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What is an intuitive type? Well, it’s far more than just having intuition, although people who are an Intuitive type do have more of a tendency to trust their gut. Intuition is one of the personality type traits that make up your personality type in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
I go into MBTI detail on all the pillars and what they mean in episode 12, What's YOUR Personality Type? (And How To Make It Work For Your Career Change) when I shared my thoughts on different types of personality assessments, so to learn more go and check it out after listening to this episode.
Only 25% of the population have the Intuition type, which means that 75% of people out there are Sensors. So it's only natural that most of the structures and society rules have been built more around the way sensors like things! The problem with this is that for intuitives, they don’t always fit in to ‘how things are done’. No matter how hard they try they are always wondering if there is another way. They chafe at the routines and rules of the sensor world and want more. This can lead to them feeling like they are strange or unrealistic in their outlook on life.
ALL ABOUT SENSORS
Before we talk about intuitives, we need to look at the other side of the pairing which are the Sensors. The Truity website, which specialises in personality types, says ‘Sensors pay attention to their most immediate impressions; the "raw data" that they can see, hear and touch. They create meaning out of concrete information and rely heavily on past experiences to guide their future behaviour. People with this preference are practical and active. They like to live in the 'here and now’.
They find it more difficult to hypothesise or imagine a result if they don’t have the immediate data to hand. They’re also highly practical and like things to have real-world applications, so imagining a product that has not been created is hard for them. They are realistic and grounded; and more likely to accept things as they appear. In general, they have a preference for details, and step-by-step methods are perfect for them. They are more comfortable with routine and therefore are more likely to accept and be comfortable in the 9-5 working world. Some words that describe sensors are ‘practical, down to earth, realists, focussed on the past and present, detail oriented and literal’.
BEING AN INTUITIVE
Being an intuitive type means that you approach the world in a different way to the sensor, you use your sixth sense primarily (no, not in a creepy "I see dead people" way!) but sensing the energy, the gut feeling, the instinct about someone or something. Words to describe them are full of possibilities, instinct-driven, theoretical, figurative, and visionary.
The MBTI website says that as an intuitive you pay more attention to the patterns and possibilities that you see in the information you receive than the actual details.
Intuitives are seen as more Visionary and forward-thinking focussed than sensors. They will find it easier to picture what their life could be like, what the potential of a project could be or how something may turn out than other people. They are most likely to have big ‘one day’ plans. They also tend to be big-picture thinkers first and will only look at the details once they have the vision created. They can see things beyond what is physically there.
Intuitives do pay more attention to their gut and what feels right.
They ultimately like to make decisions based on that instinct. That doesn’t mean they don’t consider facts but on balance will prefer to go with what their intuition is telling them. This trait can mean they have a more entrepreneurial mindset.
Intuitives also don’t want to just live in the world; they want to change it in some way, to make a positive impact with their lives. Now sometimes people say at this point, ‘I’m not looking to change the world’ but it doesn’t have to be a big change, it can be something smaller, the point is that they want to have a positive effect on the world in some way. If they’re in a job or life that does not allow for that need, it can really eat away at them and lead to frustration and unfulfillment.
Intuitives spend a lot of time thinking ‘what if’ and imagining their future and thinking about what is next for them. They may or may not actually live out these ideas but the ability to dream and think of different paths we could take is essential to them.
Intuitives love to learn more, they soak up knowledge like a sponge. They’ll always be buying the latest self-help book or book about their career or business industry!
Disliking repetition can also be an intuitive trait. So the day-to-day grind of an office job, or can lead to boredom and frustration unless they have a role that allows them the freedom to shake up their routine and have autonomy over how they work. Because they enjoy learning over doing they may get fed up with repetitive projects that do not engage their creativity. Which is why you do find many intuitives asking the question ‘What next’ a lot!
CHALLENGES FOR INTUITIVES
You have to remember that most jobs are created with sensors in mind, and so may not quite fit your personality type. Early in your career, you can adapt to those structures, flex your style and make it work because, after all, working in corporate or professional jobs is what you’re "supposed to do" after leaving university and you just have to get on with it.
This is why I find many of those interested in leaving the corporate world are intuitive personality types, because the structures and internal processes they have been moulding themselves to for so many years now feel heavy and not quite fitting. They are tired of conforming to something that does not feel right or comfortable and of course that search for making an impact and for life to have meaning raises its head eventually, which leads them to look beyond their current job.
Another challenge for the intuitive in the sensor world, it’s more likely that people around them won’t get them and their ideas. They are so future-focused that they can be accused of not being satisfied with their life and potentially ungrateful for what they have. What you see as visionary or exciting, others may think is unrealistic or pure fantasy. You may be accused of having your ‘ head in the clouds’, being too dreamy and not living in the ‘real world’.
One of the biggest things that holds someone back from escaping their corporate job is not knowing what to do next and often it's not because of lack of ideas. Sometimes it's because you have too many ideas. If you’re full of “Intuition” you could end up trapped in your own head. Stuck trying to visualise and hypothesise about different possible directions you could take, but not actually taking the steps to do something about it.
You may not like your job because it doesn’t satisfy you intellectually, but you’re overwhelmed with the thought of change and that also keeps you in your own head. So you spend all your time in your head theorising and not actually taking action to plan and make your escape happen. Yes, intuitives are prone to procrastination, not because they don’t want to make the change but because they have too many potential paths and options, narrowing it down can be a challenge. Also, because they are not so happy about the details, the actual practicalities and getting
HOW AN INTUITIVE CAN HELP THEMSELVES
- Know yourself
This is key! Knowing this can have an immediate positive effect on your working and personal relationships, because you realise you are not weird and your friends or partner are not wrong, they just think and process things differently than you.
By now you probably have an idea if you are an intuitive type or not. If you haven’t had some ‘aha’ moments where you say ‘That is so me’ you may be a very low intuitive or a sensor, particularly if the section about sensors resonated with you.
But if you would like to find out for sure, you can take the MBTI test or one of the tests based on the MBTI theory. See the links below to take a test.
- Take Action!
This is so important for intuitives that get caught up in their own head, paralysed by all the ideas but not able to make any of them happy. If you constantly are talking about your future plans and not doing anything about them will make others think you're just a dreamer and more importantly, you will get frustrated and annoyed at yourself for not living up to what you know is your potential and your right path.
Take action on something, choose one of your plans and take that first action step. There is no wrong decision. You can think about each potential scenario of your ideas and how it would play out again and again until you have analysis paralysis, and then don’t make a decision and stay stuck. But you will never know for sure how anything will work out, you have to make an educated guess and make your decision based on your research and take action.
- Hang out with other intuitives
I’m not saying just hang out with intuitives, as you need the sensor counterbalance to your intuitiveness, just as they need you to encourage their dreaming side. And let’s face it with 75% of people being sensors, you may not have many friends left!!
But there is something really special with connecting with other intuitives. They just ‘get you’. They know what you mean when you explain your exciting plan for your own flower shop or plan to teach cooking online and totally understand your feelings of frustration and unfulfillment in the corporate or 9 to 5 world.
They have just as big plans as you and you support each other and cheer each other on. They agree that some of the structures and rules of society are just guidelines and absolutely stand firm on your right to explore your passions, to dream big and go for your big, bold vision. You feel normal as all your ‘crazy’ ideas and plans seem completely sane and believable to them. They understand your need for more and desire to make an impact and will support you as you go for it.
The Bottom line is…
You are different for a reason, you ARE meant for more and you owe it to yourself to start making your dream future a reality.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Truity: Sensing V Intuition
Jessica Butts Book: Live Life From The Front Seat
MBTI Official Personality Assessment
Susan Storm article for Psychology Junkie Are You A Sensor Or An Intuitive
