Tapping into some “magic”  just won me a valuable and exciting new learning experience.

A few weeks ago I entered a contest to win Hiro Boga’s course How to Rule Your World. To enter we were to write a post about why we are ready to rule our world.

Well, I’m excited to announce that I won the contest!

And a touch of “magic” played the starring role.

Everyday Magic

How it all happened is a perfect example of using our own magic — this time in the form of intuition and play — in our everyday lives.

I’ll show why it can pay (literally, as this course I won goes for $250, and will surely lead to even more opportunities) to listen to our hearts and intuition instead of just our heads.

Some Head Talk

Are you an intellectual? Rule-follower? People-pleaser? Want to be part of the in-crowd? I admit I can be any or all of these in any given situation.

For this contest, I automatically assumed I should write strictly about the topic suggested. I had very definite rules in my head about how I was supposed to do it.

But see that word “should”? And even “supposed to”? Well, first, I’ve learned to be wary of my ideas where a “should” is involved. If nothing else, it’s at least good to be aware that I’m using a “should” so I can make a more conscious choice. (They’re pretty sneaky, those shoulds.)

And you have to follow the rules to win, right? That’s what I was taught and believed most of my life.

But life itself has shown me otherwise. Rules don’t always deliver on their promise. And they have their place, but we’re not automatons.

An Alternative Source of Wisdom

So regardless of my should-y and rule-following subconscious and rational thoughts about it all, this time I was inspired to get my direction straight from my heart.

Since this contest involved posting my entry on my blog, and my blog is about metaphysics and the subtle realms, I decided to ask for and listen to a subtle message from the “spirit” or “soul” of my blog itself.

Some Heart Talk

So I asked. And I heard.

And what I heard didn’t match what my head was saying at all.

Often and ideally, the head and heart will mesh. But not always. In this case, they definitely didn’t. I didn’t expect the answer to be so out of synch.

The message I got was to write a post about a Deva. Huh?

Deciding whether to do this wasn’t a no-brainer. I really did deliberate for awhile about it. I mean, I really did want to win. That was the reason I was even writing the post to begin with.

My rational mind argued that writing about Devas was not a smart move. Not at all.

But ultimately, I made the decision to follow the heart/guidance. In truth, I didn’t make even that decision from just my head, but more from all of me. I could even say I simply felt compelled, and just quit thinking about it and did it.

So… I proceeded to enter my post about Devas. It tells you how to connect with the Deva of your current creative project for guidance and assistance, and I talk a little about my decision-making process there too.

And as of right now, I see it’s the most popular post on my blog — another bonus for listening to my heart!

Head or Heart?

In retrospect, I see that there was a handful of factors that came into play as I made my decision.

When you’re trying to decide between your rational mind and an intuitive urge, asking yourself these questions may help you make the best choice.

1) Did the intuitive message come through clearly and strongly?

If so, that’s a good sign that paying attention to it is a good idea.

Ironically, it’s often because it’s very clear and very strong that we assume we must be making it up. This is where it takes trust and practice to recognize that it is wise guidance.

2) Do you value your intuitive wisdom and do you want to honor it?

This may be the key to what decision you make. If you worship the god of intellect above all else, then of course you will feel safer doing what your head says.

But if you recognize that we all have innate, intuitive access to much more information than our minds could ever possibly grok, then a good step in strengthening your access to that information is to honor it.

That means to respect it and exercise it when practical.

As you do this your appreciation of it will grow since  more often than not it will lead you in a delightfully positive direction.

3) Are you willing and able to let go of your vested interest in a particular outcome?

If you are, and if you do, you can be more assured that the guidance you get is more trustworthy.

In my case, as much as I wanted to win, I wanted more to enjoy the moment, put out a post I liked, and play with my intuitive skills. So I decided to treat it as a lark. Whether or not I won, I was going to have fun entering. And I did! I very much enjoyed every moment of writing that post.

4) Are you willing to engage the spirit of play?

If you are, you have 3 advantages:

– You’re able to access your intuition much more easily.
– It’ll be easier to value and honor your heart’s guidance instead of just your head’s.
– You’ll likely enjoy the end result no matter which path you choose.

See if you can enjoy responding to life in each moment rather than try to control it or follow rigid rules.

When you play, you open to wherever it may take you. You joyfully enter the flow of life where lots of fun surprises inevitably drift your way.

Can you do that? Do you want to?

I’m certain that my willingness to play in this situation is what allowed me to make the choice I did.

5) Can you hedge your bets?

This is allowed. No rules, remember? There’s almost always a way to play it safe — but still play it.

In this case, I did two things.

First, everything in me insisted on writing a post that had a point and was helpful; one that didn’t merely indulge my whims. This made too much sense not to do it, so I wrote with these things in mind.

And secondly, since it was a contest entry after all, I simply added a section to the end answering the questions that I was supposed to answer.

And even with all my good advice about intuition, I guess it’s possible that without that section, I wouldn’t have won the contest.

Who knows?

Of course, following our hearts doesn’t always lead to a “win”. But whether or not it does, it’s been my experience that at some level it leads to something good for me as well as for the world at large.

In this case, though, it did lead to a win, and I’m taking it as a confirmation. Not only that is was a good move for me, but that it’s something worth sharing with you.

Will that lead to another instance of magic, this time for you? You tell me. 😉

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