How I teach intuition and self trust

How many times a day do you second guess yourself? Do you ever question your ideas or choices?

Do you ever think, I couldn’t possibly know what to do, I should really ask around before I make a move, right? Or, I know I feel this way, but I’m going to give this person, this idea, this experience the benefit of the doubt, only to discover later that your inner voice was spot on?

If I had to boil down one skill that I could permanently master and never need to consider ever again, it would be intuition. Or said in another way, self-trust.

We live in a world where second guessing is second nature. I operated this way for almost my entire life. I looked outside myself for the answers. It was a repetition of ending up on paths, in situations and emotional states I didn’t want to be in. I would experience disappointment after bailing on an amazing venture, knowing I hadn’t done what I truly wanted.

If only I had trusted my inner voice.

To be quite honest with you, my “second guesser” still makes appearances. It has been the common denominator any time I allow fear to block my power.

My question has become, why? Why is it such a deep rut? Why is this such a slippery slope?

And why does this show up in not just my life, but in the lives of all the people around me? My friends, my family, my students, my clients - really just humans.

And most importantly, how do we make it better? 

What I’ve discovered is that this is not an accident. Through culture, the status quo, classical music and traditional education - I was conditioned to override my intuition.

As a kid, my ideas and feelings were not as valid as adults. I was to be seen and not heard. I was told what to do and what to think. In school, I memorized for tests and regurgitated facts. I copied templates of what I thought I was supposed to do based on what adults told me, all falling in line with the status quo.

As a music student, I was given specific guidelines of the right and wrong ways to play. I suppressed my creativity and played “in the box” and lived under the assumption that “it is the way it is”. I quieted the songs inside myself.

As a woman, I had been labeled as “too sensitive”, over time creating a belief that my experiences weren’t valid. The ideas of men and those in power carried more weight and mine took a back seat.

In all of these cases not only had I been taught to ignore my gut and unique ideas, I had been robbed of the opportunity to nurture and develop those skills.

I had never truly learned how to fully trust or think for myself.

*Slams on brakes*

And because of their conditioning, neither had the people around me.

*Slams on the E-brake*

Upon these terrifying realizations, I began to heal and strengthen my intuition and self-trust in the most OG way - practice.

I know, I know, perhaps you were expecting some step by step magical guide to get your “self-trust” card today. However, just like strengthening a muscle, or learning a new piece, I began to practice and exercise it.

Trusting your intuition is a personal process of consistent, many times uncomfortable, action. For me, I began consistently listening and then acting on my intuition through my ideas, choices and creations.

I had a coach who didn’t tell me what to do or think, rather they created a space for me to experience my own thinking and intuition through trial and error. In this space and through this practice, I learned for myself how.

Each time I took action I would sit back and receive feedback from my life. The feedback told me: this works.

Choices I make with my intuition lead me to who and where I want to be. Choices where I override it lead me to who and where I don’t want to be. The more I follow my intuition, the more I trust myself, the more I am myself and so it goes.

My intuition and self-trust is my superpower.

It’s a superpower that I get to practice over and over again with no destination or arrival.

It’s your superpower too.

And it’s this superpower, that much of the world convinces us is wrong, that I consciously share and empower through Mindful Music.

So, how do I teach intuition and self-trust? I simply infuse it into everything I do through the way I hold space for people and their personal process of strengthening their independent thinking and expression.

With my students at the piano, I seek to equip them a skillset for their lives all through the vehicle of music and mindfulness. Intuition, self-trust and autonomy are the bedrock of this ecosystem. I create a safe space for them to be themselves, follow their ideas, follow their feelings and constantly encourage them to listen to their inner voice.

The most important part? I don’t tell my students what to think or do. I share tools, I lay out information and they decide what they pick up and what they create. I ask them a lot of questions, sending them back to themselves and therefore strengthening their internal trust in their ability to figure things out, trust what they feel and think well to create with their unique gifts.

When adults tell kids what to think and do, it robs them of this crucial skill, it robs them of their self-trust and intuition. Not only does it rob each kid, it robs the world of innovation, change and conscious evolution that independent thinkers and intuitive creators bring.

We can do better.

In my mindfulness coaching with music teachers, it’s the same idea in a different outfit. As educators, we can only take our students as far as we have gone ourselves. So with a society of adults and teachers programmed to override their intuition, it makes sense that collectively we continue the cycle by unconsciously blocking not only our intuition, but the intuition of the students we serve.

We can do better.

My coaching holds the space for musicians and teachers to strengthen their own intuition and self-trust. Similarly, I create a space for them to be who they are, think for themselves and follow their intuition. I support them with questions so they can be their own guide as they strengthen in their internal process of knowing and trusting their inner voice. All through the lens and tools of mindfulness.

From this place, teachers can gift this superpower and practice of intuition to their students. From this place, they can echo out and stop the cycle.

They can stop the cycle in themselves and release their own genius.

They can stop the cycle with their students and open the gates to a world of independent thinkers, unique creators and conscious changers based in intuition.

What’s your relationship with your intuition? Do you act on it or hush it away?

If you knew that your inner voice was your superpower, how would you feel and show up in the world? I invite you to comment below or connect with me - I would love to hear from you!

And if you’d like to experience how to nurture and live from your intuition and self-trust, book a free call with me here.

Finally, think of someone you love that may be inspired by this post and send it to them. Let's make a ripple. 

Your answers lie within you.

They matter, you matter. ⭐️

In pursuit of a better world,

Adrienne