A Singer's Inner Work: Explore Your Intuition

There is a voice inside of you
that whispers all day long,
‘I feel that this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong.’
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
or wise man can decide
what’s right for you – just listen to
the voice that speaks inside.

Shel Silverstein

You know that moment, when you’re on the subway and your phone stops working? It’s not because it’s dead or broken. You just don’t have signal anymore. The pros around you whip out their newspaper or kindle. If you happen to be in some god-forsaken karmic retribution state, someone pulls out nail clippers. Let’s assume it won’t be that dire. I consider this a gift of a moment. The gift is a chance to check in with my intuition. I hope you’ll take today’s post as a catalyst to find your own moments to check in with your intuition.

Explore Your Intuition

Shel Silverstein is right, “there is a voice inside of you.” But, the ability to clearly hear it is a skill. Humans are undoubtedly impressive cognitive beings. Our ability to delude ourselves is one of those incredibly impressive aspects. But, self-delusion is the main cause of distrusting your intuition. You will have to build back that trust to effectively use your intuition in your daily activities.

Ask the Question

Give yourself a way to practice listening to your intuition in low-level decision-making moments. Ask yourself simple questions to begin especially if you don’t have a long history of trusting yourself. You may want to spend more time here if you feel you regularly abdicate your decisions to other people. Then, begin turning your questions to larger subjects that do not have yes or no answers.

You may want to ask yourself things like:

What type of creative projects should I pursue next?
Is this the right performing ensemble to join?
How do I feel about going/going back to school?

First-Level Answers

When you ask the question, your logical brain kicks into action. It’s important to pay attention to those answers. Those first-level answers might give you important information on strategies and roadblocks after you make your intuitive decision. You can categorize these answers under: “this is what my logical mind thinks” or “this is how fear is responding.” You may notice that these are a lot of “what-if” answers. “Well, I won’t be able to keep performing with x ensemble if I decide to join y ensemble.” You don’t know those things for sure yet. That’s why these are troubleshooting answers.

Intuitive Answer

Once you’ve recognized your first level answers, bring yourself back to the present. You can do this by focusing on the breath or looking around and recognizing objects in the same space. Those “what-if” answers have a way of being rooted in either the unknowable future or your past. Then, complete the answer to your question by beginning: “My inner self says…” You’ll know you’re getting to the good stuff when the answer feels energizing and empowering — even if it means a difficult talk or decision is coming up.

Show Your (Inner) Work

Practice recognizing your intuition moments as regularly as possible. When you find yourself in a moment in which you can call on your intuition, begin to ask yourself questions in the seven areas of individual wellness. We’ll consider those seven areas to be:

Financial
- Have I been spending money in accordance with my values?
Environmental
- Does my practice space suit my needs?
Social
- How am I being a supportive friend/sibling/partner?
- Do my friends support my career ambitions?
Physical
- Am I taking the best care of myself/my instrument that I can?
Intellectual
- Are there missing aspects of my education?
- Am I ready to pursue new training opportunities?
Emotional
- Am I feeling emotionally sound to withstand an audition season?
- Where do I need emotional support now?
Spiritual
- In what ways can I reconnect with awe and wonder if my day-to-day life?

Aligning with your intuition often brings about more openness and authenticity in your life. You’re able to take responsibility for your decisions. You’re able to respond to others with integrity. All of that because you’ve decided to be more honest with yourself by checking in with your intuition instead of listening only to the troubleshooting mind or fear. We know our limitations and work to exceed them without promising things we can’t deliver. We can’t be superhuman; but we can be super humans.

(You’re right, I’m disappointed that I didn’t delete that last sentence too…)

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Self-care for musicians
Discovering your multiple intelligences
Tackling your cognitive biases
Vulnerability in life and on stage
Blasting out of your thought ruts

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