Working for yourself involves making pivotal decisions all the time. Should you launch a business? Do you need a lawyer or CPA? Who’s your ideal client? Is this or that project the right fit for you?

On the one hand, it’s exciting and liberating to be in the driver’s seat of your professional destiny. On the other hand, it can be agonizing to wrestle with some of these decisions because being a freelancer or entrepreneur is a unique experience by nature. There is only one you. You put yourself on this rugged path probably knowing it wasn’t going to be an easy afternoon stroll, and now that you’re stuck in the mud with one hand holding on to a flimsy branch for dear life and the other reaching out for a glittering unicorn who may or may not take you to salvation, YOU’VE got to figure out what to do.

Sound about right?

Yes, it’s lonely and scary in this realm of uncertainty. Sometimes you almost wish you had a regular job where someone else could just tell you what to do… almost.

Mentors and great resources are helpful. Rational thinking is helpful. Asking your tribe for advice is helpful. BUT those things will only take you so far. What sets most successful independent’s apart is the ability to connect with their own sense of inner purpose, and that is something that resides in the gut or the heart, not the mind.

So here’s the good news:

Whatever question you might be struggling with at any given time in your work or life, you actually already have the seed of the answer. You just have to learn to nourish it.

Intuition is a powerful force we all have access to, and learning how to tap into it will make everything in life flow easier. It’s there, energetically, pulling you towards the right thing if you can silence the onslaught of thoughts long enough to stop resisting and just listen.

So how can you use your intuition to make good decisions?

If you follow this simple process consistently, you will see major shifts in your decision-making. Seriously.

1. Ask yourself clear questions, repeatedly.

Phrase the question to yourself in a really simple way, such as:

• Should I become a full-time freelancer?
• Should I form an LLC?
• Who is my ideal client?

This can be used for personal questions too…

• Who is my soulmate?
• Is this the right house?
• Should I move across the country?

Once you’ve got your question, ask it in your mind multiple times a day, and especially as you’re falling asleep at night. Allow the question to penetrate your subconscious mind.

2. Follow hunches.

Listen up, because this is really important: the answer is not going to come in an obvious way.
You’re not going to get an email from intuition.com with subject line: Here’s what you should do! You have to also take steps forward in real life and be on the lookout for guide posts leading you towards the answer. That’s just how the universe works my friends.

This is where synchronicity comes in, and the right step forward will arise slowly in the form of gentle hunches. It will be curiosity about some article you see online, an invitation to an event you instantly want to say yes to, or the desire to follow up with a friend of a friend who has some experience in the thing you’re unsure about. FOLLOW those hunches, do the things! One thing will lead to another and you will get or learn exactly what you need to make progress somehow, often in totally unexpected ways.

3. Invite inner stillness

Mental stillness is essential for being clear-headed enough to see and follow the guideposts mentioned above, and to integrate the experiences or information in a meaningful way into the intuition supercomputer that will ultimately churn out the outcome that will propel you towards awesomeness.

Personally, I meditate {just 10 minutes a day is all you need, you don’t have to go on a silent retreat or anything}, do yoga, read, craft, write, and just do things in silence. For you maybe it’s some other activity, but the point is it to cultivate a quiet mind.

Likewise, self-care is not only good for overall wellbeing, it is a critical component of good decision-making. Get enough sleep, hydrate, eat well, enjoy the company of people you love. Don’t lose yourself in an obsession with work, it’s happiness that will lead you out of the weeds.

4. When it’s time, just do it and move on

You can rationalize the hell out of why working with a particular client sounds like a good move, but if some deep-down part of you is resisting because something doesn’t feel right, that’s your intuition saying NO. Don’t drag it out longer than necessary and don’t second-guess yourself once you make the final call. Dwelling in hesitation and fear is a colossal waste of energy that will also blind you from seeing other, better opportunities.

Similarly, if you’ve been waiting to make a bold move, have weighed the pros and cons, have done the research, and just know it’ll probably work out if you can only muster up the energy to leave your current state of security, then at some point you just have to leap. One way or another, a net will appear, you’ll figure things out, it’ll be ok.

I can’t say this is a guaranteed method for success, but in my experience more often than not if you follow your intuition you’ll find yourself presented with an abundance of new opportunities, benefitting from coincidences, and riding the wave of synchronicity towards things that help you evolve both personally and professionally. That’s the truth of human nature if we have the courage to get out of our own way.

This is a post from a member of the Freelancers Union community. If you’re interested in sharing your expertise, your story, or some advice you think will help a fellow freelancer out, feel free to send your blog post to us here.