Decisions, decisions...everyday we make decisions. Some decisions are as simple as what to eat for dinner or when to go to the store. Others are as complex as which job candidate to hire, which company to retain services from, or where to invest for your retirement.

How do we make those decisions? What if all the facts weigh out or there are too many good options to choose from? How do you arrive at your decision? You do this by listening to your inner voice, your feelings, your gut instincts, that 'knowing' sensation that comes to you in the shower...these are all aspects of your Intuition.

If you listen to CEO's from companies that have soared in their respective fields/markets, you'll find one commonality- they all rely on their intuition to help them make key decisions.

Following a rigid, by-the-book approach to business or to life, doesn't work all by itself. In fact, it rarely works when the decisions all come from a written manual or corporate headquarters and your unique circumstances or situations are not factored in.

Rigid decisions like this are missing what I call the 'flow quotient'. They are forgetting that the best way to navigate the river and head out with the tide into the ocean is to 'go with the flow,' and we don't have a written manual for our everyday life.

There is however, a natural energy that flows and circulates around us and through us. This energy is exchanged in relationships and in business. When the flow is blocked, or sectioned off with rigid structures and limitations, the flow itself becomes restricted.

In life there are times when the river widens and the flow increases and when the river narrows and the flow is restricted. Using your intuition to make decisions, insures that the river continues to flow, and you open to the natural flow, 'knowing' when to swim and when to paddle.

Using the 'flow quotient' to make good decisions opens you to all possibilities. Instead of making decisions according to your old ways and habits, opening to allow the flow can deliver new energies and new inspiration.

Your intuition is an energy within you that also flows. Just like the river, it has its own course. Opening yourself to listen, you will know that it always gears you in the right direction. It's like the man in the crow's nest on the ship. He sees far ahead and knows which direction the ship should steer in.

Opening to know that direction within yourself is a powerful tool to use in your life. Think of your intuition as your 1st mate up in the crow's nest, seeing ahead of you and knowing which direction will serve you best. Take the time to quiet your mind, go within and listen to your '1st mate'. It will pay off more times than not, and fairly often, in a big way!

2005 Jodie Foster