Leaps of Faith It takes more than just research to build a business. You must listen to your gut, too.

As BIZ Experiencess, we are constantly seeking new ways to start orgrow our businesses. We research the competition, analyze themarketplace, read special reports, and scour the Internet for newopportunities. Yet we often skip over one of the simplest methodsof discovering new ways to achieve success: trusting our instinctsand our gut feelings.

There is a widely accepted myth that thoroughly researching anidea is the only way to guarantee success. In reality, if we didonly what we knew would work, there would be a lack of innovationand creativity. To succeed, we need to combine both what we knowand what we feel to produce a unique point of view-ourdistinct contribution to the world. This special perspective makesus BIZ Experiencess and enables us to create real businesssuccess.

Your feelings create an energetic foundation from which you canbuild. Combine these instincts with what you know, then followthese steps to achieve your dreams:

1. Listening toyourself: Fear has a stealthy ability to trump ourinstincts, causing us to follow traditional methods. Truecreativity comes when you stop ignoring what you are tellingyourself and embrace it. Simply ask yourself what yourbusiness's needs are, and then use your inner voice to answerthe questions. Do not censor any ideas or thoughts. You haveachieved many successes in your life-you have the strengthand intelligence to create strategies that will work.

2. Learning to trust yourinstincts and ideas: Trusting yourself is awkward at first,so keep practicing. Relying on your intuition brings you peace anda subconscious realization of what to do next. It creates a dynamicforce that propels your business goals forward. We are taught tovalidate our thoughts and opinions with others, such as teachers,consultants or experts. As an BIZ Experiences, your instinct andimagination are the gifts you bring to the world. They are theblood that runs through every part of your business. Open youreyes, heart and mind to the possibilities, and you will achievesuccess much faster and with less stress.

3. Creating a road map tosuccess: Use your intuition to generate incredible ways togrow your business. Then write down the action steps you need totake to connect your "intuitive goals" to the real world.Your list does not have to be perfect; remember, you are testingout your ideas and learning what works and what doesn't.

4. Asking forhelp: Run your action steps by trusted friends andcolleagues-they will share their experiences with you and letyou know if you missed anything important. They will offerresources and contacts that can help you accomplish your goals.They may even offer to help you themselves. Most important, theywill remind you of your strengths and your innate ability to makeyour goals a reality.

5. Taking the daily leapof faith: Trusting your instincts is difficult at first, butpractical experience diffuses anxiety and fear. Try creating andaccomplishing a new "intuitive goal" each day. Just pullan idea from your gut, and quickly take action to connect it to thereal world. The universe and your instincts are there to helpyou-just allow them to work.

You are in charge! Trusting yourself puts you ahead of thegame-since you thought of the idea, you have the built-inconfidence to achieve it. Listen, and have fun discovering thecrazy ideas your heart and subconscious create. Soon, trusting yourgut will be as natural as trusting an expert's advice!

Speaker and consultant Romanus Wolter, aka "The KickStart Guy," is the author of Kick Start Your Dream Business. Write to himat Romanus@kickstartguy.com.