How to tell the difference between fear and intuition as a self taught photographer

We all know that intuition is a powerful thing and should be respected. But sometimes, when facing a big decision it's hard to tell the difference between intuition and fear.

Learning to tell the difference between intuition and fear is something I've been working on for years. So let me share a bit of what I’ve learned.

What do I mean by “fear”

Now first of all, when I'm talking about fear... I'm not talking about the healthy "don't walk down that dark alley alone at night" kind of fear.

That kind of fear in aligned with your intuition and needs to be listened to! I'm talking about the kind of fear that doesn't serve you. The fear that holds you back, keeps you playing small and gets in the way of you making decisions in your life and business that will move you forward.

The difference between intuition and fear is volume

Intuition, tends to be soft. It's quiet. It feels like a knowing, in the body.

People always say "listen to your gut", because I think we all recognize that bodied centered feeling of true intuition.

It's grounding.

Fear on the other hand, tends to be loud, and for me, it's mostly in my head. And it repeats itself constantly, like a nervous spinning.

The other big difference between fear and intuition is in the messaging

Intuition is positive.

Even when it's telling me not to do something, it's coming from a place of love.

So when my intuition is telling not to do something, the message will be about the situation, not me. Like, “that dark alley is not safe.... don't go there.” That sort of thing.

Fear, on the other hand, is negative.

It points out all the things that won't work (in it’s opinion)

And it's not always nice about it.

It's the voice that tells you are not good enough, you're not ready, you don't have what it takes, this won't work for you.

Fear is natural, especially for artists and entrepreneurs.

Fear is something that rears its ugly head all the time when you are in business for yourself.

It’s fear that tells you things like:

"Marketing doesn't work for me."

"I don't have time for this"

"I can't do this because I'll just fail"

"I'm sure blogging is helpful, but I hate it so I don't do it."

"Nobody reads what I write on my website, so what's the point?"

"I don't have enough followers to get anything out of social media."

Sound familiar?

Fear doesn’t tell the truth, but intuition does

Here is the thing...that voice, that's fear, and it doesn't tell you the truth.

My guess is, underneath the loud voice of fear, your intuition is telling you a different story.

It is the whisper that says:

"you business can work, you just need help with your marketing"

"this is the right path for you, thats why we keep bringing it up"

"what you do is special and it matters, find a mentor to help you get it out in the world"

Practice listening to your intuition

I encourage you to get quiet when you can and practice listening to your intuition.

When you start paying attention, you'll begin to be able to hear the difference between its voice, and fear.

And if your intuition is telling you that this is the year to get your branding, your marketing and your business really taking off, I encourage you to sign up for my free training on Modern Marketing. Its only 30 minutes long and it will teach you everything you need to know to create a marketing machine that will help you stand out from the crowd, book more clients, and make more money doing what you love!