Dr. Marcia Emery "Using Intuition For Business" -- as interviewed by San Francisco Bay writer, Julia Novak.

Everyday we are bombarded by inner promptings. Some we listen to, some we don't. There's nothing worse than looking back at a choice or decision and saying in regret, "I knew it!" Or perhaps having your great idea turned into someone else's successful business simply because you didn't trust your vision enough to act. Maybe you overwhelm yourself with information and advice from experts, friends and family when trying to make a decision. In each case, distrusting intuition means lost opportunity.

According to intuition expert Marcia Emery, Ph.D., you can "use your intuition to improve job performance, achieve creative breakthroughs, generate new products and processes and even forecast coming popular trends and lucrative markets.

"Intuition is a clear understanding that comes not from our logical mind…but from a deeper part of our being," she says. Intuition gives us an edge by supporting logic, or by cutting through the static of information overload "straight to the bottom line."

But how do you know it is intuition talking? When the answer comes, it feels right and signals us to act. Unlike the emotional charge that fear or wishful thinking elicits, intuitive knowing evokes calmness present in the body. "When the it's smooth, move," Emery tells students and clients.

Our language speaks to the inherent nature of intuition, so much a part of us that it is taken for granted or overlooked. "A flash, a bolt out of the blue, off the top of my head, a gut feeling, felt it in my bones, a vibe, the creeps, a chill, a litter voice inside, I knew in my heart, let me get a feel for this, this doesn't smell right to me."
It is language, too, that clues us in to how we are personally "wired" to receive intuitive information. How does our body interact with the external world to process it? By first figuring out how we are wired to receive information, Emery says, and then using simple steps to access the source, intuition becomes a powerful ally. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.

Emery, a psychologist, consultant and professor, has spent over 20 years observing and teaching intuition in the work place. She pioneered college course work using intuition as a management tool. It was then that she explored the various internal sources, or sensory modes, we all use to tap into our intuitive self.
What she found is that "vision, voice and vibration - seeing, hearing and the kinesthetic - are the major ones (modes). Smelling and tasting are secondary."

In her latest book, PowerHunch - Living an Intuitive Life, Emery outlines simple steps to apply intuition in the practical business world. Stories culled from over 200 interviews support the power and pervasiveness of intuitive insights in daily life. "What I want people to do is to realize they have that power, it's not just a gift for a fe," she said.

The PowerHunch tools outline how to identify the personal source of intuition, engage it through questions and elicit clear information to act on issues, even if it's contrary to logic and reason. Emery suggests beginning with a "yes and no" question technique or a simple eight-step process that moves you from the issue at hand to implementation of a solution.

In business, the gift of timing is priceless. Intuition can wrap it up an hand it to you using simple questions. Take, for example, the frustration of trying to make an important connection. Emery says, You can ask your intuition "when is the right time to reach them?" By knowing how you are wired and getting quiet, your intuitive source will answer your question. Perhaps you will hear 5:15, or see a clock pointing to the best time to act.
"Ask yourself, then dare to believe," Emery said. We gave to believe that this information is available, and it's right. The only way to do that is to practice." Furthermore, keeping a journal validates your ability and make syou aware. By doing so, people are amazed at insights that would have passed them by.

Those who do listen seem to live more successful, lucky, even magical lives. When you start living an intuitive life, life becomes easy. Decision-making flows. Risk taking doesn't seem so risky.
"People always say to me 'you're so lucky." Emery said. "I say, am I lucky, or am I aware?"

SIDEBAR
INTUITION in Business: How are You Wired?
Knowing how you are "wired" to receiving intuitive information is the first step toward paying attention. See if you identify with one or more of these examples.

"A little voice told me to do it." Your intuition may work best through your auditory sense and extends your hearing so you can hear what is really being said, beyond mere words.
"I see what you mean." Your intuition may work best through your visual sense. It helps you "read between the lines" or use "x-ray vision" to see beyond the apparent into the real.
"I can put my finger on it." Your intuition may work best through your sense of touch: your tactile sense. It helps you get a "feel" for what's really going on.
"It just doesn't smell right." Your intuition may work best through your olfactory sense, which lets you "sniff out" a situation.
"I've got a real taste for it." Your intuition may work best through your taste buds: your gustatory sense. Your intuition intensifies your ability to "get a taste for" any condition.
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