles. Also, seek to connect those principles with principles from other topics and apply them in unique ways.
Being principle-focused helps you see the foundational substrate of wisdom underneath information. With this, you can use your intuition to shape that substrate in new ways.
This approach allows you to dynamically balance structure and flow. Principles are the structure and your intuition is the flow.
It’s like playing an instrument. When you know the principles of how to play the instrument, then you can intuitively build off of it to create your own melodies and songs.
Principles and intuition
Structure and flow
Listen with your inner vision
Tune in and know
Find Your Way
So back to the question. “How do I know when to just trust my intuition and when to follow other people’s advice?”
Ultimately, it’s your journey. No one else can walk it for you, or even tell you the exact steps you need to take.
However, the frameworks here will give you enough direction to develop your own masterful balance.
Inner inspiration, external confirmation
Intuit based on principles
These two frameworks aren’t mutually exclusive either. You can combine them according to whatever feels right to you.
In our world of incessant distractions, endless cheap information and so much noise, mastering this balance (your intuition vs external advice) is more important than ever.
Those who thrive will be the ones who seamlessly navigate external information, guided by their intuition.
This is your invitation to embody this aspect of mastery.
Much Love,
Stephen Parato
2 Things For You
1) Want to write a book?
If you’re a spiritually-inclined leader who wants to write a book, I can help.
Check out my explainer page here: Write Your Book
2) Sharing is caring
If you found value in this newsletter, please forward it to a friend or share the link to this post.