Just F*cking Do It

You are armed with superpowers of which you probably are not even aware, and which can lead you to your most epic life. I’ve talked about the ability to use your thoughts to manifest, but another superpower that all too often gets taken for granted and is hugely underused is your intuition.

Your intuition is a natural gift and internal GPS which is known by different names – hunch, inspiration, ideas, instinct, sixth sense and gut feeling, among them. The word ‘intuition’ comes from the Latin intueri (‘to look into’) and in English was originally used for spiritual inspection, so that it means something like ‘to go inside to learn the answers’. It operates outside the normal parameters of experience and cannot be seen, heard, smelled, or tasted, but is designed to guide you effortlessly towards the life you keep imagining.

Your intuition is a vehicle for your highest, best-est, badass-est self to communicate with you, and if you listen, it’s whispering in a loving voice … ‘Just fucking do it!’ Intuition taps into the cosmic computer – the field of pure potentiality, pure knowledge and infinite organizing power – and takes everything into account. At times it may not even seem rational, but your intuition has a computational ability that is far more accurate and far more precise than anything within the limits of rational thought. It is the spiritual faculty that does not need to explain, but simply knows exactly what you need to do in order to make your dream life a reality and will happily guide you every step of the way.

Soul-ar power

Your intuition is literally like the Universe phoning you or your Soul speaking to you. Once you are in tune with this, you become powered by Universal Intelligence which is the most powerful energy out there: you basically become ‘Soul-ar-powered’!

Your Soul knows what you want, has your best interests at heart and is always bloody right. In those times when you are scared about stepping into your bigger life, it’s the part of you that wants to hold your hand and tell you to take a leap of faith into the unknown. It will communicate with you by a hunch that encourages you to go in a certain direction. It can lead you to safety in times of chaos, can encourage you to step into new opportunities during times of uncertainty, and can lead you to a world beyond that which you experience with your other five senses. And while everyone has intuition, the process of learning to trust it is an entirely different story.

Have you ever had a moment when you felt as though something was a little shady for your liking? Perhaps you feel negative around someone without knowing why? And if you’ve experienced this before, have you shrugged it off, dismissing it as illogical nonsense? Or perhaps the total opposite happened: you had this overriding feeling that you absolutely had to do something, and it turned out to be the best decision ever, yet you can’t pinpoint why you actually did it. Pretty much everyone has experienced those moments when unconscious reasoning makes us do something without telling us why or how.

The problem is, for far too long, the noise of that pesky little Ego has been drowning out the whisperings of your Soul. The Ego is noisy. It’s like a two-year-old who never grows up and will relentlessly stamp his feet and beat his fists until you give in. Ego wants you to be consistently concerned with the world outside, and yet the secret to tapping into your total potential and listening to the guidance coming from your Soul is to learn how to turn your gaze inward. You need to ignore Ego’s crazy voice.

The thing about us humans is that we tend to listen to all the noise. The world is so insanely noisy that you need a huge pair of totally pimped-up noise-cancelling headphones to do this inner work of connecting with your Soul. There’s the noise of your own mind, the noise of the people around you, the noise of your culture, the noise of your conscience, the noise of expectations. Not many of us actually take time out of our busy lives, our filled-up inboxes, our scrolling newsfeeds, to just sit still and quieten the cacophony of interfering noises and let our Soul show us the way.

We need to give it space to do that. It won’t keep fighting with the Ego. You need to give it permission to take centre stage and allow it to dance inside you. You need to learn to ignore the successes or failures of the outside world and commit to being totally focused and healthily obsessive about your own journey.

Even if the Ego has more power right now, we are totally going to change that in this chapter. When you awaken your Soul, you are tapping into the power of pure potential that lies dormant within you. When you become obsessed by your own personal growth as it relates to you, rather than personal growth in relation to the success of others, you can start manifesting things beyond your wildest dreams.

How to tap into your intuition

I was driving to an event a few years ago and listening to Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic. If you haven’t read or listened to that book, then you must. It’s like an enchanted shot of unicorn crack for the soul. (FYI, unicorn crack is a legal high.)

In the book, Elizabeth talks about how fear stopped her writing her first book and how in the end she overcame it and became a best-selling author. As I was driving along, I felt some weird electricity start coursing through every part of my body. Every hair on my body stood up and it felt as if my blood was tingling. I had this almighty feeling, knowledge, that I should and would write a book. That’s the incredible thing about your Soul: it can communicate with you in many different ways – through inspiration, ideas, or, my personal favourite, ‘God bumps’, more commonly known as goose bumps.

But guess what? … I ignored it for a while.

‘Don’t be so ridiculous – you are nobody!’ whispered my Ego.

That was until one year later when I was asked to be honest, like really honest about what I wanted to do with my life and how I could make a bigger impact on the world. So, I wrote down in big fat letters ‘WRITE A BOOK’. I just knew that this was something I had to do, and it was time to grow my lady-balls into big fat cahunas.

OK, so here is the deal: getting a book deal is notoriously hard, and, in my world, I was nobody. I was just a girl with a big dream. But I just knew it was what I wanted and what I could do. Where did that warm comforting blanket of ‘knowing’ come from? It came from my Soul. I was allowing it to shine. I trusted it like a mother and listened to it devoutly.

The series of events that unfolded after that was nothing short of miraculous. Once you start listening to the nudges of your Soul, you will start to see clues everywhere that you are being guided towards whatever your heart desires. Having admitted that writing and publishing a book was what I wanted, and while crafting my plan for doing this, I had full faith that it would happen – because your Soul never lies to you. In moments of doubt or in the face of rejection, I would ask the Universe for a sign and the sign would always appear – this is how I had the confidence that it would manifest, and, despite the odds being against me, I got offered a deal by two publishers.

When I looked back over that year and how I got here, all I can do is grin like the Cheshire Cat. It all made sense: each rejection had an important role in guiding me to the book deal that I knew would allow me to do big things in this world and to reach people with a message that in my heart is so important – that we all have the ability to change our lives if we choose to and that one important part of this is learning to choose whom we want to be, reprogram our minds and listen to our higher selves – our Souls.

OK, so how did I get to a point where I quietened down the Ego to make way for my intuition so I could learn to trust it. It’s almost so simple that you will hate me. But yet so many people won’t do it.

Quieten the noise

Meditation helps quieten the noise of the Ego. You really have an incredible opportunity to cultivate your intuition with solitude and silence, even for five minutes a day. This quiet time allows your mind a chance to spring-clean to give space for your Soul to communicate with you.

If you’ve never intentionally practised being alone, this can be a bit jarring. When you’re alone, you are faced with yourself – all parts of yourself – in a raw way. Sometimes there can be emotions that surge unexpectedly from your inner core. Don’t worry – this is part of the process of understanding yourself, allowing you to better recognize your intuition.

The best thing about being alone is you don’t have other people around to tell what you should do or who you should be. You’re left with yourself and your own decision-making power. And while it takes patience and practice to allow your mind to quieten, it’s also incredibly freeing.

I have created a meditation exercise for tapping into your intuition and you can access it at www.noorhibbert.com/book.

Dance in ecstasy

Our most natural state is that of joy and love. When you are in this state, you are most connected to your intuition and have a heightened ability to feel it is communicating with you. Most of us ridiculous humans are totally oblivious to this ‘natural state’ because we are too busy feeling sorry for ourselves – maybe because it’s a little rainy outside or the traffic is bad or our boss is being a douchebag. We get so caught up in the bullshit instead of absorbing the pure excellence that life truly has to offer.

If we took the time to appreciate what is in front of us, we would be going through shouting ‘Amen!’ from the rooftops. This feeling of total gratitude is our natural state. In fact, it’s unbelievably easy to tap into our natural state yet, because it’s that simple, we – complex humans that we are – just don’t trust it.

Learning to trust

The thing about intuition is that our mind and our Ego will, most of the time, try to override it. They will attempt to talk us out of listening to it. Logical reasoning, practicalities and realism will kick in and will shut down what appears to be the ‘mystical’ guidance provided by your Soul.

Learning to trust it is hard. It’s like that game where you have to fall backwards and hope that the person behind you hasn’t forgotten to catch you. Sometimes your gut wants you to invest in something that feels impossible or go somewhere that feels out of reach or do something that quite honestly scares the living crap out of you. But, once you start seeing things happen, you develop confidence and trust in your intuition amid the chaos of your overly conditioned mind.

Let’s say you are on the hunt for Mr Right/Ms Right. You end up dating someone who on paper ticks all the boxes. They are funny, attractive and kind and seems to have a nice mother-in-law who won’t drive you bonkers should you decide to go the long haul. These are all things which are good on paper, but there’s something inside of you that says this isn’t the right fit. That’s your intuition. You may end up staying with that person for a year (there’s nothing wrong with that), but during the process it can be helpful to record your intuitive experience in a journal, what you did with it, and where it led you.

If they turn out to be a serial killer, or develops a disturbing penchant for licking your toes, just note it down and thank your intuition for letting you know in advance (despite the fact you ignored it for a while). This way you will know for the next time and save a year of your life in the long run. I had a friend who would always meet these men who seemed amazing and yet strangely she always felt ‘red flags’ popping up inside. That didn’t stop her from taking the bait, however, and she endured years of heartbreak as a result.

Take action based on your intuition

Eventually, you will want to act on your intuition – unlike my dear friend who endured a decade of Mr Wrongs. You already do this on a subconscious level with small things (you eat when you’re hungry and sleep when you’re tired), but with bigger gut feelings it can take a little faith to step out there and act on a hunch.

Start small. If you’re at a new restaurant and scanning the menu, choose the first item that sounds delicious. If you’re running around the park and feel like you can do one more lap, then do it! This is training your mind, body and spirit to trust what naturally arises. As you become more comfortable with trusting your gut, you can begin using your intuition to inform bigger decisions such as:

• changing careers

• starting or growing your family

• investing in a course or mentor

• saying goodbye to toxic relationships, or

• mending broken ones …

But be aware that, despite acting on your gut, fear will still rear its scary face. Fear is always present when you do something big and new, but when it comes and tries to stop you doing something big, step back, witness it and verbally make a declaration that you choose not to listen to it.

Intuition and dharma (your purpose)

The easiest path to your purpose is to follow what lights you up. Think about what makes you feel excited, alive, awake. Books? Food? Travel? Helping people? Creating art? Wherever your joy is, that’s where your purpose lies. Find those things that fill you with joy and your purpose will find you! Your Soul speaks in your emotions, so listen to them.

Don’t be scared to turn inward and ask your intuition: What is my purpose? How can I help the world? How can I serve? Your inner wisdom (Soul) will provide you with guidance; you just have to listen and be on the lookout. Once you ask and stay tuned in to UniverseFM, you will start to see clues, but you just trust your gut. The Universe will start to pull you forward in the right direction with creativity or ideas that I call ‘divine downloads’. It’s literally like downloading the right information you need straight from the Universe. These ideas will lead you to where you need to go or will help you uncover what your unique talents and skills are, and how you can use them to serve. Sometimes our unique talents won’t make us the richest money-wise, but they can make us feel the happiest and most fulfilled.

You also need to be happy to let go of who you used to be in order to become what you might be. The more your life is cluttered with things, people and events that no longer serve you, the more you don’t have room to let the Universe show up with the things that actually serve your true purpose. If you are so busy living a life that doesn’t light you up, taking time off to just let go of those routines is essential. Each day make a conscious choice to let go of something unessential, so that your life will open up to receive, recharge and become more aligned with your true purpose. That’s why quietening the noise and practising meditation are essential.

Making ‘white space’ in your day is another important factor and something we all struggle with. Doing ‘nothing’ is nourishment for our Soul (note: binge-watching Netflix doesn’t count as nothing!). The quality of your ‘nothing’ matters. And being out in nature is one of the best ways to slowly build these pockets of ‘nothing’ into your every day, to invite more ‘being’ into your life. This will provide you with the powerful opportunity to align yourself with the cycles of nature and the energy of the Universe and allow you to connect with your own being. After all, we are called human beings, not human doings.

Spiritual signage

If you doubt your intuition, then you can always ask for a sign from the Universe. Signs come in two forms: the ones you ask for and synchronicities. Synchronicities, or ‘happy coincidences’, occur when the Universe uses signs to show you that you are on the right path – the one aligned with your purpose. We are always guided through to our next step – we just need to follow those guiding lights to confirm we are heading the right way.

I want to share a story from when I gave birth to my third child. Let me start by saying that I know that when I need a sign it will deliver. For the past year, my sign has been a butterfly. If I need some reassurance on something, I’ll ask and it will appear, but here’s the caveat – the sign may not appear exactly how you imagined it.

I was walking around my kitchen at 37 weeks’ pregnant and feeling my Braxton Hicks going into overdrive. I have always suffered from Braxton Hicks, so much so that, with my second child, my doctors were convinced that I was going into early labour, so I wasn’t too alarmed. But there was this tiny voice inside of me saying, ‘This is it – you’re going into labour.’

I jokingly said to my husband that I had to know for sure as his parents were going to a wedding and I really needed them not to be inebriated in case they had to babysit. So, I stood in my kitchen and said out loud: ‘Universe, do your thing. Show me a butterfly if I’m going into labour tonight.’

I then carried the salad I had made over to the table where my husband and children were eagerly awaiting their dinner. As I dished out the salad, a small piece of red onion (it looked purple) flew out of the bowl. I went to pick it up and put it back in when my three-year-old girl exclaimed, ‘MUMMY, don’t take my butterfly away!’

I had learned before that signs don’t have to be that literal and I also knew that the Universe is a major show-off. The hairs on my arms stood up as my Soul communicated with me and I looked over at my husband. ‘Holy shit!’ I said, ‘I think I’m going into labour!’

Five minutes after eating, I stood up, went to the living room and, as if perfectly orchestrated, I felt the pop as my waters broke in the middle of my living-room floor. ‘Holy fuck! You really do have my back.’

That evening I welcomed my third daughter into the world in the exact birth I had manifested. I wanted a home birth. I wanted it to be at night so my children could sleep. I wanted my mother-in-law to be there. I wanted it to be calm and quick. I got it all. I asked for the sign and it showed up.

Sometimes signs come in other forms. They can come in certain numbers that keep showing up, or in animals that keep making an appearance (yep, there are such things as spirit animals!). If you keep your ears pricked and your eyes peeled, you will become aware that the Universe is always communicating with you.

TOP TAKEAWAYS

• Your intuition is the way the Universe speaks to your Soul.

• You need to quieten the Ego in order to listen to what the Soul is saying.

• You must practise trusting before you can trust.

• Make ‘white space’ in your day so you can connect with and drop back into your Soul.

• The Universe will always find a way of communicating with you, if you ask.

JFDI!

Document your divine downloads

Keep an intuition journal or write notes on your phone. Record similar intuitive feelings and experiences you have from day to day and week to week. Test your intuition out by asking questions and seeing what the different options feel like and what ideas come forth.

After a month or two, read back through your intuitive experiences and notice whether there are any patterns. You’ll get to know yourself even more and understand how intuition appears in your daily life. There will always be distractions along the way, but your gut offers insights you won’t find anywhere else, and it’s worth nurturing.