It can feel tricky to tell the difference between intuition and ego sometimes, as the ego can mimic the way intuition is received.

If you follow your intuition, you will more likely fulfil your soul potential, resulting in a feeling of life satisfaction. The effect you can have on other people whilst living your potential is also invaluable.

But the voice of the ego is a sneaky mofo, that can imitate intuition. The voice of the ego creates doubt and if there’s doubt, nothing is ever straightforward.

The truth is, I can’t always tell the difference between my intuition and ego. When I’m in an anxiety whirlwind, my intuition has a metaphorical sock in its mouth.

BUT, anxiety whirlwinds (or gloopy depressions) only come about when you are listening to the ego. So that is tip number one:

1. Are you in an anxiety whirlwind or gloopy depression?

If you are, you probably can’t trust many of those thoughts and feelings, pumping through your mind.

You have permission to ignore them and activate INTENSIVE SELF CARE IMMEDIATELY! This might look like taking the day off. A bubble bath. Cancelling an event. Seeing friends or family that fill you up. Doing an activity that fills you up (music, art, exercise, reading, movies etc). Writing all your thoughts out and reframing them.

2. Relief

The second tell tale sign is how it feels.

When you are trying to work out if the thought is intuition or ego, do you feel relieved? Does it feel like a doting parent is talking to a beloved child?

Or do you feel scared, full of fear or obligated?

Remember who these voices are.

Intuition is LOVE. Love loves you unconditionally and wants the very best for you. Love is guiding you to peace, but will always do so in a gentle manner. You won’t be forced, because Love does not apply pressure. It accepts and loves you. It gives you space and understanding. With Love, you can relax, feel safe and be at peace.

Ego is FEAR. Fear wants you to be on high alert. It wants you to hide. Fear wants you to stay small and hidden. It wants you to please other people, not yourself. Fear doesn’t want you to take risks. It definitely doesn’t want you to shine. Shining would mean the death of the ego. And the ego is all about survival.

3. You can’t go too wrong

The final thing to remember, whilst figuring out who has the mental reigns today, is that you really can’t go vastly wrong.

Life is a journey and if you really can’t decipher between intuition and ego sometimes, then that is FINE! All hell won’t break loose.

Just take some time and space to reflect and learn. We can only hear certain things when we’re ready. If we’re not ready, we won’t hear them. Life will naturally help prepare you for the next step, as long as you take time out to reflect.

If you make a decision that you later realise was from the ego, maybe the whole point of that situation was to learn what the ego sounds / feels like. So maybe next time you feel those feelings, you will choose something different.

Homeplay

1. Think of something that’s bothering you, or a situation in which you feel blocked.
2. Write down your thoughts about this. List them from 1 – 5 (or up to 20 – whatever you feel), leaving a few lines under each thought.
3. Reflect on each situation and decide if ego or intuition is in control.
4. If your ego is in control, can you let a more loving thought come through about this situation?

This is a fun exercise for learning and exploration. You might not get answers, or you might have a shift!

The opportunity for you awaits…

Check out Happi Cards for a great tool to practice your intuition with. Pick a card and use your intuition to work out what it means for you.

Photo by Andres Ayrton