I stood about 3 feet from the curb under the awning to keep dry at Newark Airport, waiting for my Uber car with throngs of other new arrivals. A little voice in my head said, “Step over there.” I could see where I was guided to move to. But I had my luggage (never a small amount…), and it was raining there, so I said no.

Big mistake.

Next, I heard a loud explosion, like a gunshot. Then, I could see something come flying through the air. The next thing I knew, a man was helping me up off the sidewalk. 

“Oh my GOD,” he said, “that was unbelievable. That water bottle hit you smack in your forehead. Let me help you get to the first aid department.” 

I tried to find my glasses, feeling quite confused.

A boy around twelve said, “Wow, Lady. You’ve got a HUGE bump on your head! I’ve never seen a bump that BIG!” His mom said, “Can we help you?”

I only wanted to get into my Uber car and go into Manhattan to meet my girlfriend. 

“Can you help me find my Uber car?” My hands couldn’t hold my phone steady, but the man looked around and said, “Yes, I see it. Are you sure you don’t want First Aid? Let me help you to the car.”

He helped me with my luggage to get to the car. I heard him tell the driver I had been hit in the head and to make sure I stayed conscious. The driver didn’t seem to speak English, but he saw the apparently huge bump on my head and shook his head in the affirmative. 

I thanked the man for his great kindness in helping me, a complete stranger, dazed and confused, get my car. He said to put ice on my head when I got to my friend’s.

I climbed into the Uber and tried not to break down. I don’t like losing my composure, but I’m sure I left it somewhere on the sidewalk at Newark Airport. I got my phone and took a picture of my head to see what I looked like. 

Oh dear. The boy was right. I had a huge bump on my forehead. 

Why had I chosen NOT to listen to my intuition? I had gotten VERY CLEAR guidance to step forward but ignored it. Mistake. I vowed to pay more attention to myself. 

Two weeks later, I was home doing the laundry. My daughter’s favorite sweatshirt needed to be washed. I told myself to turn it inside out in case there’s a random tissue in the laundry. I laughed and said no. I had cleaned out all the pockets and put the laundry on. You will never guess what happened. As I put the clothes in the dryer, there was her favorite sweatshirt covered in tissue detritus. Why had I not listened to myself AGAIN?

I have a hard time differentiating the voices in my head. There’s that negative voice that is always pointing out all the things I do wrong (let me count the ways…). Then, there’s the intuitive voice that is trying to guide me. And there’s just me talking to myself. 

Which voice am I supposed to tune into, and which do I let go of? It’s confusing. 

And if I get confused, me, who is focused on dealing with the negative voice in my coaching practice, how is the average person supposed to differentiate the voices?

Here’s what I know for sure. (I learned that from Oprah.)

The negative voice

The negative voice in my head sees things in a very black-and-white way. That voice tends to be harsh and dogmatic. There are no suggestions. There is condescension, ridicule, frustration, and the like. 

The intuitive voice

The intuitive voice offers suggestions (step forward 3 feet to the left) and questions things to better understand. There is no harsh judgment; it is more like a nudge. I still have options (as you can see, which I ignored and paid the price…).

I read that when you forget something and have to return home for it (or wherever), it’s your guardian angels protecting you from something. That is an interesting concept. Have you ever been stuck in traffic and realized how lucky you were you were late and MISSED being in the accident? That has happened to me several times. 

Also, when I’m driving behind someone slow and can feel my blood pressure mounting,  I reframe the situation and tell myself they are protecting me from getting a speeding ticket (since I tend to be a bit of a lead foot…).

As you go through your day, tune in to the voice in your head and determine if it is trying to GUIDE you, PROTECT you, or hold you back and keep you small. 

The more you learn to recognize your intuition and pay attention to it, the fewer hits in the head you’ll get. 

As I am learning to read Tarot cards, it is ESPECIALLY important for me to tune into my intuition. When I focus on that, the readings are much more poignant. I might not understand the message, but my job is to relay the message to the person. Intuition is the name of the game.