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August 24, 2025 2 mins

This week, I want to talk about why you often know unconsciously what you have to do in any situation, as your subconscious mind is constantly gathering information around you, processing it and forming conclusions in the background, without you even realising it consciously. 

We often ignore our sixth sense and gut instinct, but our subconscious minds frequently provide us with insights and guidance. Our internal compass is always shaped by our past experiences and knowledge and can usually offers us intuitive solutions, if we just listen to it. 

Paying attention to this inner voice and trusting instincts usually leads to us making better decisions in life and aligning actions with needs or wants. For example, consider times when you made a decision without overthinking it and it ultimately turned out perfectly. That's your unconscious mind at work. 

Cultivating awareness and trust in instincts also sometimes streamlines decision-making and reduces stress, but it’s essential to differentiate between intuition and fear-driven impulses. While instincts guide us positively, fear leada us astray. Reflection and balance between conscious and unconscious thought are crucial for avoiding impulsive, or misguided, actions.

Here are some examples:

- Imagine being introduced to someone new and immediately feeling a sense of trust or unease with them, for no discernible or logical reason. This is because your subconscious mind picks up on subtle cues, which guide your initial impressions and interactions. - Or imagine that, while thinking about a problem, you suddenly find the perfect solution appearing in your mind, even when daydreaming, or night dreaming, when you least expect it. This is because your brain has been synthesising information in the background and now offers you a creative resolution. - Or imagine you decide to take a different route driving home after work and end up, this way, avoiding a traffic jam on your normal route. You are not now a prophet or telepath, but your unconscious mind has alerted you to potential issues, guiding your actions in a good direction.

However, solely relying on your subconscious can also be risky, as it can reinforce biases, or irrational beliefs. Critical thinking and conscious evaluation are also vital in ensuring instincts are accurate and helpful, thereby preventing us from making hasty or incorrect judgments.

So, today, remember that you often know unconsciously what you have to do. Learn to therefore trust your instincts when making decisions, but balance them with reflection, to ensure accuracy and judgment!

Mark as Played

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