The Icelandic Way To Make Big and Small Life Decisions
- - The Icelandic Way To Make Big and Small Life Decisions
Kelsey PelzerJuly 27, 2025 at 1:06 AM
The Icelandic Way To Make Big and Small Life Decisions originally appeared on Parade.
Dealing with indecisiveness and facing uncertainty are two common roadblocks many of us face. Whether it's hearing about impending layoffs at work and wondering if you should look for a new job, noticing there's something "off" about your relationship with a friend or simply trying to figure out how to prioritize different interests and commitments throughout your week, the confusion and self-doubt that creep in can be paralyzing.However, writer, speaker, sustainability leader and author of Innsæi: Heal, Revive and Reset With the Icelandic Art of Intuition (released May 2025), Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir, reveals that InnSæi—AKA “the sea within; to see within; and to see from the inside out” (more about that later)—offers a different approach.While some people rely on practices like positive affirmations and specific manifestation methods to boost confidence and impact self-esteem, the Icelandic art of intuition focuses more on self-trust, curiosity and patience.In her book, Gunnsteinsdóttir says, “Over the past 20 years, InnSæi has given me the courage to follow my inner compass wherever it wants to take me.” She tells Parade a few of the ways her life has changed since she started practicing the art of intuition herself: "I resigned from a permanent position at the UN, which had been my dream job," she shares. "I went into the unknown and did not know where my next paycheck would come from. Since then, I’ve done various entrepreneurial projects, including a university diploma program which [I] would have love to do when I was younger, a film shown worldwide on Netflix, and [I've] written my first book, published in all continents and 13 languages."Below, Gunnsteinsdóttir explains more about this "art of intuition," how it helps with indecisiveness and what she recommends doing if you struggle with overthinking.Related: 105 Manifestation Quotes To Help You Achieve Your Dreams
What Is the 'Icelandic Art of Intuition'?
"After having done some years of research, practice and conversing with thinkers, artists and leaders in English about intuition, I saw the Icelandic word for intuition with fresh eyes. ‘The Icelandic art of intuition‘ lies in the wisdom embedded in how the Icelandic word was sculpted and put together," Gunnsteinsdóttir tells Parade."Innsæi is combined of two words, 'inn' and 'sæi,'" she continues. "'Inn' means 'inside' or 'into.' 'Sæi' means 'to see' and evokes the sea. The Icelandic concept we started developing during the making of our documentary film about InnSæi – the Power of Intuition, has turned into a framework I use to teach and reframe our understanding of intuition based on recent science to ancient wisdom. InnSæi helps us understand where intuition comes from and how it develops. How to train it like a muscle and hone it. Know when to use it and when not. And how to navigate the ocean of life with a strong inner compass."This is where "the sea within; to see within; and to see from the inside out" comes into play, as she shares:
"'The sea within' implies the ever evolving unconsciousness, the world within us that works super fast and is largely intangible. It‘s the world of vision, feelings, imagination and is often hard to put into words. The sea within cannot be put into boxes or siloes, because then it ceases to flow. In other words, it is great at 'flow‘ and cross-fertilizing. A well trained intuition helps us productively use unconscious knowledge.
'To see within' is about self-awareness, metacognition and knowing yourself well enough to be able to put yourself into other people‘s shoes, and to know how to discern intuition from biases, fears and wishful thinking. To know when you can rely on intuition and when not.
And 'to see from the inside out,' is about having a strong inner compass as we navigate the ocean of life and work."
What Qualities of InnSæi Are Specific to Iceland?
"The qualities have to do with the word and how it‘s put together," Gunnsteinsdóttir explains. "Icelandic literature and language has many references to the natural forces and nature in general. We are an integral part of nature, we are not divorced from it. We know this from modern science and ancient wisdom. Intuition helps us innately understand how everything is interconnected."Related: Can You Really Attract the Things You Want via Manifestation? Here's What to Know About the Technique People Are Obsessing Over
How To Use InnSæi To Make Big and Small Life Decisions
"Intuition helps us reason well, [analyze] better, come up with insights, innovate and make discoveries," Gunnsteinsdóttir shares. "Intuition is not divorced from exploring different perspectives or facts to sharpen our own take on things. Research shows that a well-honed intuition helps us use our intellectual faculties way more effectively and holistically.""InnSæi helps you align with and hone your intuition and use it in any circumstances, personally or professionally, alone on the top of a mountain or leading the world‘s largest corporation," she adds, explaining the following uses:
"You can use it to decide what job to take—when you look back, was there an interview you had before taking on a job and should have listened to your intuition and [said] no?
To decide the course of your life. 'Do I want to live with this person? Move to this country? Chose this career? Should I really be going to this party? Trust this person?'
'Should I mount this mountain today? Is it safe, or should I walk down?'—We have real life or death stories about intuition out in wilderness.
'Should I continue to work on improving my relationship with this person or should I walk away?'
'Is there something we should be doing differently in the market, what is it we aren‘t seeing?'
'Something‘s not working in my team, how can I address and improve that?'
'Should I invest in this company? It looks great on paper but there was something off when I spoke to the founders and their team.'"
Related: Stay Motivated When the Going Gets Tough Thanks to These 100 Quotes About Not Giving Up
The Biggest Misconceptions About InnSæi
Gunnsteinsdóttir says there are some common misconceptions about this practice, however. They include: "When we confuse intuition with assumptions, or irrational biases. When we think intuition is about trusting your first thoughts, impulse or biases. And when we think intuition is isolated from other cognitive abilities we have."Related: If You Use These 8 Unexpected Phrases, You Have Higher Self-Confidence Than Most, Psychologists Say
Common Underlying Cause of Indecisiveness
Indecisiveness is a common challenge for many of us throughout the day. But there are a couple of root causes that are important to acknowledge and address—starting with a "lack of connection and alignment with one‘s intuition," Gunnsteinsdóttir explains."We‘re not anchored or at home in ourselves, but seek security and counsel in things, people or messages that lie external to us—which translates into lack of confidence in yourself and lack of mindful reflection (we can‘t hear our own voice)," she elaborates further. "It‘s like being disoriented out on the open sea, constantly moving with the smallest to largest ocean movement, instead of being deeply aligned with our intuition, our InnSæi, our strong inner compass knowing which way to go."Courage also plays a big part, she reveals. "We can end up postponing or dismissing what our intuition is telling us if we lack the courage to stay true to ourselves," she reveals. "In my book‘s dedication, I write, 'Be brave and keep an open heart.' I think we need to have an open heart to be brave. Courage comes from a sense that we ourselves, and something else, is worth living, working or fighting for."Related: Born Intuitively Wise? 4 Signs You Have an Old Soul Aura
What To Do if You Struggle With Overthinking
"We trust better in our own judgement when we are aligned with our intuition—we become less likely to overthink," Gunnsteinsdóttir tells Parade. "So do the work to align with and hone your intuition so you have less of those moments."Here are some of her key suggestions:
"If you are aware of your overthinking, decide to let go and sleep on your decisions if you can. Decide for yourself that you will ‘know’ tomorrow. Or after a week. Set time boundaries.
Listen to your body’s reactions to the options you give yourself. Does your stomach knot up? Ask yourself why. Do you feel a deep calm and excitement? Ask yourself why. Would you be okay not to do this? If not, then you should probably do it or suggest another way in a similar direction.
If you keep doubting a direction to take, ask yourself if it’s [actually] the right one then.
Be okay with taking a decision. Think carefully if you really don’t know the answer already. Could overthinking be a habit or a stress reaction?—It was that for me. Find your ground by being in tune with your intuition. Tell yourself: 'I got this.'
Name your overthinking when it hits you so that it is easer to notice it and let go of it. Say to yourself, ‘This is overthinking.'
[Do] things that give you joy, that challenge you in a healthy way, cycle, run, walk, knit. And when you feel balanced, make up your mind.
Write down your options and notice your body signal as you do this. If an answer makes you feel inner calm, hopeful or relieved, it might be your intuition telling you it‘s the right thing to do. If you stomach knots up or your head feels heavy, it might not be the right decision."
Up Next:
Related: Inspire Confidence and Find Inner Peace With These 101 Daily Affirmations
Source: -
Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir, writer, speaker, sustainability leader and author of Innsæi: Heal, Revive and Reset With the Icelandic Art of Intuition
The Icelandic Way To Make Big and Small Life Decisions first appeared on Parade on Jul 26, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
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