During the penalty shoot-out, there is a fraction of a second for the goalkeeper to decide, which side, he has to jump (right or left). Similarly, the shot-taker also has to decide which side the goalkeeper may jump on so that he can throw the ball in the reverse direction. The latest Football Finals World Cup 2022 in Qatar is a testimony to it.
As per the study regarding the percentage of Penalty shots taken in football matches (3 years), very interesting data was revealed about the shot-taker.
- The least preferred direction to hit the ball in was the middle (17%). The shot-taker preferred hitting the ball toward the left side of the goal (45%) or the right (38%).
- Taking a shot in the middle had the highest pay-off(81% success rate) as against hitting it on the right (70% success rate) or left (76.7% success rate).
The above data indicates the intuition of the shot-taker and the goalkeeper too.
What is Intuition?
Most of us know about the 5 common senses – taste, sight, smell, touch, and hearing. But what about the sixth sense? 6th sense is a human being’s ability to perceive something which isn’t there. For instance, you feel like something is going to happen before even actually experiencing them. Or you dream of something and it comes true. This is when you are using your sixth sense.
Everyone is born with a sixth sense, however, many of us don’t know or understand how it works. It is your sixth sense which helps you get those good and bad feelings before planning anything or taking a big step forward. You must have heard stories of people who cancelled a train ticket or flight ticket last moment just because they didn’t feel good or right about it and later, they got to know that the train or plane they were to ride got crashed. This is the intuition that makes people get these feelings and prevent their lives from any harm.
In Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell (2005) describes the two different approaches as blinking, when intuition is used, and thinking when an analysis is performed.
There can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis: Malcolm Gladwell
Our brain is like a computer that processes all the knowledge instantly to give the first impression. You can call Intuition your inner voice, inner guidance, uncanny knowledge, instinct, gut feelings, a sixth sense, or a hunch. Sometimes looking within is all you have to do.
Intuition leads to insight. Scientists and poets both are puzzled by it. Yet it’s a phenomenon that exists. It’s a superpower we all have.
Why Intuition is Important?
The power of intuition is an important ingredient of creative thinking which leads to innovative discoveries – the Eureka moment.
Yogananda said, “Intuition is the soul’s power of knowing God.” Through intuition we simply know an answer — we do not arrive at the answer through a logical process. Although, we have to test our intuition to know what is true and not merely imagination. A true intuition, furthermore, will stand up to the test of logic (although not always immediately!).
How to Effectively Implement Intuition?
When asked how to develop intuition, Yogananda replied, “The best way is, every time you meditate, to sit calmly for a long time after doing the techniques. It is during this period that you will be able to deepen your awareness of God’s presence within you. Go ever deeper in your enjoyment of that presence”.
“The longer and more deeply you enjoy the peace within, the more quickly will your intuition develop.”
The 2nd step is to spend more time with nature. We all have got so busy with our work schedules that it is really difficult to spend some time enjoying the beauty of nature. Just being with nature, walking through a garden, seeing 
beautiful flowers listen to birds chirping can make us reconnect with ourselves.