According to the Spiritual Science Research Foundation, sixth sense or subtle perception ability “is our ability to understand the subtle cause and effect relationship behind many events which is beyond our understanding of the intellect.” ESP, clairvoyance, premonition, and intuition are considered synonyms of sixth sense. In other words, this goes beyond the five senses of smell, taste, sight, touch, and sound.
So why do we even want to explore this as it relates to business? In an article in Psychology Today, “the job of the conscious mind is to form a story out of all our sensations and reflections. Life as we experience it is not just a series of unconnected thoughts and events; it’s a coherent narrative unfolding in an orderly universe.” If we analyze some of the most successful business leaders, it is very evident that they capitalize on their “intuition” to formulate unique strategies and ideas. Some may even say it is a “gut reaction” but however you label it, it is obvious that it does work as long as you know how to channel it effectively.
If we interviewed 100 famous people, we would probably get 100 different answers on how their sixth sense has gotten them where they are today. The key for all of us is to be open minded enough to be willing to explore. Like a child who can make a rocket ship out of a box, we need to look at life’s experiences in a whole new light. As we grow older, most people become more myopic and lose sight of all that could be in both their personal and professional lives. Sometimes it is as simple as someone else pointing it out that we realize it was staring us in the face all along.
As a coach, this sense of awareness is what makes a coaching session that much more fulfilling. When a client of mine has that ah! ha! moment, it is a time to rejoice. From there, a development plan can be created with clear milestones being defined. The feeling of helplessness and despair seem to disappear and confidence builds. It may take some time to get to that point but all the soul searching and experiencing new things makes it all worthwhile.
As we come into a new year, take time to really “smell the roses”. Make a commitment to yourself that you won’t react with a “no” so quickly to invitations to do new things and/or meet new people. Try reading books, watching movies or TV shows, and visiting places that may not have appealed to you in the past but you are willing to take a chance on now. Record all of your six senses. You may feel that you can’t “taste” a movie but there may be scenes where your mouth went dry or you noticed the popcorn was very salty. The objective here is to be present at that moment and then write it down after so you can reflect on it periodically. Patterns may start to emerge that can give you ideas on how to have a more exciting life with many new things to experience.