How Well Do You Listen To Your Intuition? Take Our Quiz + Find Out!
The more you listen to your intuition, the more it will improve.
Max4e Photo / Shutterstock We are the keepers of our own healing. We are the keepers of an intuitive intelligence so powerful it can tell us how to heal. The time has come for each of us to claim it again. Never forget: It is your right to heal. It is your right to look inside yourself for the answers.
I’m defining intuition as a potent form of inner wisdom, not mediated by the intellect. Accessible to us all, it’s a still, small voice inside — an unflinching truth-teller committed to our well-being. You may experience intuition as a gut feeling, hunch, a physical sensation, a snapshot-like flash, or a dream. Always a friend, it keeps a watchful eye on our bodies, letting us know if something is out of sync.
As a physician, I combine conventional medicine with intuition to enhance my insights into patients. I also use intuition in every aspect of my life and strive to always trust my gut in small and large decisions. Intuition is your inner voice. It is the best friend you will have. I encourage you to develop and trust it, too.
Reach back in your experience. See if you can’t remember a special time when you listened, really listened, to what seemed invisible yet felt so true. Maybe it was an inner call to enter a career, a sudden inexplicable attraction to the person you were destined to marry, or simply a strong impulse to contact a good friend you haven’t seen for years.
That indisputable sense of rightness is an echo of the code I’m speaking of. You deserve such certainty about all decisions. Even if you feel out of touch with it now, let me help you find it again.
To help you determine if you listen to your intuition, I’ve created the following quiz. Choose the score that most corresponds to how often or seldom you listen to your intuition.
Yes = 2
Sometimes = 1
Never = 0
1. Do you believe your inner voice gives you good advice?
2. Will you get a second opinion if your doctor doesn’t offer a diagnosis or treatment that intuitively feels right?
3. Do you pay attention to your body’s early warning signs, such as fatigue or unexplainable symptoms, to take care of your health?
4. In your career, do you act on what moves and inspires you rather than only making decisions by what seems logical on paper?
5. Do you “listen to the goosebumps” (as Quincy Jones puts it) as a sign to go ahead when you’re making a decision about a project or career move?
6. If you’re looking for work, do you check in with your intuition for guidance?
7. Do you pay attention to people’s body language when you meet them?
8. Do you listen to your body’s signals and stay away from people who drain you?
9. If you’re crossing your arms and moving away from someone at a party, do you listen to the discomfort your body language is communicating?
10. If you’re sexually attracted to someone but your inner voice says “beware,” do you heed the warning and take it slow?
11. When arguing with your partner, do you take a breath and tune into your intuition about how to reach him or her before saying something you’ll regret?
12. If all your friends are saying “this guy/girl is great for you” but your intuition says he/she isn’t right, can you trust yourself?
13. Do you listen to intuitive messages in dreams?
14. Do you listen to your “ah-ha” feelings even if they don’t fit your picture of how things should be?
15. Are you spontaneous rather than having to plan everything?
How to Interpret this Quiz
To calculate your ability to listen to your inner voice score, total the numbers corresponding to your responses.
- A score of 20-30 suggests that you have a considerable aptitude to trust your intuition.
- A score of 10-19 suggests a moderate level.
- A score of 9 or below suggests a beginning level.
- A zero score indicates that you don’t regularly listen to your intuition yet, but the good news is that you can begin now to tap into this empowering resource.
Whatever your score, this quiz will help you develop and listen to your inner voice. You’ll identify your strengths and areas you’d like to improve. Developing intuition is an exciting process. Realize that we all have a way to go. The more you listen to your intuition, the more it will improve.
Judith Orloff, MD is the author of The Empath's Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People, upon which her articles are based. Her work has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, the Oprah Magazine, and USA Today. Connect with Judith on Facebook and Twitter.