"Intuition is the very force or activity of the soul in its experience through whatever has been the experience of the soul itself."
Henry Reed

A few years back, whilst learning about developing intuition, I came across various techniques to do so. Whilst there are many different ways, one I particularly enjoyed because it was very easy to complete without needing to dive deeper in the subject. But before I reveal this to you in more depth, I’d like to briefly explore the meaning of intuition. You don’t necessarily need to be a spiritual person in order to use your intuition. It is part of all of us and although it cannot be seen, it can be felt in a powerful way. Remember that gut feel you get when you’re about to make an important decision? Or the uneasiness you sometimes get when you met somebody and you just can’t explain what it is? What about one of those times when an idea comes to you randomly and you just somehow know it will be a winner? These are all manifestations of your internal energetic source and your intuition. Therefore, I look at intuition as exactly that. It is part of your true source, your true soul’s essence. And like with everything, the more you explore ways in developing it, the stronger and more effective it will manifest itself for you. Most successful people I have worked with told me that they listened to their gut or intuition when they had to make a very important business decision. And most of the time, the result was 100% successful. Your intuition is so powerful and it guides you towards the path you should be on. Sometimes we want to seek answers and believe that these will unfold themselves to us from an external source, but what I have learnt over the years is that those answers are already within you; that by listening to that voice from inside, you will know what you need to do and sometimes you will even figure out the why.
 
More often than not we tend to rationalize everything. We have been taught that by following facts, the truth about specific situations will be revealed. But sometimes, some situations simply require more than just a rational reasoning. Some things cannot be explained, they just are and it’s up to you to believe. The truth will always be one’s unique perception of how they see reality, and so your truth will always reside inside. 

Amongst all the techniques I have discovered for developing and enhancing the intuitive field, this I found to be the most effective and extremely interesting. I was asked to write myself a letter. At the time I was 28 years old so I began the letter with Dear 28 year old Miriam. It was advised to start off with a few of the events in my life that I was most proud of sharing. So anything that I had accomplished that I wanted to share, was part of the introduction. Following this, I had to continue writing and try and go into as much detail as I could. After a while, the more I wrote, the less I was consciously focused on what I was writing. At one point I found myself guided by something from within when I dived into events from my future. It was such a strange feeling and although I was aware this was happening, I simply couldn’t stop. It’s as if a part of my self was telling me what to write and so I did. Some of the future events I had referred to were not even part of my present desires, but since this was no longer my conscious self writing, I just rolled with it. 35 minutes and 6 pages later, I ended the letter with yours truly, Miriam, put the pen down and took a moment.
 
For some reason I felt really excited and slightly exhausted. It’s as if I had discovered a whole new side of myself that I never really explored. Don’t get me wrong, it was still me but I felt more aligned and connected with my soul’s purpose. I was fascinated and immediately began reading this letter. I was confused about some of the things I wrote as they were not part of my goals and I didn’t think much of it at the time, so I closed my notebook and went on with my life. At the time I wrote this letter I was about to move to a different city in the UK because I thought that was supposed to be my next step. But the letter didn’t reflect this and it had me puzzled. I actually wrote about a place I would be living in that was not even close to the city I was about to move to.  A year later, with no influence from this letter, I found myself moving to the place I mentioned in the letter. I had no idea how this happened, but it was one of the best decisions I had ever taken in my life.

For those of you who are reading this and doubt this could happen, I respect your view and accept it.  Everybody has a unique definition of what their reality is and it’s important to go with what feels right. But your intuition is part of you and something that simply cannot be denied. Every few months, I look at this letter and sometimes I am once again taken by surprise to discover that something from it came to life.
 
As I mentioned throughout this article, intuition cannot be seen, touched or pointed at. It’s part of our energy and resides internally, at our core. Meditation will often enhance it by revealing you snippets of images or feelings that you were simply not aware of, but they are within you. I ‘m not asking you to believe my truth, I’m simply bringing to your awareness something that worked for me personally which I wanted to pass on. Intuition can be developed in many ways, but if you are keen to try the above technique, simply get out a pen and notebook and start writing. 

I hope that whatever you try you will become more in tune with your intuition.  Life is truly magnificent and when you are curious and seek more than just what you see, it gets even more fascinating. 

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. "
Albert Einstein

As we grow through life, we realize that the lessons we learn are just as important as the milestones we acquire. In fact, without the lessons, the milestones will not even be there.  From a very young age I was driven to one day reach great heights within my professional life. Growing up in a somewhat poor environment meant that I focused more on using my imagination, than just having material things. I didn’t necessarily have the trendy clothes or the latest Barbie doll as a kid, but I learnt very quickly that by using my mind, I can just visualize that I have everything I wanted and although I physically I didn’t have these things, metaphorically speaking I acted as if I did because my mind was in that state and I believed it. My parents couldn’t afford to buy me a real Barbie, so I had the plastic fake type but my mother taught me that if I want something I must find a way to make it happen. So her and my grandmother would sew the most beautiful clothes for my plastic Barbie dolls, and they were the best dressed on the block. My Barbies had Haute Couture designs and I was happy with that. My parents taught me to work very hard for everything I wanted in life because only then you can taste the success of your own input and discover just how talented you really are. I have to admit, in my younger years this wasn’t always fun, but now I can say I am very grateful for this type of wisdom I was given.
 
Everybody can reach professional success if they really want it bad enough. We sometimes tend to focus on things that actually don’t really matter which end up distracting us from what we should really be focusing on. I have learnt that by looking within and focusing on gaining an understanding of the self, who I am, what are my passions and strengths, all lead to the discovery of one’s life purpose. Regardless how self-driven and disciplined you are, there will be moments in your life when you will need the guidance of others. Whatever path you are choosing to take within your career, connecting with other likeminded people and learning from those who have already walked the path you are embarking on will place tremendous value for you.
 
One of the most valuable experiences I had and continue to have in my professional life has been working alongside great minds and inspirational leaders who somehow believed in me so much. I never really understood the concept of having a career mentor until I met my first one. I considered myself lucky to be part of this person’s business journey, a successful entrepreneur with a genius business mind and a very humble nature. He believed in me and in my abilities to succeed more than I did in myself at the time. It is then that I learned the importance of perseverance and being passionate about what you do.  When you rely on yourself to be the driver of all your actions, that’s when you will begin to take control of your life. But it’s wise to learn from others, especially those who are living the success you want to be living. If you are blessed enough to have already found your career mentor, then you will understand the important role they played in your journey. And if you haven’t yet, here’s why you should start: 

​Self-development is vital for anybody. When you focus on growing and learning new things, you elevate to greater heights. Having a career mentor can sometimes open your mind to new talents and strengths you haven’t been aware you had. Although I always believed in myself that I would have a great career ahead of me, I never really took the big actions with confidence towards it until I met my first mentor. He saw more potential in me than I did in myself at the time and that helped me find my wings and use them wisely. It is then I was introduced to a whole new level of self-elevation I took upon myself. The lessons I had been introduced to from a young age were the planting seeds to new discoveries which I only understood later on in life, when I realized my true potential. You will meet people in life who somehow see more in you than you see for yourself. Perhaps they are older, wiser and more experienced and often times they will see their younger self within you; that driven soul who wants to do great things. The qualities you see in your mentors are simply qualities you yourself possess, hence why you are able to see them. So don’t be afraid to let somebody introduce you to these and be open to letting your potential shine. 

When you surround yourself with successful people who have achieved what you want to achieve, you will become that. The more you do it, the more you start living it because you will understand that your actions cause the outcome. Being around people who can teach you the lessons you might face in your life will give you the wisdom to understand and really embrace these. Success is really what we perceive it to be, so when you find somebody who is aligned with your definition of success and they are living it, allow yourself to be introduced to it. When you are able to get a taste for what it really is, you will realize that the true success lies in the hard work and countless challenges endured; the broken barriers, the sleepless nights, the never ending, burning passion with which you conquer these. Having this introduction first hand from somebody who has been there will absolutely prepare you for what’s to come and it is then when you will decide if this is the success you are seeking. 

Having a career mentor will give you tremendous insight into understanding and embracing failure. Almost every successful business owner or highflying career individual I have met and worked with had encountered failures, some more than others. Whilst there is no special manual for handling these moments in our lives, hearing somebody’s story who has pushed through the challenges can definitely have a positive impact on your professional development. You will learn that even the biggest, darkest challenges have a positive outcome. In fact, you will learn that these are often the ones that lead you to the desired results you are seeking to create. Nothing is really as glamorous as it seems, and when it does, you better believe that it takes many failures in order to achieve that status. Robert F Kennedy said that “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly”. This might sound daunting for some of you, as failure can have such a strong impact, but when we take the dark glasses of with which we see it and realize that we can always pick ourselves back up again, now that is true success.
If I can sum up everything I have learnt from all of my mentors so far, it is this:

When you meet somebody who empowers you to make great things happen, and you are willing to learn, you’re on your way to realizing that it is possible. 

​Self-limiting beliefs are exactly what they say they are: self-created beliefs that limit you from reaching greater things in your life. The important aspect to take in consideration is that almost everybody in this world will have them.  I say almost because some have been brave enough to reach within and break the pattern of limitations they once created for themselves. Self-limiting beliefs are simply thoughts that become paradigms over time which influence the way you live. Whatever you experienced so far has lead you the point you are at now in your life. Your thoughts and feelings manifest themselves through your actions and what you believe to be true will ultimately prove to be so.  Your self-limiting beliefs have been stopping you from achieving your true potential and you are probably not even aware you have them. Think about these as tales you create for yourself in your mind that deplete or impede your forward actions. This is because they are limiting of course, therefore we can say that self-limiting beliefs are a big influence to why you haven’t really lived to your greatness so far.  Self-limiting beliefs are formed from your life experience, from the things you see, what you feel and what you hear about. Your perception of the world is highly influenced by both your internal state and the external factors that you encounter. The human brain has three main ways of receiving information, and this is done by generalizing it, deleting  the information or distorting it. The way you perceive something to be is exactly how it will be for you. The human mind is the powerhouse behind all thoughts, imagination and creation from a cognitive point. The information you consciously feed your mind with will be taken exactly as it is and stored within your unconscious mind. This is the area of the mind that controls the body systems and all involuntary functions. It is also the part that stores the ego, that voice that constantly likes to keep you safe and in your comfort zone. Playing a pivotal role in the creation of self-limiting beliefs, the ego can be your greatest friend or your biggest enemy, depending how you choose to use it. Your ego takes everything personal and it believes everything you tell it. Your conscious mind is the driver and the unconscious is the doer, so everything you consciously tell yourself, your unconscious and the ego will take it on board and believe it. Regardless if this information is true or not, it doesn’t care nor can it tell the difference. If you tell yourself you are a millionaire, and begin to believe it, then your unconscious mind will start creating the systems towards it. And soon enough you will begin acting like one. At the same time, if you tell yourself you are poor and cannot be rich, then your unconscious mind will grasp this belief and guess what? It will take it as a fact, so you will become just that.
 
If I said to you that whatever it is you want for yourself in your life, you can have, would you believe me? Hopefully many of you will, but I do have a slight feeling that there will be quite a few skeptic minds out there.
 
Henry Ford once said that “If you think can do a thing or you think you can’t do a thing, you are right. He was one of those great people who was able to identify the power of self-belief and use it to reach his aspirations. The most critical person towards you that you will ever meet in your life is yourself.  Your ego makes sure that you will do so in order to keep you safe. And whilst self-limiting beliefs can keep you “safe” and not let you get out of your comfort zone, you simply cannot grow further into a braver, stronger, more accomplished individual this way. Whatever has been stopping you this far to reach your aspirations and biggest dreams has been YOU due to your limiting beliefs.
 
Let’s explore the most common self-limiting beliefs and how to reverse these so you can start living to your uttermost potential. 

​Have you ever said this before? I know you have, I have too, so has everybody else. This is by far one of the most widely used self-limiting beliefs. When you say to yourself you can’t do something, what you are really doing is eliminating all possibility. You have created a belief about your situation and you are certain you simply cannot do whatever it is that you’d like to do. Then come the excuses including : I don’t have the money to start a business, I don’t have time for a relationship, I can’t go to university because I am too old, I can’t go travelling because I don’t have the money, I can’t run a marathon because I’m not fit enough, I can’t cook, I can’t do that presentation, I can’t get that job… I could keep going on, but I think you get the point. What you are doing here is limiting your opportunities because you are giving into fear. You see, it’s easy to say you can’t do something and then go back to living comfortably, without having to actually find a solution. You are infesting your brain with excuses to support your limiting belief and guess what? You believe it’s true!  What you need to look at is breaking this pattern and turning the I can’t into it’s possible. It’s possible for me to start my own business and I will use all my resources to gain the financial stability it requires; It’s possible for me to run that marathon and I will train consistently in order to bring up my fitness levels; It’s possible for me to go back to university and study what I love and all I need to do is fill in that application form and create a plan. It’s possible! If you start telling yourself it’s possible and you identify the solution for it, you will no doubt create whatever it is that you are wanting to do. Remember, your unconscious has no idea what’s true and what’s not, it only knows what you tell it. So tell yourself it’s possible and start believing it. 

​Have you ever wanted something so badly but deep down you always believed you were actually not worthy of it? Let’s just say you wanted to get into a relationship with a wonderful person who has achieved great things both personally and professionally, but you told yourself that this kind of person will never look at you that way because you are not good enough, that you don’t reach their standards. This is a limiting belief and a big one to be honest. When you don’t believe you are worthy of something, you are de-valuing yourself and with this, eliminating all your amazing qualities that actually make you just as worthy as anybody else. But if you don’t trust yourself and believe this is true, then you will end up living a life where you not worthy of doing the things you want to be doing. You are worth so much; your life is a gift and you were born with a purpose; your existence adds value to the world but you just need to start believing this.  Look at your strengths, focus on all you have done so far that you are proud of and made you happy at some point. Spend time with yourself and start enjoying your own company to see just how valuable your presence really is. You can try meditation, which will help you become more self-aware. Look within, and not externally, because that is where the most attention needs to be paid. When you start looking internally and bring the light to the storm that’s been brewing in there, you will find that your worthiness will soon manifest itself, because it’s there you just have to find it, accept it and embrace it. 

​Take a moment and go back in time, as far as you can remember, to a moment when you were just a young kid with lots of dreams. Did you feel invincible? Did something stop you from believing you deserve to grow up and be who you want to be? Your answer is probably no because in your younger days, you hardly focused on self-limiting beliefs because all you knew is what you wanted. Your imagination is more powerful than you think and at that stage, all you are doing is actually using all your resources instead of crowding your mind with limitations because they simply don’t exist. Telling yourself you don’t deserve something is like waking up every morning and not getting out of bed the entire day. You are lying there, awake and living but are you really making use of your day? Are you using your resources, your body, your mind, your passion? Are you productive to the point that you realize what you are good at and what you deserve because you put the hard work in it? You need to start being kind to yourself and to the life you have been given. You need to learn to acknowledge your unique self and be just that! You deserve everything you want to create for yourself and more, but it is your choice to make this happen. Only when you start understanding what you deserve, then you will get it. Those who seek, receive and those who hide will eventually be found. So regardless what path you choose to take, at one point in your life, you will need to face yourself and realize what you deserve. Ask yourself what is stopping you from believing you deserve it? Start now, don’t waste any more time and energy into negative beliefs that have trapped you into an empty bubble of misery. Tell yourself, I deserve to live an abundant life; I deserve happiness and love; I deserve that pay rise; I deserve to have a family; When you decide this, you will start to feel it and believe it.  
 
You don’t need a magic wand for you to know your life can be truly prosperous and abundant. What you do need is to start using your mind, imagination and passion towards the things you know will bring more beauty in your life. Remember your self-limiting beliefs are simply statements you create for yourself; they are not true! They are simply just sentences you make up to create excuses for what you are so afraid to reach out to.  

​People take life a bit too seriously sometimes, including myself. We tend to read too much into things and make a big deal out of everything. We worry about the most insignificant minute details, those that don't even matter really. And the biggest one is that we can often develop a pattern of negative thinking just by giving into failed expectations. Negative feelings and thoughts can be detrimental and even though we know this, we still let ourselves led by them. Negativity has such a powerful presence and the more we give into it, the more we sink ourselves into a bubble of misery. Happiness is more often than not developed through experiencing situations that bring us dissatisfaction, fear and uncomfortable surroundings. I truly believe that only by becoming familiar with the unwanted and that which we fear the most, we will identify what we truly want. If we could only start living with a problem solving winning attitude, and take less of a victim approach we would then realize how many amazing things we could really create in this lifetime.  

1. Realize that everyday you get to live is THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY of your life. You are not guaranteed tomorrow, but you sure have today. So start appreciating this and make the most of it.

2. Stop being so damn mean to yourself. Stop hating your body, stop thinking you are not good enough, stop analyzing everything you do and why you do it. Just STOP and start appreciating who you truly are!

3. Believe in yourself and your abilities. Accept that you are not good at everything, but acknowledge your strengths and use them to create your true purpose.

4. Rest more. The quality of your life could really improve just by giving your body and your mind the break they need. Every body is different so get to know your body clock and create a consistent healthy nigh sleep system.

5. Eat that damn cupcake. You are not going to get fat from one cupcake. If you are a disciplined person when it comes to your physical health involving both exercise and diet, remember you can also indulge sometimes. You are not a robot! 

6. Don’t live by other people’s expectation. Stop wasting time on those who don't matter. People will always talk, especially when you are doing well. You know who you are and those who truly love you know exactly who you are. That's why they love you.

7. Making mistakes is all part of the plan. Don't be afraid to make them. Learn from your failures. Taking risks is what separates the average from the great!
 
8. Laugh more. Audrey Hepburn once said that the prettiest girls are the happy ones. Happy people laugh more, and everybody wants to be happy. It's ok to sometimes laugh at yourself and let your goofy side come out.

9. Find a job that ads purpose to your life. On average, we spend 13 years of our life at work. 13 years!!! Make those years count by doing something that gives you personal, professional, emotional, mental and physical satisfaction. No career is perfect but if you love it, you are on the right path.

10. Eat your greens. Vegetables play a very important role in our diet. They help with digestion, reduce illnesses and they add color to any dish. A healthy life leads to a happy, wealthy life.

11. Travel more. Learning about new cultures, tasting different foods, meeting new people, seeing new places all open your mind to a whole new exciting layer of life you never encountered before. It doesn't matter if you travel within the country you live in or doing a world tour. Just get in the car, plane, train whatever you need to get on and go.

12. Be open to love. You will meet people who will want to be part of your life, to share an intimate relationship with. Welcome them with open arms and share beautiful experiences together. Whether you are meant to be forever, or just soul mates for a temporary duration, accept their love and enjoy your time together. Fear will eventually lead you to regret so choose to take a chance on love. 

13. Appreciate your family and friends. No matter how self-driven you are, life is more abundant when you share experiences with those who you love. To be wealthy it means to be healthy, give love and feel loved.

14. Kindness doesn't cost a thing. Understand how others behave around you is an internal projection of how they perceive the interaction based on their internal state and yours combined. When you are kind to yourself, you will be kind to others.  How they see the situation is not your problem but what you can control is how you react to it.

15. Start each day by affirming one thing you appreciate about yourself and your life. Realize that many of the things you want are actually already part of your life and you fail to see them. Gratitude and passion always win.

​There is a silly myth that if you are single you rarely receive flowers. Who says you can’t spoil yourself? After all, you should be the most important person in YOUR life, so why not start embracing this? I am not ashamed to admit that every Sunday I go out to the local market and buy myself a bouquet of roses. They are my favorite flowers and I don’t need a man to buy them for me. There is nobody in the world who can make you feel more special than you can do for yourself. Seriously, if you want flowers, go get them. This way you can buy whatever bouquet you want.