I’ve been doing a study lately of so-called “intuition experts” (call it researching the competition). I’ve been curious to see what else is out there, and to see how they present themselves and their work.

What I’m finding is that 9 out of 10 “experts” claim to have been born with an amazing sense of intuition, or have been “clairvoyant” since they were small children. Stories abound about seeing angels, talking with spirits, and watching clouds of colors swirl around people.

Those kinds of stories are fun to read. But in my mind, useless.

Why?

Because if they’ve been intuitively-gifted their entire lives, how much good is that going to do me? What do they know about my struggles, my doubts, and my learning process?

Sure, they can tell me what it’s like to see firecrackers of light pop off someone’s head. But big whoopee, y’know? That’s like having someone in a candy store lean out the window and tell you how good the chocolate tastes.

But who cares what they think?

You want to eat the chocolate yourself, right? It doesn’t do you much good to have someone else’s opinion unless you can taste it for yourself as well. And the best people to teach you how to taste the “chocolate of intuition” are the people who not only are eating it themselves, but those who started off without it, and learned how.

Eating it themselves is about inside knowledge. If someone has never tasted chocolate, would you really trust their advice about how to make a truffle or a chocolate macaroon?

But beyond inside knowledge, there’s inside wisdom: the wisdom gained by going from “not having it” to “having it.” That speaks of experience, overcoming adversity, and transformation.

Why this is crucial to you

If you want to learn to make chocolate, you’re better off listening to someone who has put in the time on the kitchen.

If you want to learn about having a successful business, you’re better off listening to someone who has struggled and succeeded, rather than someone who was just handed a successful company straight out of business school.

Example: My buddy Mark

When it comes to money, there’s no one I listen to more than my long-time friend and mastermind partner, Mark Silver. Why? Was he born with a silver spoon in his mouth _(no pun intended)_? Was he handed financial success right out of college? Not at all. He, by his own admission, struggled with finances for over nine years until things started to click.

Why would you want to listen to him, then?

Because he knows what it takes to make the transformation. He’s not leaning out of the candy store window because his parents own the store – he’s inside the store because he pounded on the door for years until he figured out how to get in – and now he’s in there, eating up all the chocolate. If you want to learn how to make the transformation, he’s the man.

Makes sense, doesn’t it?

So if you want to learn intuition, you’re better off learning from someone who learned it themselves, who made the transformation, and now has the inside wisdom to show you how to do the same thing.

Would you get the same depth of insight from someone born into their vision, who got handed the silver spoon without having to go through the struggle? I doubt it.

But how? I haven’t got years to learn – I need this now!

Many people I talk with who want to be more intuitive say, “This is great stuff; I really want to learn this. But I can’t wait ten years – I need help now.”

I understand – really, I do. And here’s what I say in response: Good.

Why “good”?

Because if you’re motivated, you can accomplish more than you know. If you’re motivated, you’ll work at it harder at it than someone who’s just curious about it. And the old maxim on this one still stands: “It’s not quantity, it’s quality.”

You don’t have to devote a decade to learning to be intuitive — if you apply yourself, you can make huge strides in a short amount of time.

I read an interview with a famous artist once, who was talking about how he gets approached all the time by people who say, “I wish I had your talent.” His response? “It’s not about talent — everyone has talent. What makes an expert is discipline.”

If you’re willing to practice, to bring intuition into every part of your life, you can make huge strides in less time than you think.

In my own case, when I started learning intuition, I crawled along at a snail’s pace for the first few months. But then, I had a quantum leap in my intuitive abilities over the next six months – because I got dedicated, and practiced everywhere I went.

Listening to someone who was born with an ability can be inspiring. But if you want to experience a personal transformation, talk to someone who knows the challenges you face, the steps you need to take, and can share with you the inside wisdom about to get yourself into the candy store.

And then, apply yourself. Work for it. Pound on that door until it opens.

Unlike the “born with it” model, it’s a recipe you can use.