Learning to Listen to Myself

I’ve been noticing something recently. It’s not loud, dramatic or life-changing, but it’s been consistent enough that I can’t ignore it anymore.

Sometimes I get a quiet awareness about something before I consciously think about it. Not a big hit of inspiration, not anxiety, just a gentle “hmm, notice this.”

The tricky part is that I rarely act on it straight away. I tend to doubt it, rationalise it, push it aside or think “I’ll deal with that later.” And then later I realise that the quiet awareness had been right.

What I’m learning isn’t how to “be intuitive” — clearly that’s already happening — but how to trust myself when I get those signals.

For me, intuition doesn’t feel magical or mystical. It feels subtle, neutral, almost matter-of-fact. It’s not emotional. It’s not reactive. It’s just a small internal nudge. That’s how I know it’s different from impulse or fear.

Fear feels urgent and pressured.Intuition feels calm and simple. And this is where my growth is:acting on something without waiting for perfect conditions, full certainty, or logical explanation.

Most of my life I’ve made decisions by planning, thinking, organising, preparing… and that has its place. But there’s another layer of awareness that isn’t about analysis or effort. It’s more like a sense of “there’s something here, just pay attention.”

I’ve had quite a few of these moments recently, and each one has taught me something about myself — mainly that the gap between intuition and action is where I hold myself back.

Not because I’m lazy, or avoiding, or can’t be bothered. But because I’m unsure whether what I’m sensing is valid, whether I’m “allowed” to follow it, whether it will lead somewhere useful, or whether I’ll look stupid if I do.

That’s the real block:doubt. Self-doubt more than doubt in the intuitive hit itself.

So I’ve started experimenting with a different way of responding. Not big leaps, not dramatic commitments, not trying to “figure out” the whole path. Just the smallest possible action that honours the signal.

A message.

A check-in.

A question.

A reach-out.

A “let’s just see.”

It’s not about making something happen.It’s about staying open to what might unfold.

And weirdly (or maybe not weirdly), when I take even the tiniest step, things often line up in ways I couldn’t have predicted or planned.

I think many of us shut down intuitive awareness because we’re conditioned to wait for logical certainty. We want proof before we act, clarity before we move. But intuition doesn’t work like that. It often comes before logic.

So the work isn’t “getting better intuition.”It’s developing enough safety to listen to ourselves.

Intuition isn’t something you summon or force.It’s something you notice when you stop overriding it.

And the more I explore this, the more I realise that intuition isn’t dramatic. It’s not a lightning bolt. It’s actually very ordinary. It’s quiet, grounded and practical. It helps life flow more easily, with less push and less resistance.

I’m not perfect with it. I still second-guess. I still hesitate. But I’m learning to meet those nudges with curiosity rather than dismissal. And every time I take a small step instead of shutting it down, I feel more connected to myself.

And that feels like growth.