Get Out of Your Head!    S. 2  E.17

 

Listen to this episode to learn more about ways you can access three types of wisdom and go beyond your rational, analytical brain.

 

Show notes:

Episode Summary:

Do you spend most of your day in thinking mode? Our jobs require us to do a lot of thinking, reasoning and analyzing. Our best work comes from thinking…or does it? In today’s episode we are going to talk about three ways of accessing wisdom. Is it time for you to “get out of your head”? Listen up to find out.

In this episode:

What type of wisdom do you use most? 

You likely spend most of your day in thinking mode. As teachers, we are in the information business. Information is largely brain based…. or so we have been taught.

Let’s try a little quiz:

Which statement is most like you?

1. I am connected to my rational side. I tend to analyze and think through things. I follow my head.

2. I am connected to and often lead with my feelings. I follow my heart.

3. I am connected to and often follow my gut instincts. I go with my gut.

The results of that quiz are a signal about the types of wisdom you access most.

If you related most to #1, you follow your head.

If you related most to #2, you follow your heart.

If you related most to #3 you follow your gut instinct.

These are three different types of wisdom that you can access. Most of us tend to use one over the others, but we can learn to use all three types.

 Three Types of Wisdom

Brain wisdom IQ

 If you have with brain wisdom you:

• Rely on knowledge, mental activity, rational thinking, planning, reasoning
• Focus on security and survival
• Uses rational thinking to avoid fear and anxiety

We were all taught to learn with our brains and to teach with our head. Brain work includes research, reading, and analyzing data. We access the wisdom of others through our brains by watching, listening and reading.

It is in the decisions we make thousands of times a day. It is easy to fall back on brain wisdom and we can even get stuck there.

If you have ever worried or overthought things, you have been stuck in your brain wisdom. You can get so stuck there that you can actually start spinning- thinking of something over and over again and analyzing it in a million ways and which causes anxiety and leads to even more spinning.

Much of the time, brain based wisdom is necessary and useful. But it is not the ONLY way of accessing wisdom.

We can also access our heart wisdom and our gut wisdom. You can easily get this concept if you think of the characters from the Wizard of Oz.

You have the Scarecrow, who is looking for a brain- he wants brain wisdom, also known as IQ (Intelligence Quotient).

You have the tin man, who is looking for a heart. He wants to access heart wisdom which is also known as HQ (Heart Quotient) or EQ (Emotional Quotient).

And then you have the cowardly lion. He is looking for courage- which is also know as GQ (Gut Quotient).

Heart Wisdom 

Another way of knowing is heart wisdom. With this kind of knowing, you know it in your heart. You feel it. Or you follow your heart.

Those with heart wisdom:

• Trust their heart more than anything else
• Have strong emotional/social Intelligence
• Notice, control and express emotions in empathetic ways
• Rely on their feelings and relationships to guide them

Think about times when you have felt heart wisdom.

• You are often with other people, there is much heart wisdom in connections with others.
• You are likely relaxed.
• You might be outside in nature, not in a desk or a classroom.
• Maybe you are in the shower, relaxing with water pouring onto your head.
• You might be on vacation, enjoying the fun and sun.
• You feel heart wisdom while engaging in the arts, music, poetry, art, drama
• You might also feel heart wisdom while exercising- you are out on a run or on the treadmill.
• Heart wisdom often comes to us when we are playing, relaxing or resting.
• It very much occurs when we are laughing.

Think about what those circumstances all have in common.

• You are not worrying or obsessing.
• You are out of a work routine.
• You are probably enjoying whatever you are doing.
• You in present and enjoying the moment.

If you want to access heart wisdom, the recipe is clear. Play, relax, laugh, get out of your normal routine, be around others and be in the moment. These are the things that lead to new ideas and new insight, greater problem solving and yes, wisdom!

 Gut Wisdom 

Here is a little quiz for GQ:

• Do you go with your gut?  Do you listen to your instincts and almost always follow them?
• Do you sometimes just feel things in your bones and know it is right?
• Are you easily able to throw caution to the wind and just do something?
• Can you roll with it rather than feel the need to plan out everything?

You react with your gut if you often react instinctively. You know in your gut whether something is good or bad, or whether you like someone or don’t. You are often quick to react and make instinctive decisions.

If you regularly do these things, you are accessing your gut wisdom.

We also call this body wisdom, instinct, intuition, your conscience, even inner spirit or God.

If you feel the instincts, but your brain self-doubt keeps you from following your instincts, you might need to work on accessing your gut wisdom.

How do you access your gut wisdom?

1. Listen to your body. Pay attention to physical sensations in your body when faced with a decision. Notice if you feel tension, discomfort, or a sense of ease in different situations. Your body often gives subtle signals that can provide insights into your intuition.
2. Practice mindfulness and meditation. Engaging in mindfulness and meditation practices can help quiet the mind and create space for intuitive insights to emerge. By cultivating present-moment awareness, you can connect more deeply with your inner wisdom.
3. Trust your initial response. When faced with a decision, trust your initial gut reaction or first instinct. Sometimes, overthinking or analyzing can cloud your judgment. By honoring your initial response, you may tap into your intuitive wisdom. If you feel like something is dangerous, pay attention.
4. Try journaling and reflection. Write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal regularly. Reflecting on past experiences and decisions can help you identify patterns and understand how your gut instincts have guided you in the past. This can provide valuable insights for future decision-making.
5. Seek solitude and quiet. Find moments of solitude and silence to allow your mind to settle and your intuition to surface. Being in a calm and peaceful environment can help you connect with your inner voice and gain clarity on important matters.
6. Engage in creative activities. Creative activities such as drawing, painting, writing, or playing a musical instrument can help bypass the analytical mind and tap into your subconscious. Engaging in these activities can open up channels for intuitive insights to flow.

Here are a couple of other things that come to mind when you are thinking about gut wisdom:

• Let go of self-consciousness. You may think everyone is judging and watching you, but they are probably too busy with their own things to worry about you.
• Do something outside of your comfort zone. Stretch yourself. Try new things.

Sooner or later you are going to want something that is on the other side of your fear. You will always likely feel some fear, but you can learn to live with being scared and move forward.

Following your gut instincts can be difficult for some people. However, it often pays off in terms of making you feel more whole and your life more authentic.

Life coach Martha Beck says,

“Experience has taught me that the way to a joyful life is always fraught with fear, and to find it you must follow your hearts desire right through the inevitable terrors that arise to hold you back. If you don’t do this, your life will be shaped by fear rather than love, and I guarantee, the shape will be narrow and tiny compared to your best destiny.”

Remember that accessing your gut instinct takes practice and self-awareness. Be patient with yourself and trust the process. Over time, you will develop a stronger connection with your inner wisdom.

Recap: We are all used to living and working from our heads and brain wisdom is accepted and appreciated.  However, we also have access to heart wisdom and gut wisdom. Together the three  types of wisdom can make for a more complete picture of wisdom and real knowing. Maybe it is time to get out of your head and into the other ways of knowing.

Quote:

“Experience has taught me that the way to a joyful life is always fraught with fear, and to find it you must follow your hearts desire right through the inevitable terrors that arise to hold you back.  If you don’t do this, your life will be shaped by fear rather than love, and I guarantee, the shape will be narrow and tiny compared to your best destiny.”

Martha Beck

 

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In:  Inspired Together Teachers

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.