3 Ways to Use Intuition to Predict Your Behavior

Which is easier—predicting the stock market or your own behavior?

Both require skills that take time to develop. The stock market is a crapshoot—one-day stocks are up but the virtual cloud can break loose at any given moment and dump on unsuspecting investors. On the other hand, we all possess the knowledge to become experts at predicting our own behavior.

The secret? It’s Intuition.

Odd But True

Our society often throws intuition and gut instinct into categories labeled emotional and irrational.

We have been conditioned to believe that conscious thought is more important than unconscious knowledge.

Our knowledge about ourselves may be unconscious, but we can develop the skills to bring it to the forefront of our thinking.

The rules and principles that guide instinct and intuition are unsophisticated but surprisingly accurate. Gerd Gigerenzer, a psychologist at the Max Plank Institute for Human Development in Berlin, makes an important point in his book Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of Unconscious when he argues that instinct and intuition are not impulsive—they have their own brain-based rationale.

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Predicting Behavior

How do we use rational intuition to help predict our behavior?

If we can break down the components that lead to behavior, we can isolate the levels of intuition at work. As an FBI counterintelligence and undercover agent, I learned to notice details. This is the most important aspect of any investigation, whether you’re investigating a spy, digging through a news story, or learning more about yourself.

Why? Details lead to patterns, and patterns lead to predicting behavior. Bingo!

Here are three types of intuition that will help you learn how to predict your behavior:

1. Notice Nagging Feelings

This is where intuition starts in all of us. These are the niggling, uncomfortable feelings that just won’t go away. Pay attention to them because they’re trying to alert us to something that is not in our best interest.

TIPS:

• Recall a time when you couldn’t get rid of a nagging feeling about someone or something.
• What was it trying to tell you? What did you do about it?
• Keep track of nagging feelings and notice when, and how, they helped you chose the best response.

2. Feed Curiosity

Curiosity is a way intuition alerts us that we need to find out more. It can lead us toward exploring and discovering the unknown—sometimes in ourselves, and at other times, in others. If your gut reaction is one of interest, follow it through and see where it leads.

TIPS:

• Identify a time when you felt curious about an event, person, or situation.
• How did you feed that curiosity? What are you curious about now?
• Make a list of things that intrigue you so you can learn more about them.
• What impact could they have on your responses in the future?

3. Acknowledge Doubts

Intuition that has been noticed (through nagging feelings) and fed (by curiosity) will ultimately lead to something that is more concrete. We’ve all experienced the feeling of doubt, apprehension, and even fear.

Acknowledge these feelings because they are ways your subconscious is trying to tell you to proceed with caution. You may not always be in a dangerous situation, but it’s important to notice when—and how—they come up so you recognize them when it does matter.

TIPS:

• Remember a situation where you felt doubts.
• How did those doubts show up and express themselves to you?
• How did you react to them?
• What patterns do you notice as you look over the times when your intuition was trying to warn you?
• What have you learned about the next time you feel doubt?

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” ~e.e. cummings

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Take Away

Develop trust in your intuition so it can help you predict your behavior. Then use this model to begin to understand others. This will help you become a better, more intuitive leader.

What are some of the reasons you shove nagging feelings to the back of your mind? How do you “cultivate” your curiosity? How do you resolve doubts in your mind when relying on intuition? How can developing these skills help you be a better leader? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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LaRae Quy is former FBI Agent and Founder at Your Best Adventure
She helps clients explore the unknown and discover the hidden truth in self & others
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