For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour. – Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics I give “Trust Your Intuition” seminars around the world. One of the questions I’m asked most frequently is “How do you know whether it’s your fear speaking or your intuition trying to warn you away from something?” It’s an excellent question and one that doesn’t have a pat answer. A small amount of anxiety is normal. – If we’re honest we all experience a degree of fear when we decide to do something new. A change will likely require that you develop new skills and become more proficient with ones you already have. You’re moving outside of your comfort zone into unknown territory. Is your apprehension more pronounced than it normally would be given the change you’re anticipating? You’re the only one who can answer that. Think back to other times of transition in your life. How did you feel as you were going through that? Was your intuition giving you the “go ahead” then? Did you trust it? How did it work out? Just focus on what’s next. – Most decisions don’t require a flying leap of faith. How could you take some small steps towards your decision? For example, you may be contemplating a career change. Do some information gathering. This might be a class you take, a colleague you speak to or a book you read. If you’re still feeling motivated and excited about the change, that’s your intuition giving you a green light. Take a bigger step. If you’re hitting roadblocks or continuing to have uneasy feelings, pay attention! Depending on the situation, you may simply need to take a detour or just stop where you are and not move forward for the time being. It may not be the right time. – Intuition doesn’t always give a clear “yes” or “no.” Sometimes it gives a qualified “maybe.” The implications of this message are that progress appears stalled. I have a tendency to be rather impatient. However, over the years I’ve learned that when I can be patient and wait, things have a way of working out. When I push the envelope and try to force things to happen, I find I’ve stepped out of the flow and the ease that usually characterize intuitively inspired decisions and action. Be clear about the outcome you want. – The writer Aldous Huxley said “When life appears to be working against you, when your luck is down, when the supposedly wrong people show up, or when you slip up and return to old, self-defeating habits, recognize the signs that you're out of harmony with intention.” If you’re feeling fearful or anxious about a course of action, step back and ask yourself if you’re clear about what you want. You may be headed in a direction you don’t really want to go. If that’s the case, take a break, slow down and rethink what you truly want. If you get off track, be willing to change. – What do you do if you're off track? As Yogi Berra said, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it!” What are you doing that's on the mark? If one way doesn't work for you, be ready to go another. Many times, the road to success is found by taking a detour. Sometimes we get overly focused on getting to our goals through a well-trodden or familiar path. It’s worth noting that many of the people I interviewed for my book, “LISTEN: Trusting Your Inner Voice in Times of Crisis,” mentioned failures, detours and other crises that ultimately served to get them on track. With enough distance, almost all of them were grateful for the setbacks because it allowed a whole new and more interesting life to emerge. They invariably mentioned that following their intuition was the guide that led them back to success. Look ahead, rather than back. – Sometimes a shift in perspective is all it takes to get you out of a state of anxiety. Give yourself a performance review. – When you’ve put a lot of hard work into an endeavor and it’s not going as you planned, it’s not easy to step back and assess the situation. Is there something that you feel you're "failing” at in your life? The following questions will help you put some perspective on your experience. - What can you learn from this? - What are you doing right? - What outcome will make you feel you're successful? - Where did this begin to go wrong? - What do you wish you had done differently? - What is your intuition telling you to do about this situation? - What are you not listening to? - Are there warning signs you’re ignoring? - What do you know you should do? After answering the above questions, do you feel there’s a different way to approach your project or endeavor? Depending on the issue, you have several options. You could: Quit. Persevere. Alter your course. Put the project on hold for a period of time. Try something new. Ask for advice from someone who has been successful in a similar endeavor. Work on your project part-time. Discuss the situation with others who may be involved. Which of these options feels best to you? You can choose more than one and your intuition may present you with even more choices than listed. Thomas J. Watson was the founder of IBM. He was one of the richest men of his time and considered one of the world's greatest salesmen when he died in 1956. I thought his words might provide some comfort for those experiencing a setback. "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember, that’s where you will find success." **************** Lynn A. Robinson is a leading expert and best-selling author on the topic of intuition. She is also a professional speaker and intuitive consultant who teaches individuals and businesses how to use their untapped intuitive abilities to change their lives and grow their companies. She uses her own highly developed intuition to provide powerful, transformative insights for her clients. She has written six books on intuition that have been published in over twelve languages. Her latest books are "Trust Your Gut: How the Power of Intuition Can Grow Your Business" and "LISTEN: Trusting Your Inner Voice in Times of Crisis." Her popular Intuition Newsletter has become a must-read for thousands. She can be reached at 800-925-4002 or Lynn@LynnRobinson.com.