How to Listen to Your Intuition and Create Your Dream LifeYour dream life starts the moment you choose.

It's 6 a.m. on Monday morning and you find yourself racing to get out of your house to go sit in traffic on your commute to work, all the while thinking -- if not dreaming -- about the life you wished you had. That's the state of affairs for most individuals who have joined the professional world. It seems like we've acclimated to a culture of running around to meet deadlines and obligations, whereby we never get personally fulfilled. Is this acceptable? Definitely not, but that doesn't mean that the vast majority of eager minds vying for success are thinking differently.

Think of the old cliché: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." If you apply this simple adage to your current life, you might realize that you're insane… Or you might choose denial instead. Either way, your dream life is still accessible with some simple changes.

1. Recognize you have intuition -- and that you might have just been ignoring it for the past 30-something years.

Everyone has intuition. It's the little nudge you get when you know you should be making a right instead of a left. It's that feeling that you get when you take a new job offer that appears perfect on paper, but feels flawed when you meet your boss or new peers. It's that simple reminder that pops into your head when you've missed your calling in life (or so you think). And it's that nagging feeling you get when you know your partner isn't being faithful. Either way, your intuition is always present, so stop ignoring it. Whether you consider your intuition as divine intervention or a mere spark of your own personal genius, your intuition has the ability to lead you to the life you've always dreamed of.

2. Meditate (there's no wrong way to do it).

Sure, the concept of meditation can seem overwhelming or daunting or simply ridiculous, but it works! I'm always amused by those professionals who manage to tell me they have no time for meditation, but on their own, they can't figure out why their life isn't working out the way they had planned. If you allow yourself even five minutes a day to sit in silence and "be," you'll be amazed by your own brilliance that comes into being. Meditation allows you an opportunity to connect with your higher self -- that funnier, happier, smarter and better-looking version of yourself on the other side, who has wisdom to share with you. So, how will meditation help you? Well, you will find that with it, you will be able to relax, make better decisions for yourself and not be knocked off kilter so easily when life challenges present. Meditation gives you the opportunity to not only hear your intuition, but it allows you the sacred space to consider your newfound intuitive wisdom, all in the comfort and privacy of your own mind.

3. Decide you're worth it.

Nowthatis a feat in itself. The fact that you are reading an article on self-improvement means that you have chosen, on some level, that you are worth investing in. 2018 is the year of you! It is the year where you get to take chances on yourself and prove to yourself that you do not have to conform to your old ways of thinking, and instead can choose more organic methods to living. It all begins with the simple statement of: "I am..." Now fill in that blank over and over again, and stare yourself down in the mirror and tell yourself, "I am worth it!" among any other glorious adjectives that feel right to you. The uplifting words you chose to define yourself will garner the energy of those words and bring that "I am..." into your recognition. I know your intuition will lead you to the right words that can define you and your dream life.

4. Take action and trust your intuition. Your dream life is waiting for you.

Sure, some people will say that taking action is the hardest part (and it might be), but ask yourself this: Have those people really lived the dream life they've longed for? The likely answer is no, they have not. You, on the other hand, can change that for yourself. Trust in yourself, and in your intuition specifically. You know that there is more to life than answering emails at 2 a.m. for a paycheck that may or may not cover your latte and Louboutin addiction. Remember that childlike part of yourself that put your happiness first; well, you are still in there (likely under a barrage of self-doubt and anxiety), but your inner child still exists. You simply have to choose to let your intuition lead you, so that you will be able to make decisions that will yield you freedom and love of life like never before. If you never try, then you may never experience all that you are destined to be.

So try something new, and trust yourself. Your dream life starts the moment you choose. Let your intuition guide you through life's momentous experiences. Or on the other hand, you can plead the insanity defense, stay the same course, trust in everyone else but you and lead the life you've decided you're destined to experience because that's how you were brainwashed to live. What I can tell you is this: 9 out of 10 of my clients are unhappy with their lives because of the paychecks they've chosen for themselves. Lead with your heart, and leave your head to the side when you are making life decisions. Bottom line, your happiness depends on it, and your intuition is fighting to keep your inner child alive. Pursue whatever it is that brings you great passion and happiness and allows you to help mankind in whichever way you can. You will find that your intuition will always be better than a compass. Trust your instincts even when the rest of the world sees it differently. For in the end, your life was not their life to live anyway.

(By Shira Benedetto, M.A.Benedettois a psychic who works with professionals and celebrity clients alike whom are looking for direction and answers in their lives.)