At some point in our lives, we all come to a crossroads.
To leave or keep a relationship, accept or decline a job offer, or stay in your home or move. These are the decisions you have to make over and over again.
Big decisions don’t always get easier, but you can make wiser decisions.
Most people make life decisions based on their mental intellect alone, but this is just one piece of the puzzle. If you rely only on logic, you ignore the wisdom that lives in your intuition, emotions and body.
I first read about the 4 types of intelligences in the book by Lissa Rankin Sacred Medicine: A Doctor’s Quest to Unravel the Mysteries of Healing. She called them the “4 whole health intelligences”. In combination, they provide a holistic approach to the decision-making process.
Let’s take a look at the 4 types of intelligences and how they communicate with us…
- Mental intelligence say, “What is the right thing to do?”
- Intuitive intelligence say, “What signs did I receive?”
- Emotional intelligence say, “What feels true to me now?”
- Somatic intelligence say, “How does my stomach feel? Do I feel open or contracted?”
Relying only on your dominant type of intelligence leads to analysis paralysis. It’s easy to overthink and overcomplicate things when you’re afraid of making the “wrong” decision. When your mind, intuition, emotions and body work together, you can make a wise decision that is aligned with all parts of you.
Your intelligence works best when all parts are in harmony.
I had the opportunity to tap into my inner wisdom when I made a big decision with my husband earlier this year. If I hadn’t trusted all 4 types of my intelligences to make this major life change, we wouldn’t be back in Atlanta today.
Here’s the story of how we decided it was time to head back to Atlanta.
Life has taken my husband and me from Israel to Europe, Atlanta, New York and back to Atlanta again. We lived in Atlanta for 15 years before becoming empty nesters. With our kids out of the house, it was time for us to start a new adventure. We have officially become New Yorkers.
We lived in Brooklyn for 7 years and never considered leaving. We loved the energy of the city, the culture and the friends we made. Then, after only teaching my classes virtually, it was time to teach face-to-face again. We traveled to Atlanta and spent a week teaching, enjoying the city and the loving community we left behind when we moved.
One day, after he taught a class, my husband was driving us back to our hotel when suddenly I had an intuitive hit that we would be very happy if we moved back.
He beloved living in New York, so I was hesitant to discuss the question with him. But I decided to follow my intuition and said, “If we ever moved back to Atlanta, where would we live?” We agreed that IF we moved we would want to live closer to Midtown than before.
Four months later we were living in our new beautiful apartment in Atlanta.
But it didn’t happen overnight.
I connected with my 4 types of intelligences when we considered moving. I tapped on my mental intelligence by going through the Pain Gain Model. I made contact with my somatic intelligence through body tests. I tuned in to my emotional intelligence through a guided visualization that helped me envision the next chapter of our lives. Mine intuitive intelligence was the glue that cemented our decision.
After spending 7 days collecting all the answers I received from my different types of intelligences, it became clear that going back was the right thing to do. My husband and I were ready to go back.
The moving process went smoothly! We are thrilled to have found “home sweet home” in Atlanta again. We found a beautiful apartment in Buckhead, revisited all our favorite spots and were welcomed with open arms by old friends and the local Beacons of Change community. We made a wise life decision.
