If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you’ll know that I frequently talk about the importance of listening to your intuition!
But even though I speak of this often, I still get a lot of questions about this topic!
Many find it confusing–and for good reason! Let’s be real: there are MANY voices inside of us each and every day.
Go to the gym. Don’t go to the gym.
Eat the cookie. Eat the salad.
Quit the job. Go for your dreams.
So how do you know which voice to listen to?
First off, it’s important to understand that the internal chaos and contradictory messages are simply stemming from different parts of our consciousness. If it feels like there’s a war going on inside you, that’s because there is!
But this war is more complicated than just black vs white or good vs evil.
Let’s start by defining what intuition and ego actually mean:
Intuition
Intuition always comes from our heart or gut. It might be a form of wisdom from our higher self or maybe from the Universe itself. Your intuition is here to guide you both spiritually and emotionally through life.
However, it can be a little tricky to unearth. It often communicates without words and is much quieter than the bossy voice of your ego mind! Your intuition often allows you to just “know” something, without any rational reason or explanation. It takes practice to trust in this truth.
Ego
Our ego creates some problems for us but it’s not inherently evil or wrong! We all have an ego; it’s an important piece of our sense of self. So please don’t think the ego is something that can be eradicated entirely!
Your ego’s main job is to protect you, both physically and mentally (a very important job!). However, our ego is also heavily influenced by the world around us. The society and culture we grew up in and our past experiences and fears give our ego excess ammunition to work with! So the ego becomes overdeveloped in most people.
Your intuition is CONSTANTLY guiding you to back your higher self.
That means you don’t have to worry or stress or endlessly stress because you have a source of divine knowledge and knowing inside you at all times.
The only problem is separating that from our EGO–which can be very demanding, loud and–infuriatingly–logical.
So now that we understand the difference, let’s find out some sure-fire ways to tell the difference between your ego and your intuition.
Intuition or Ego? 5 Ways To Tell
Intuition Or Ego Test #1:
Ego Lives In Scarcity
One of the most tell-tale signs that the ego is in charge is a message of scarcity. The ego will always assume scarcity over abundance! Its got its own best interests in mind at all times, of course. But that means instead of trusting in abundance, it will panic and try to control or manipulate situations in order to get what it wants.
In contrast, your higher self understands the true abundant nature of the Universe!
It won’t freak out and try to micromanage things because it’s able to surrender and trust, knowing scarcity is just an illusion.
Intuition Or Ego Test #2:
The Ego Gives Reasons
Ego will typically back up its choices with a long list of reasons why you should do it. The list of reasons (and justifications) is often logical and lengthy. It can be difficult to “argue” with such facts! But despite the evidence the ego is giving you, it doesn’t necessarily have the right answer.
Conversely, your true intuition will give you just one answer! No further explanation or justification is needed when you know the right answer. It might seem confusing to listen to that one answer because it doesn’t come with all the justifications that the ego provides! So just know that your intuition will still be right, no justification needed.
Intuition Or Ego Test #3:
The Ego Will Prop Itself Up
The ego absolutely LOVES to use things outside of itself to make itself feel better! For example, this can happen when relationships, shopping addictions, business or career success or even addiction to exercise become our primary source of confidence or happiness.
The major problem here is that (of course!) all of those external things can be taken away from us! And some of them don’t even work that well in the first place. It will only make you feel happy to have money when you compare yourself to people with less money than you. If you start comparing yourself to people with more money, you’ll start to feel badly about yourself again! So all those good feelings only come from an illusion.
The other problem here is that those outside solutions are never quite enough! The ego will keep promising you that you will feel good if only you push yourself a little farther–then a little farther again. But the finish line never really comes!
In comparison, our intuition doesn’t really care about those artificial pleasures! Your higher self knows the only real source of love comes from the inside. All that outside stuff is just a nice-to-have, not a primary source of happiness.
Intuition Or Ego Test #4:
The Ego Changes Its Mind
The ego is always grasping at knowing what’s best; that means sometimes it will jump wildly from one answer to the next, even if the answers are contradictory. This is just a wild attempt to retain control over a situation that it can’t truly control! If you keep changing your mind about something, then it’s a true sign the ego is in charge.
On the flip side, your intuition will not waver from its first choice! The message you receive might not be as loud but it will not change with time. It’s common to receive the same message or phrase over and over again.
Intuition Or Ego Test #5:
The Ego Uses Judgment And Criticism
Your intuition comes from your higher self: a place of self-love and acceptance! Conversely, your ego is often your inner mean girl: a voice of criticism and even contempt. If you’re convincing yourself to do something because “you’re stupid/fat/etc” then it’s a red flag that your ego has gained control!
Your intuition might not be as obvious to recognize, but it’s message will be neutral and free from self-hatred.
Intuition Or Ego Test #6:
The Ego Lives In Fear
The ego always assumes the world is an unsafe place and it will do anything to keep you safe! Protecting us and creating boundaries is important but the ego tends to go a little overboard and keep us paralyzed rather than taking action even on things we truly want to do! The ego creates a false sense of control, which can be difficult to let go of!
Our intuition always comes from a place of love and security. The focus will be on expressing yourself, not on gaining control of a situation.
I hope this post gives you some clarity on which inner voice you should be listening to! When you’re used to living from your logical mind, it can be a real challenge to listen to your intuition at first! But there’s so much wisdom waiting there for you that it’s well-worth the effort.
Thank you so much for reading!
PS Looking for more? You might also want to check out this post about why you’re not getting results with the Law of Attraction or this one about banish your blocks to manifest fast.
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