Another top post related to the previous two. This one strongly in the “say anything” category. Not planning on making any more top posts in awhile, again, to avoid my too easy prolific tendencies. (Close friends who have known me, have said more then once that they suspect I am as an army of writers sometimes. )
So, I was driving to the store a bit ago, and drove past a [couldn’t catch] “programmer wanted” sign. As I have programming skills and the place was practically next door, I thought about driving back around, then nixed it not just because it was out of my way to do so… but because I had this vague feeling of knowing that I had already read it and knew the type of programmer they were looking for was an entirely different area then mine.
There are many cases through out the day, where this sort of rather extraordinary “knowing” is something I rely on (as does everyone else, though typically unconsciously, ie, unnoticed even though they consciously recognize the feeling.)
But, it is in the more extreme examples where this really comes to front. In this case, for instance, I had previously only very briefly read the sign probably months before, and only briefly thought about it — then no longer.
Another one of my favorite examples here is watching a movie from the eighties or nineties I have not seen since then. Or even the early 2000s, these days. Specifically ones I did not think much about later, or at the least, only thought afterwards on one or two scenes.
When this happens, very often I won’t remember what happens next, but will just have a vague sense of knowing, accompanied with sometimes, a brief and sometimes very light internal representation of ‘what I knew’ by details. (Like telling myself very lightly some key summary details, or visually showing myself this).
In some areas my knowing is extremely high level performance, however. Meaning here “on very abstract matters”, such as matters which are entirely internal.
Everyone has very high level performance on this knowing “feeling”, as we all attach feelings of confidence in everything we perceive.
On more abstract matters, it appears more as what we call “intuition” or “gut instinct”.
Issue at hand, is, to use best terminology we have today, our minds are of two major components: the conscious and the unconscious. Our unconscious processes far more data, far faster then our conscious. These means very often things “we know”, can be difficult to pass off to our “conscious” (ie, conscious awareness).
Some areas like sexuality, this kind of behavior is extreme, and also mainstream. Adults tend to know a great deal about sexuality, but have little to no conscious access to that information in very wide range of applications.
Or, it is where someone is much more tuned to that, such as for detectives, where they have experience over years taking in a lot of information, much of which they often have no way of consciously understanding more specifically. In no small part they adapt this way because of the seriousness attached to the need for success in their work.
For instance, a detective might, for instance, learn, over the years how to read “microexpressions” with high accuracy, and body language, and in even Sherlock Holmes style, to take in the entire environment and process even hidden implications. How can they get it so they have higher accuracy of that very intuition? By, for instance, taking a course in lie detection, which includes extensive training in body language and facial expressions (especially microexpressions). Then, they not only keep that vague, but maybe strong “gut feeling” or “intuition”, but they can consciously and reasonably explain it to themselves and others. So, the accuracy is far higher.
(Worth noting, you know WAY more then you think you know, and are as every bit taking in every detail as even the best of “Sherlock Holmes”, however without the urgency and criticality of needing that information, the pathways both for immediate reception and for memory won’t be there.)
© 2026 – SoulSequel
4 responses to “How Good Is Your Intuition? Stories? And How Do You Know You Know Things?”
Not the greatest for most things. The ONE thing that I am a BIT more adept is in scams. There are job scams which ask you to log onto google hangouts. I tell them no. There are computer scams, I tell them they’re scammers. There are scammers from other countries, which arrive by email. There are scams that offer water line insurance which is a scam, and I shred. But the one scam i haven’t gotten the jist of sometimes: the job scam that tells you to come into the office. I have gotten to the point of saying that if they can’t hire me on the spot and it’s not sales I’m not interested, so I’m betting better at it.
You do know that in person interviews are typically mandatory, right? Generally, at least, in my field, you have phone interviews, and finally, quite often, an in person interview. If the job is requiring travel they pay for it.
Yes… but there’s other issues at hand.
1) how badly do they want to talk to me? I have other things to do with my time. if it’s a legitimate company they’ll wait. If it’s a fly by night scam, OR if it’s a commission based sales job they won’t. And that’s one thing i refuse to do: commission sales.
2) they need to realize that I’m using public transportation to get around
3) If it’s using my skills at writing, why do you need to see me in person? Give me a test assignment and if i pass, give me the job remotely.
It depends what you mean by travel. If it’s within public transportation (bus or train) then it’s my bill and I need to save up to get there.
“1) how badly do they want to talk to me? I have other things to do with my time. if it’s a legitimate company they’ll wait. If it’s a fly by night scam, OR if it’s a commission based sales job they won’t. And that’s one thing i refuse to do: commission sales.”
Well, you may have to change your mind on these things to get a job now. I have had to do this, also. I learned the hard way, not doing so.
With the criteria I had. Like not being willing to relocate or work across state.
Over the years, when I am looking, I have learned to be accommodating. When in need.
I have worked commission only sales. It helped me get started in some key areas of growth. Two of those jobs, I ended up leaving after training, both… the training was so excellent, rest of my life, I have used those skills. (Home improvement and encyclopedia sales.)
I am talking, I was the kind of guy who really could get socially anxious. To this day, I still see remnants of that. The idea of cold calling someone for me was horrid. I would have rather had a doctor draw blood.
Anyway, ended up, I was able to make some good money selling five dollar pizzas direct, at one point. At another point, I made some good money cold calling for donations for a police charity.
That was the early nineties at best, sure there are way more crazy scams today. And I hate it when a vendor fires a salesperson because they did not make a sale. Dealing with those sorts of salespeople, I hate. I can tell that they are under ridiculous pressure from their management, and realize their management has no idea how bad this makes them appear. Literally, “high pressure sales” in the corporate world, smarter, more savvy folks like myself detect that, and see it as a condition where the product and company is deeply flawed.
That said, though, I do believe that sometimes we have to go, “I will try commission only”, and I know that some of those jobs I had were the best paying. Usually what we sold was effectively ass, but on the otherhand, not really.
“2) they need to realize that I’m using public transportation to get around”
You really need for them not to realize that. Especially in communications.
Image management is not something I like to engage in. I am the sort of guy that walks into stores wearing a bathrobe and sipping from a glass of white russian. But, when I have to, I have to, and I do.
Fact is, to communicate, some people need help.
I mean, if you are the boss, then you can tell them to fuck off on their bullshit standards. But, otherwise, you are looking to be their servant, or show yourself as a good servant. Not to rumble in there and be the boss.
Don’t say, “Well, I like my jobs like I like my women… easy”.
Even if you do.
We all have to do shit we don’t want to do to get stuff done. This is one of those areas…
“3) If it’s using my skills at writing, why do you need to see me in person? Give me a test assignment and if i pass, give me the job remotely.”
Because they are stupid?
Because they have problems with reading people and situations, so they need you to read people and situations and communicate?
I mean, why do some states not sell booze after 9pm, like here in Texas? In Chicago, I could buy booze at the convenience store all night long.
Church. You went to church. I think it is a waste of time and less then worthless, quite often. Did you dress up for church? I once went into church with a homeless guy I was helping out, both of us stinking of vodka. Why did you go to church every Sunday? You seriously think God cares about that? Or did you think God frowned on you ever time you masturbated? God doesn’t watch you while you take a shit — or masturbate! Yet, a lot of people care about these things.
You want to communicate to kids, you talk and act more kid friendly.
You want to sell to a Japanese guy, get to speak Japanese, know their culture, their social mores. It is all just language.