SUMMARY The day of the experience, I had a call scheduled for 3:00 PM with one of my managers based in Colombia. This particular manager is the black sheep of my group, and I've been forced to closely monitor his activities. It was 5:00 PM, and I had not heard from him. While writing an email taking him to task about not following through, the phone rang. I knew it was John and knew that I should not answer the call. After I sent the email, I checked my voice mail to find John had been the one who called.


CONTEXT Context of the intuitive experience
Where physically: I was sitting in my office working on my computer. Since my managers are far flung in several Latin American locations, we exchange weekly email reports and communicate with each other by email on an almost daily basis.
Where mentally: I was thinking how irresponsible John was. He had missed the conference call and hadn't left a voice mail or sent an email explaining the reason for his delay. The worst part was that this was not the first time it had happened.


EXPERIENCE The intuitive experience
Just before: At 5:00 PM after waiting two hours for his call, I started writing an email to John with a copy to the general manager for Colombia. In the context of the email, I was expressing how upset I was about the irresponsibility John had displayed.
At the moment: While writing the email, the telephone rang. I turned around and immediately knew it was him. Something assured me it was John calling and that I should not pick up the phone.
Just after: I didn't answer the call and continued writing the email message. I read the message twice, hit the send option, and then the message was gone. Then I checked my voice mail and found that John had called.


OBSTACLES Obstacles to the intuitive experience
Physical tension: I didn't sense that I was tense beyond the usual level of high energy I experience at the office. There are times when I feel that I've gone over the edge, but I didn't feel that way this particular afternoon. I was on schedule with the things that I had to do before I left work for home.
Fears felt: For a moment, I doubted whether I should follow my intuition or pick up the phone. I feared that if I picked up the phone, I would not be strong enough to call John on his behavior and become tangled in his excuses. I feared I would behave weakly in handling the situation.
Desires felt: I have an instant desire to answer the phone even when I'm busy or in a meeting. This automatic reaction without reflecting is not a healthy pattern. I need to work on pausing for a moment to listen to myself as each situation arises.
Mental clutter: Many thoughts were going through my head as I prepared a trip report for my general manager. But they were all coming together in a summary of the key points he needed to know about the trip. My mind was very active but focused.


SOURCE Source of the intuitive message
Conscious to
Subconscious: 7		 The message could not be accounted for from conscious sources. On previous occasions when John missed a call, I would not hear from him until the next day. There was no reason I should have known it was John calling.
Internal to
External: 4		 The message came as a mixture partly from within myself and partly from outside. When the phone rang, I turned around and looked at it. Something beyond me said who it was, and something within told me what to do.
Rational to
Intuitive: 7		 The message was totally intuitive. The phone rang two hours after the time scheduled for the conference call. I receive many calls during the day. There was no rational reason why I would have thought it was John.


MESSAGE Classification of the intuitive message
Type: 2 This was a professional experience. Part of my management style is to meet with my Latin American managers over the telephone when I don't see them in person for a period of time.
Form: 4 The experience was definitely a thought. When the phone rang, I turned and looked at it for a second. It was then that the thought came to mind: It was John, and I should not answer the phone.
Kind: 5 I had a premonition of what was going to happen if I picked up the phone. When it rang, something advised me the person calling was John and not to answer.


INFORMATION Information in the intuitive message
Strength: 7 The information came like a strong flash. When the phone rang, I looked at it and immediately knew it was John and knew I should not pick it up. The message was clear, and I felt confident it was true.
Clarity: 7 The message was crystal clear: It was John calling, and I should not pick up the phone. There was no ambiguity about it. The message was direct and to the point.
Surprise: 7 The information was a surprise. I never thought this could actually happen to me. The fact that something advised me it was John when the phone rang and not to answer the phone was surprising. The fact that it was actually him was even more surprising.
Accuracy: 7 The information was on target. I acted immediately to follow my intuition. I knew it was John, and I didn't answer the phone. I checked my voice mail and verifed that it was John who had called.


EVALUATION Evaluation of the intuitive experience
How intentional: The experience was not intentional. It came as a natural part of my routine. I wasn't thinking about nor trying to evoke an intuition.
Information use: I sent an email putting his irresponsible behavior in writing. If I had answered the phone, John would have given me a list of excuses, and I would not have written. This would have been the wrong thing to do since he needed a strong reminder to improve.
Benefits derived: This experience proved how far intuition can go. It shows the advantage of paying close attention. Even though this may sound like a lucky guess, it was not. It was a clear intuition. Many times I've had similar experiences and have not paid attention to them. How many mistakes could I have avoided?
Personal learning: The main learning was the importance of acting slowly enough to reflect. My instinctive behavior was to answer the phone. By pausing to sense the situation, I was able to experience an intuition, and the correct course of action was taken. From now on, I'll try to pay attention to even to the smallest signals my body or my mind send me.

Use your browser's BACK button to return to the previous page.

New Search