How would you define "time"?
If you said, "A way of measuring your journey, keeping track of your experiences, or provides an opportunity to explore" you are likely an Intuition type ("Intuitive").
Again, as with the Sensors, this type is all about what we pay attention to.
As an Intuitive, you pay attention to:
- Insights
- Patterns of ideas
- Possibilities
- What could be
- The big picture
This means that you prefer thinking about the overall scheme of things, looking for inter-related connections, exploring possibilities and opportunities. You are less inclined to notice the exact details or facts of a situation. Instead, thinking about what could be, what might happen, or what is possible is more appealing.
At work and play, the Intuitive:
- Prefers adding new skills, dislikes doing the same thing
- Considers how things could be improved
- Looks at the “big picture”
- Follows inspiration
- Works in bursts of energy
The Intuitive likes following the rabbit trail to some extent. Once latched upon an idea, the Intuitive is happy to follow the threads to see where the ideas, information may lead. They my catch ahold of an idea and be unable to let it go until following it through to what seems like a natural end. They are innovative and can see all of the pieces of a puzzle.
Another key element of being an Intuitive is that you work in bursts of energy. I like to think of this as the “Intuitive’s Energy Cycle.” You will enter into a stage of high productivity, getting many tasks done, be filled with high energy, and be fully engaged. Then you will, sometimes quite literally, crash. Your motivation will wane, interest will decline, and energy dissipates making the couch your favorite spot to be.
One trap here is to interpret these drops as representing dysfunction, as a threat to your success or overall outcomes, or, in simpler terms, that you are loser who is never going to get anywhere. Our world is not really built for the energy cycle of Intuitives. The more accepted behavior is to go, go, go – do, do, do.
Still, don’t fret! Instead, it is important to come to an understanding of this cycle and embrace it rather than fight against it and to also learn to communicate with those you work and play with about these down times as being your way to rejuvenate and refill your tank so that further insights and inspiration can come again - and they will come again! You will recharge and get back to work.
Finally, when it comes to perception & orientation, Intuitives:
- Rely on their “Sixth sense” (possibilities & inspiration)
- Focus on future achievement
- Are oriented toward changing & rearranging life
Intuitives love to shake things up. Patterns and routines are a major buzz kill. Instead, they love to explore new and unusual ideas. They are also motivated more so by future outcomes than immediate present rewards.
Intuitives can come across as ungrounded, disorganized, or not connected to reality. They can sometimes seem indecisive as well. So, it is important to develop the skill of following your intuition, creating space to chase an inspired thought, while being able to bring things back to the present so that your strengths of insight and perception can shine through.
If you are an S interacting with an N:
- Use the N’s ability to sense possibilities and opportunities to broaden the playing field
- Allow N’s to explore ideas, follow their intuition – resist your temptation to distrust inspiration
If you are an N interacting with an S:
- Provide details and information before asking for a decision
- Offer S’s some here and now benefits, facts, details – bring things back to the present
Next week, we’ll be talking about the next personality type, Thinking (T) and then, after that, the T counterpart, Feeling (F).
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