Have you ever experienced that awful sinking feeling in your gut the moment you realize you’ve made a mistake?
I have, and just recently too.
You find yourself in a pickle
I came home around 11 o’clock on a Sunday evening to find that I was locked out. The minute I began fishing through my purse I remembered that I’d left my house keys on the dining room table. No problem. I keep a spare key to the back door in my wallet. I took the key out of my change purse and inserted it in the back door lock, but the door wouldn’t budge.
A mess of my own making
And then it hit me – I’d forgotten that I wedged a sturdy piece of wood under the door handle sealing the door to keep out the cold. My back door key was of no use and I didn’t have a key to the front door. It also occurred to me that before leaving I’d had a brief thought about taking the wood out but decided against it. Ugh! Now what?
I called my sister to see if I’d ever given her a front door key but she didn’t think so, and frankly neither did I. No one ever comes in my front door because it’s easier to park in the back, so all the spare keys I’ve given were always for the back door.
I dialed 411 from my cell and got the number for the one 24 hour locksmith service that covered my area. While I was on the phone I got a “vibe” that made me hesitate. It could have been because the locksmith seemed all too eager to leave his home at 11 pm, or that he said he only took cash, or it might have been his accent I didn’t trust; I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I felt uneasy.
Your intuition never fails unless you choose to ignore it
I told him I’d call him back and hung up. I needed a moment to think. It crossed my mind to call my mother, but I didn’t want to upset her, besides she wouldn’t have a key to my front door either. Nobody did.
I decided I had no choice but to call him back. I still didn’t feel right about him though. When I asked how much it would cost he said $55 plus the lock, so I agreed. I sat in the car with the heat on and chatted with my sister while I waited for him to arrive. I rationalized that it would all be fine. What was I supposed to do? Even if I stayed over at my sister’s I’d still need a locksmith tomorrow. Better to do it now and be done with it, I thought.
Twenty minutes later he showed up and seemed to be a very nice. He drilled my lock and opened the door. While he installed the new lock I went to get my checkbook. He was done in a few minutes and came inside to write out the bill. I was figuring it would cost maybe $100 to $150.00, so when he said it was going to be $650.00 my stomach dropped out.
“Are you kidding me?” I screamed. For $650 I could have replaced the entire door.
The sucker punch
He looked at me and agreed that it was pretty high. “Look,” he said in a whisper, “between you and me my boss doesn’t have to know I was here. You know what I mean?”
I eyed him suspiciously.
“Make the check out to me. I’m gonna give you a break….”
Backed into a corner
For a moment I thought about telling him to take the lock out and leave, but then I realized I’d have an unlocked door with big hole where the doorknob had been. How was I supposed to sleep like that?
Well, we went back and forth until we settled on a more reasonable number but it was still highway robbery as far as I was concerned. I wrote the check out, but I was fuming. I couldn’t wait for him to get out of my house.
As much as I was angry with this man for taking advantage of me – I was even angrier with myself. I could have easily removed the wood jamming the back door closed and none of this would have been a problem, but instead I ignored that little voice that had been trying to warn me. Now I was paying the price.
To make matters worse the next day my mother told me that she did in fact have a front door key to my house! If only I’d called her.
I learned a very expensive lesson that night – and I don’t want you or anyone else to make the same mistake.
So, here’s the only tip you’ll ever need:
1. Do not EVER – under any circumstances – ignore that little voice in your head. It could cost you a bundle. Did I make that clear enough?
No? Need help recognizing that “little voice?” Read my previous post here.
Has ignoring your intuition ever gotten you hot water? Share your story. It could be very helpful to other readers.
Read Rosemarie’s experience about what happened when she ignored her intuition.
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Angela, I love your spiffy new blog. I have had the experience of the sinking feeling and the if-only-I’d-paid-attention feeling that you’ve described, but I can’t recall a specific example right now. I think that it can be very hard to pay attention when you’re in a tight spot like you were. You felt very uneasy about the locksmith, but you didn’t have good options. I wonder if a lot of people who get scammed ignore their intution about a person.
Madeleine Kolb recently posted..Alzheimer’s Disease and Brain Games
Hi Madeleine,
I’m glad you like the new site. It’s exactly the same as the old one – just a new URL. Thank you!
I think everyone can relate to a story about ignoring their intuition.
This is what I hope to teach here at Powered by Intuition – how to become more attuned to your intuition, for exactly the reasons I state in my story.
I do think a lot of people get scammed because they don’t listen to their intuition.
Thanks for coming over to the new site!
Now if that story doesn’t get me to pay attention to my intuition, I don’t know what will.
Normally I’m pretty good at following those intuitive feelings and signals, but there have been times when I’ve backed down because of pressure from friends or family members. The results of not listening have varied from financial losses to car/cycle accidents.
We have intuition for a reason, and to me, it’s like a big yellow alert that we ignore to our own peril.
Jean Sarauer recently posted..How to Turn Life’s Lemons Into Blog Post Lemonade
Hi Jean,
I know – $500 dollars later I learned an expensive lesson.
Me too – I have given into peer pressure and been sorry as well. (for example I wanted to sell my house 4 years ago at the height of the market but I listened to a number of people who told me otherwise….and here I am 4 yrs later selling in a down market.)
Yes, you’re right we do have intuition for a reason – it’s our own inner wisdom speaking to us directly from the Universe. And you’re right – Ignore it at your own peril.
Thank you Jean. I love your visits here!
The universe does send us signals. I’ve heard the voices and they are so crystal clear and holleringly loud, after the fact, I wonder how I could have missed them. I’m learning to just stop, listen and go back. Anytime I do I’m glad I did. But, when I ignore them, yep, I regret it. We are far more intuitive than we know and far too worried about feeling or looking silly that often ignore our gut. I’m just glad your bad vibe didn’t turn out to be more than just a rip-off artist and he wasn’t a truly bad man.
Katie recently posted..Soul Searching- Week 6 of the 7-Week Life Cleanse
Katie,
The Universe sure does send us signals and information all the time – we just need to learn how to adjust our “inner dials” in order to pick up the signal as clearly as possible – and then of course to listen to it! And, yes it’s so true when we do ignore out intuition we do regret it. Intuition is our own innate wisdom that comes through independent of the ego which is why it’s right.
I know I learned an expensive lesson but as you said thank god he wasn’t a truly bad man and just a rip off artist.
Thank you so much for your comments Katie. It’s always a pleasure “chatting” with you.
Can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve whacked my head against the wall in sheer frustration, all because I didn’t listen to that tiny little squeaky voice of intuition telling me to GET OUT NOW! or something like TELL HIM TO TAKE A HIKE or maybe THIS GUY’S A SHARK. Oh yeah. Ohhhhhh yeah. Fortunately my intuitive voice is a little louder and more authoritarian as I get older!
meg recently posted..Balancing Points
Hi Meg,
Welcome to my blog. I can relate to whacking myself in the head too wishing I’d listened to that voice as well.
I’m glad your voice is getting stronger and more authoritarian as you get older!
I think aging does have it’s benefits!
Thank you so much for visiting and for your comments.
Congratulations on the migration Angela. Love the new name.
Your story brought some memories. I have ignored my intuition in the past and it was mostly with friendships that did not feel good. Also there was one business person I initially considered to be a mentor but my intuition kept telling me otherwise. That business association was one of the painful experiences that taught me a lot of lessons. The most importnat one is to listen to my gut feeling.
Thanks for sharing your story Angela. It is a reminder to all of us to trust our inner voice more.
Manal recently posted..How to Find Peace in Times of Adversity
Hi Manal,
Glad you like the new name and site. I still have some tweaking to do yet.
You make a good point about friendships that didn’t feel good. I’ve had that experience in the past as well.
It’s sad to that we have to go through so much pain in order to learn our lessons, isn’t it? Sometimes I just want to scream – all right enough already, I get it!
But, I’m glad you learned to listen to your gut feelings.
Thank so much for your comments Manal. It’s a pleasure having you visit me here at my new home!
Hi Angela,
BOY! Can I relate! Work seems to be the place that my inability to listen to my Guides gets me in trouble. Even today, I heard a nudge from my angels asking me to check in on something. I had heard them ask that same thing a week or so ago and just blew it off. Today they had no intention of letting me blow it off. I checked and of course, they were right. There was a problem brewing. I caught it in time ONLY because I paid attention. I know better, too. Yeesh.
You make so many good points here – the only times I’ve ever run into trouble is when I IGNORE that voice. Long as I pay attention to it, I do fine. (Better than fine, even!)
(LOTS of good stuff to read here – gonna check your stuff out!)
Lisa@PracticallyIntuitive recently posted..Take a journey with Kara
Hi Kara,
Welcome to my blog!
I’m sure you can relate. We intuitives take it even harder when we fail to follow our intuition don’t we?
I’m glad you caught the problem that was brewing when you were at work today.
I know – my troubles are all related to my not listening to my intuition for the past 25 years!
(glad you like the site – be my guest and check out whatever you like!)
It’s a pleasure having you visit here!
Hi Angela
One or two events spring to mind! a long time ago I was living in a large house with several other people. A room became vacant and we advertised – we only had a few replies and after one guy left one of my housemates, Mike, said “he seems ok – let’s just get this over and done with”. I spoke up and said “y’know Mike – there’s just something about him”. After further discussion I accepted Mike’s decision and Mukesh moved in. All was well for the first few months and then we found out that Mukesh was bankrupt. We sat down and had a chat with him and he said that he was was going to move back with family and arranged a time on the Saturday to move. He ran up a large phone bill and owed me for the power bill as well. He arranged to move everything out on the Saturday and mentioned that I would be catching a bus into town at bout 6pm and could he arrange to pay me the money he owed and move his stuff before then – “of course” he said! He and a friend moved most of his stuff out by the early afternoon and he said he would be back a little later on with my money. He gave me back the key – which seemed a good sign. By 5.45pm there was still no sign of him so I decided to continue with my plans and catch the bus into town. I was about to leave the house when I had a strong feeling that I needed to check each and every door and window before I left. I found a window near his room closed but unlatched – easy enough to pull open and get in. A large set of footprints outside the window completed the effect. I was livid but I didn’t want to confront him by myself so I locked up (everything!) and walked down the road to catch the bus. Mukesh and his friend drove by in a truck laughing. They didn’t see me! Later on after I’d told Mike what had happened he looked me straight in the eye and said “we should have listened to you Rob. I’m so sorry you had to deal with that” I’d forgotten my initial reaction to him. The best thing about this entire story is that my intuition resulted in Mukesh paying back all the money he owed me and apologising!
It does work. We ignore it at our peril, but it’s so easy to be distracted from the lessons!
Many thanks
Robyn
Wow Robyn,
What a story!
The one thing about ignoring our intuition is we usually learn a darn good lesson!
I’m sure now that you know how your intuition “feels” when it comes through like it did in this instance – you’ll never ignore it again!
At least you got your money back and no one was hurt.
Thank you for sharing this amazing story with us!
Hi Angela,
My story is about my daughter who did not pay attention to her gut.
At work it was too late to go to the bank with the receipts for the day.
She decided to put the envelope in the ceiling.
As she was doing this a new janitor worker glanced at her as she went into another room.
The next day the money was gone.
Luckily they apprehended the guy.All the people who gave checks for the service had to be called and asked to rewrite a check.
Insurance paid for the cash.
I think only one person didn’t pay.
But the whole thing was a nightmare.
If she would have listen to her intuition it would not have happened.
Hi Annie,
Wow! What a story.
I’m so glad you shared that with us here.
Hopefully, your daughter learned a valuable lesson from this.
Thank goodness all the money was recovered though.
Thanks again for sharing this here.
don’t i wish i had listened to my intuition about Victorio. Oh well. On my way to San Diego. My intuition about Bill says he’s the one.
Will call when I’m back. Looking forward to your book!
Oooh, I’m sorry. I wish you had too.
Have a great time in San Diego. Relax and enjoy.
I’ll look forward to speaking to you when you get back.
Thank you – I’m looking forward to finishing the edits this weekend.
Hi Angela,
Sorry to hear about your experience. I think we can all learn from what happened to you. I believe karma will catch up to that locksmith….:)
Todd | Channelingmyself recently posted..Creatures of Habit
Hi Todd,
Yes, it was an expensive lesson! It was the last kick in the *** I needed to finally, finally learn my lesson to always listen to my intuition.
I agree – Karma will catch up to him someday.
Angela, Thanks for a good story and an excellent reminder not to ignore that little voice. I have done so only too often.
My worst experience was when I had money and decided to invest it all in a food business. Everything seemed to be going my way except for that little voice that kept telling me not to do this, that I was spending way too much, that people were overcharging and taking advantage of me, etc.
I lost everything – and I mean everything thanks to the fact that I ignored that voice. The only person I could blame was myself. The worst was that it wasn’t the first (or the last) time that I would ignore that voice.
I’m paying a bit more attention to it now, but I’ve become overcautious. My little voice is now telling me it’s time to move forward but I still hesitate. Don’t know why. Maybe because I don’t quite believe it.
Penelope J. recently posted..Out at Sea – To Blog or Not to Blog
Hi Penelope,
OMG! I’m so sorry to hear that. I understand too what it’s like to ignore this voice – again – even after all that you went through.
I’ve done the same thing! I figure I must have wanted to be sooooo sure that I knew what this voice sounded and felt like, that I could be a great teacher! LOL. I can also understand why you’d hesitate too, after this experience. I think it’s natural to be gun shy. Give yourself time and some loving kindness and you’ll come around.
To set the stage, at work I’m a food scientist which means I spend about ½ my time in my office, and ½ my time in the test kitchen – with all of the normal stuff you would find in a home kitchen, plus a bunch of other equipment.
It was Friday afternoon and I was getting the munchies. I had brought an apple in my bag that day and it was a very big apple, so I wanted to cut it first before I ate it. No biggie- I’ll just go back to the kitchen and cut it. Mind you- Friday afternoons are typically reserved for paperwork, so usually no one is working in the kitchens. As soon as I got back to the empty kitchen my intuition said the strangest thing to me:
Intuition “This is really stupid to be back here all by yourself. What if you get seriously injure? No one would be here to save you.”
Me and my logical mind “Intuition- what are you talking about? I’m just cutting an apple. It’s not like I’m using the big grinder, the deep fat fryers are all turned off, and there ARE still people in the building, just not the kitchen.”
Intuition “Ok fine. Cut your apple.”
So I washed my apple, got out a cutting board and a knife. I quartered my apple and took the core out, then my intuition started to bother me again.
Intuition “Eat your apple now. The seeds are out, that’s enough.”
Me and my logical mind “But they are still in huge pieces? It’s really much easier to eat them when they are in 1/8ths, the skin doesn’t get stuck in your teeth as easily, they are easier to chew, etc… I much prefer them in 1/8ths. I’m going to continue chopping.”
Intuition “Are you sure???”
Me and my logical mind “ yes – it will just take a minute. Intuition, you are being paranoid.”
So I cut the first quarter in half. No problem. I go to cut the second quarter in half and OUCH!!! I have no idea what happened, but somehow the apple slipped and I chopped my finger instead!!! I cut the tip of my ring finger, and cut through the middle of my nail. Although it wasn’t actually a “serious” injury, it sure hurt and bled a lot. Plus, being that I cut half of my nail in my nail bed, I would have to wait months for that to grow out- all the while being prone to catching snags…
That was a month ago. My nail still hasn’t fully grown out. It is my daily reminder of how I really should pay attentions. Sometimes it’s just hard when things aren’t as “bloody” obvious!
Tammy recently posted..First trip- day one
Oh my goodness! Tammy, I’m so sorry about your finger! OUCH! Our intuition never fails us! I’m glad it’s healing up though.
Do you mind if I use what happened to you in my next post? I also ignored my intuition yesterday and was going to write a post about it. Your comment here ties in very nicely.
Angela, Thank you (and the Universe) so much for this post. I just got off the phone with a guy I met through a dating service. This was the first time we had ever spoken on the phone. He had texted me earlier today saying he was playing golf…so I began our phone conversation, by asking him, “How was golf?” To which he responded, “It was miserable, I drank way too much wine last night.”
I thought to myself, ‘Oh, my goodness. Does he do this all the time?” I don’t drink and have never dated anyone who drinks like that. But, we scheduled a time to meet tonight at a local restaurant. As I thought about going through with the date, I noticed a pain in my shoulder—(in addition to a ‘knowing,’ my intuition also speaks through physical sensations). After getting off the phone with him, I went back to my computer to finish my emails…and I found an email from you directing me to THIS post.
I wanted to go out (it’s been a while). After all, I had already purchased some new shoes. But after reading this, I’m going to cancel. Like you, I’ve also lost money ($223) by not listening to my intuition.
Hi Stacey,
What a turn of events and what great insights your intuition gave you.
I’m so glad you got the email with the post I sent you at the perfect time!
I’m glad you mentioned that your intuition speaks to you through physical sensations.
That is one of the 5 ways our intuition communicates with us.
If your intuition is telling you that you should be wary of this guy – then you’re doing the right thing by canceling.
Try to enjoy the weekend anyway. Someone else will turn up soon!
All my best,
Angela
All I can say is wow! What a story and how costly ignoring intuition was and can be. Actually going through a similar situation now…almost like, I can’t put my finger on what it is that makes me feel uneasy, but it does. I will certainly meditate on it.
Hi Kenya,
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. I vowed after that to never ignore my intuition again. Let me know if I can be of help to you, okay?
Angela,
How do you distinguish between intuition/ the still small voice/ gut AND our fearful and neurotic impulses?
Hi Ran,
Welcome! It’s a pleasure to meet you.
You’ve asked a darn good question and one that I’ve written about over and over here at PbI.
In a nutshell, the difference is that when the answer comes from your intuition you feel very “settled” at the moment you receive this hunch or flash of intuition.
You may question yourself later but, initially you feel firmly planted and have a “knowing” at the core of your being that it is the the Truth and that things will work out.
You trust the revelation because it is just that – a revelation. It didn’t arise through your normal sequential thinking. It was imparted to you and deposited into your awareness.
Many times these “revelations” come when you’re doing something completely different. (That’s why we need to develop mindfulness so that we don’t miss these soft whispers.)
Where as when you receive this information from the ego’s fearful and neurotic impulses you question it immediately. You don’t get the same feeling of firmness about it.
You hesitate and have questions and feel unsure as if you’re not on “firm ground.”
Does this give you a better understanding of the difference?
Thank you so much for the Retweet!
Jean, thank you so much for the Retweet.