Intuition and Flow

"A good martial artist becomes not tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet, not dreaming--ready for whatever may come. When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. When there is an opportunity, I do not hit. It hits all by itself."
--Bruce Lee (Enter The Dragon)

When individuals are under pressure in complex situations, careful reasoning is often not a viable option because of the short time period that frames need for decision. Well developed intuition is necessary to guide decision-making under conditions of threat, confusion, and time constraints.

Essentially, intuition is knowing something without having to engage in large amounts of analysis.

Intuition is sometimes referred to as "gut feel," which implies an emotive, mystic sense that derives from psychic processes that defy explanation. But it is not mystical. Effective intuition is informed. Research shows that it is the product of pattern recognition. The mind scans thousands of past patterns for matches with present situations. If matches are found, then decisions reflect judgment of what is required to successfully navigate the present situation in accordance with what is perceived to have worked in previously similar patterns.

Developing effective intuition, then, requires exposure to thousands of patterns, cataloguing them into memory, then developing capacity for quick retrieval from the catalogue.

That last piece, quick retrieval, is key. Under tense situations our minds are apt to freeze, to block. We are unable to access past patterns for use.

The mind must flow, not block, under high pressure situations. No worries, no expectations, no past, no future.

Instead, clear, preaceful, flowing in the here and now so that intuition can quickly do its work.