5. Ignore physiological symptoms and signals.

Just because you’ve had chronic diarrhea since you started that job doesn’t mean it has anything to do with that job. (Stay in your left brain, please!! There’s no “proof”.) If it meant your job was making you sick, well, that would mean you’re a wuss, so avoid connecting up with your feelings. Remain strong! Appearances count, you know. 6. Apply Prozac liberally.

Why experience those negative emotions that are so disturbing? Medicate them! Options include, but are not limited to: prescription drugs, illegal drugs, nutriceuticals, alcohol, a cult, and obsessive exercising, gambling, or shopping.

7. Quit thinking for yourself.

Advice is plentiful; just ask someone else what to do. Why struggle? Pay them for their opinion if necessary, but avoid hard work and introspection of developing your own wisdom. For extra credit, keep “thinking” and “feeling” totally separate. Compartmentalize everything you can. Bonus points: If something goes wrong, you can blame someone else!

8. Take no risks.

If you take a risk you might fall flat on your face. It’s much safer to maintain status quo. Just remember Number 5.

9. Stick with what you know.

Stay where you are. Make sure everyone you interact with feels and thinks same way you do about things. You’ve already made up your mind, so why confuse yourself with new data, or, worse, stirring feelings? Don’t rock boat.

10. Starve your brain

Avoid new playmates and new toys. Why learn something outside your field when you’re 40, 50, 60? Accept that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.

YOUR TURN

Think of a time when you thought grandmother had awfully big legs for a grandmother (the product seemed too good to be true), or her voice was awfully growly for a grandmother (there was something ‘funny’ about what job interviewer told you). Where was your intuition? What did you ignore?

When you find yourself looking back on a situation and saying, “I KNEW it wasn’t going to work out,” go back and process how you “knew” this and what cues you received (and how) and ignored. You were ignoring your intuition, your gut feelings, or instinct.

Some fears are innate (present in newborns, and present in all cultures on earth), and some fears are learned. One innate fear is fear of falling. This is startle reflex newborns show when they think they’re going to fall and flail their arms around.

Others are learned and may also be culture-bound. Texas children might fear sound of rattle snake. A Samoan might never had heard this sound and therefore wouldn’t know it was something to fear.

Intuition can be learned and honed throughout your lifetime. It’s an EQ competency that will help you live your life with more intelligence. Our intuition is a sure guide, once you know how it speaks to you.

ASK YOURSELF

1.What were you taught to fear that you later learned wasn’t something to fear? Who taught it to you and why do you think they did?

2.Are there any lessons in fear you learned that you might be better off UNlearning?

3.Is there something you were taught NOT to fear, that later harmed you and you now DO fear?

4.If you knew someone was afraid of dogs, how would you teach them that all dogs need not be feared?

5.How do we teach children to have good instincts about cars, so they don’t get run over?

Work on your intuition with a certified emotional intelligence coach. Learn to recognize when your hair stands on end, when you get goose bumps, when you blush, when your heart starts pounding, when you “know without knowing how you know” that something’s amiss.

Emotions guide us and we know them through physiological responses. That’s what Emotional Intelligence is all about – understanding our emotions, getting their message, and managing them. Learn to look under grandmother’s nighty when you see a bushy tail that’s not supposed to be there. Don’t ignore those signs. It could save you from being eaten up!