If you are in the process of reinventing your life or career, or about to start making big changes in your life, there are likely two haunting questions you can't get out of your head:

• How will I know the right decision to make?
• When will I know the right time to make my move?

You find yourself thinking about making changes, researching and analyzing all of the "facts" that you can get your hands on that relate to the area of change you are considering, but you feel no closer to answering the above two questions. You feel frustrated and lost, maybe even desperate. You want to know the answers and you want to know them now!

Having coached more than 150 people in the process of reinventing their lives and careers I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that in almost every case when people make big changes in their lives they do experience what I call a "Defining Moment" - that instant in which what they need to do becomes perfectly clear and obvious. They experience a mental shift and the decision is "done"; from that point forward all that remains is to carry out the steps to make the change a reality. The bad news is that all the research and logical thinking in the world is not going to create this Defining Moment for you. And the reason why is an interesting one. It is because Defining Moments are not creations of your logical, rational, ego-based mind; they are a product of your Intuition. That is not to say that research, analysis, and logical thinking can't prepare you for your Defining Moment - they definitely can - but they just don't "create" that moment.

It's Not Logic, It's Intuition
The reason that Defining Moments come as an intuitive flash and not from logic is really quite simple: Although you can think about all of the factors that will affect your decision to change, and logically analyze all of the things that will be different after you change, you cannot actually "experience" what the change will be like.

Here is a simple example. Let's say that you are standing on the edge of a cliff about to dive into a pond of clear blue water. You are deciding whether to jump. You can measure the height of the cliff above the water and know exactly how far you will fall. You can measure the temperature of the water so you know how cold it will be. You can measure the depth of the bottom of the pond to make sure you won't hit your head when you dive in headfirst. You can calculate how many seconds you will be in free fall from the time you leave your perch until you break the surface of the water. But none of these things can create the "experience" of jumping, falling, and entering the water. You simply cannot collect enough "data" to create the experience.

Most people mentally step up to the "edge" and step back, and step up and back again, several times, before they step over the brink of change. It is not the facts alone that will push you over the edge or shift you into action. What will move you to jump off the cliff (or not), or make a critical change (or not), will be that voice in your head that speaks to you or that instantaneous "clear knowing" that causes you to accept, "I can do this!" or "This will be fun!" or "I want to go for it." You can almost feel the "click" as you shift from trying to talk yourself into something with logic, to the point where you are listening to "yourself" telling you to do it. Then you jump.

That's how your intuition creates your Defining Moment. It moves you out of exploration and analysis and into action - in a flash.

Wallowing In Exploration And Analysis Mode
Most people who are trying to bring about big changes in their lives spend lots of time stuck in the exploration and analysis mode. You hear yourself saying things like: "If I had half a brain I would have quit this job years ago." Or you hear yourself complaining over and over about the same things, but never take action to change the underlying situation. Or you get mad at yourself: "I should know what to do and just do it!"

Try not to be too hard on yourself. There are strong forces at work trying to keep you stuck where you are. Here are just a couple:

• You will always know more about "where you are" than "where you are going." There is a sense of comfort and familiarity with the known. Making changes involves stepping into the unknown, which can be scary. And sometimes the "traps" that keep us stuck are just so comfortable. One person I know calls them "mink holes" - those fur-lined warm cozy spaces that we just like to curl up in, and close our eyes, and forget about leaving.
• Most of us are great at second-guessing ourselves and creating circular arguments. "What will it really be like if I make this change?" you ask. "How will I feel?" "What if the situation I find myself in after the change is worse than the one I am in now?"

So if logic is not enough to overcome the strength of the forces that keep us stuck, and intuition is the key, then how do you go about learning to strengthen and trust your intuition?

How to Increase Your Intuitive Power
Intuition is like a muscle; it gets stronger as you use it and work to develop it. Here are four key things you can do to strengthen your intuition:

1. Become activity aware of exactly how you receive intuitive guidance

We all have intuition that speaks to us. Whether it is that uncomfortable feeling in your gut that you have around certain people, or that voice in your head that sometimes out of the clear blue tells you to take or not take some action, or that sense that you know something is about to happen. Here are the four main ways that our intuition speaks to us:

You hear a voice in your head telling you to do something - in a clear, direct, and non-judgmental way (clairaudience). The voice instructs or guides you. There is no doubt or fear in the tone and no nonsense. It may be your voice you hear or someone else's.

You experience a "clear knowing." You know in an instant about something that you did not know previously (claircognizance).

You get a feeling in your body. That feeling can be giving you information about your life path, or what someone else is experiencing, or about something that you need to do to take care of yourself. Sometimes you may experience it as a feeling that something is wrong or "off" (clairsentience).

You see symbols or signs in your life that are directing you on a path or in a particular direction. You may see the same signs or symbols over and over, or see a flash of an image in your head (clairvoyance).

The more you become aware of how you receive your intuitive information the more you can tune into it.

2. Create a state that encourages your intuition

Most often intuition speaks when you are in a state of harmony and calmness, when you are in a quiet and receptive state. For some people this happens when they wake up in the middle of the night. For some it occurs when they are engaged in a mindless task (e.g., sweeping the floor, washing dishes), and for some in repetitive athletic activity (e.g., bicycling or jogging). For others it occurs around water (e.g., in the bath or shower). Find the state that works for you.

3. Ask for intuitive input

You can actually "ask" to receive intuitive information and "say" how you want to receive it. It feels like having a conversation in your head. For example, you might try asking yourself (your intuition) a question before you go to bed at night, and then pay attention to the first thing you think of, or what you feel, when you first wake up in the morning.

4. Take action on the intuitive input your receive

To strengthen your intuition you must actually acknowledge the input you receive and honor it by taking action on it. You may want to write it down, without attachment or expectation, and then just watch to see how the situation plays out when you act on your intuition. Over time you will learn how to recognize and trust the intuitive messages you receive.

Read About Some Real Life Defining Moments
I have set aside a section of my website where I post the real-life stories of women and men who have reinvented their lives, careers, or businesses. In many of these stories you can read clear descriptions of "Defining Moments" and "see" the intuitive flashes that sparked fundamental shifts. To read these stories, or to share your own personal story of reinvention, visit: http://www.PersonalAndBusinessSuccess.com/FreeStuff/ReinventionStories.aspx.

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