[caption id="attachment_1791" align="aligncenter" width="614"]

Me, googling my life away[/caption]Do you watch those crazy murder case shows?I don't typically (too gory) but when I do watch them, I'm always tripped out by how the perps get caught. Some of the most entertaining cases to me are when the police search the suspect's computer records and end up finding Google searches for "how to kill my wife" and "how to murder someone without getting caught."While I shake my head every time I see a case like that (who googles, "how to kill someone" anyway? Did they expect to find a free downloadable PDF guide with detailed instructions???) I can relate to how tempting it is to run to Google for all of life's curiosities.In fact, though I've never been guilty of researching murder, sometimes I wonder what someone would say if they went through my Google searches. I'll admit it -- there are some pretty ridiculous searches in there. I don't know when this shift happened, but over the last few years, I've developed the nagging habit of consulting Google for every thought, every problem, and every wish that ever pops in my mind.At first, I really enjoyed having immediate access and clear cut instructions for all of life's mysteries. Want to find a low carb recipe for this evening? Done. Curious about when to use "whom" versus "who" when writing a cover letter for your resume? Google's got you.It didn't take long, however, before I became desperately addicted. Pretty soon I wasn't just googling things I need to look up, but I was asking Google long, specific questions as if Google, in all its great wisdom, had an intimate knowledge of my life! This really started to disturb me. It was like I couldn't make a decision or try something new without consulting Google first.

"I couldn't make a decision or try something new without consulting Google first."

There are many downsides for letting Google stand in the way of your own intuition; the biggest for me was that all this googling was a complete drain on my creativity. I found I was having an increasingly hard time coming up with new ideas and even when I did, I was still "validating" them by searching on Google first.Desperate and at a loss for how to get my creative "groove" back, I stumbled across the book, "Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind." This book was not only packed with creativity and productivity advice from several top authors, artists, and bloggers, it even addressed the Google vs. intuition issue head on. Some of my favorite highlights from the chapter, "Reclaiming our Self-Respect" are:

"There are no shortcuts. And any technology-aided shortcut robs you of the work. Recently, a concerned friend of mine suggested an app that could help my meditation practice. I try to be open to new ideas, but this seemed like a choice between playing Guitar Hero and actually learning to play guitar. Maybe the work of developing a good meditation practice is worth it. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe there are skills I can develop—unaided—that will make me stronger.""Just as we watch our intake of caffeine or candy or alcohol lest we become addicted, we need to consciously develop a healthy relationship with our tools—or we will lose perspective and become slaves to them.""We have become so trusting of technology that we have lost faith in ourselves and our born instincts. There are still parts of life that we do not need to “better” with technology. It’s important to understand that you are smarter than your smartphone. To paraphrase, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your Google. Mistakes are a part of life and often the path to profound new insights—so why try to remove them completely?" (emphasis added)

Deep down, these insights were things I already knew but I was still floored by how true they were, especially when spelled out like that. The author was right; this whole ordeal started because I got so used to finding free and easy information online that I began trying to take the "easy" route to learn everything.Instead of doing the hard work of going with my intuition and being okay with the likelihood of making a mistake, I was trying to circumvent the process by finding the "right" way to do everything from the beginning.But I now see that I was mistaken in my thinking. Google doesn't "know" the right answers to life's questions -- it is simply a catalog of all the answers that creative and industrious people -- humans -- had to find out on their own. The goal is not for Google to tell me; I'm the one who needs to tell Google. But I can only do that if I'm willing to live a life full of adventure, exploration, and yes, mistakes. How do I build this life? I don't know. But now I'm finally willing to find my own way there. No Google search required.

***

Are you good at following your intuition or do you find that you sometimes get off track too? What experiences do you have with trusting your intuition? Leave me a comment and let me know.