No. 198

The Need for Intuition in Business

Last week was full of decisions and opportunities.

It started with a simple phone call. A business writer was creating a small mastermind and I was invited to be part of it. From all perspectives, it was an amazing opportunity I immediately said yes to. And yet, something was off inside of me. I was excited, but more than anything I felt misaligned, as if by saying yes to the mastermind, I was saying no to some unseen thing that I needed to make space for. (More so, two of the meetings were during times that I sensed my presence would be needed elsewhere.) I rarely change my mind, but in this case, I called up my contact and apologized. It wasn’t the right fit at this moment.

Had I deferred my decision and given myself a chance to pause to really check in with myself, I may have had that realization without the complication of communicating that my choice had to change.

As I’ve stepped more and more into my role as a business owner and leader (rather than a technician in the company), I’ve come to understand how important it is for me to have space, not only to logically evaluate plans and decisions, but to also give myself a chance to see how they feel in my body.

You know a “hell yes!” when you have on of those moments. It’s not entirely rational. There’s another part of you that takes over, so you’re not only thinking “hell yes!” but you’re feeling it as well.

That’s what I look for when I have to make big decisions: that full body “yes” that helps me differentiate between a good opportunity and the right one I absolutely need to be part of. That doesn’t mean that fear and uncertainty are immediately out the door and it’s nothing but confidence in the room; a “hell yes!” decision may still be a scary one and push you to that edge of growth.

The second decision I had to make last week was around an awesome PR program, working with a great team that would help pitch me for television, articles, and other media and press. Fantastic opportunity and definitely and edge for me, but once I had the time to get quiet and ask myself if this was the right move, the clear answer I got was “not yet”. It will be the choice I need to make at some point, but feeling into it, I saw I needed space and focus elsewhere, for other things to emerge, things that will inevitably help me when the time comes to say yes to that program.

But the need for intuition goes beyond big investments: it can be used in every part of the business, from making choices about which clients to work with to creating content calendars for marketing to building systems and processes that allow the business to work more efficiently. There’s a lot of logic that goes into these activities, but when I add my intuition in, there’s a greater sense of certainty that I’m making the right decision.

So when you have to make a choice today, I invite you to get still for a moment and see how it feels in your body. Is it a yes or a no? Does your deeper sense contradict the logical conclusion, or support it?

And I’d love to know from other entrepreneurs out there: how much do you employ your intuition when making decisions?Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash

About brandi

Brandi is a digital strategist, website developer, and founder of Alchemy+Aim, a company that helps entrepreneurs and business owners elevate their online presence and enhance their digital experience. Her academic background in theatre, philosophy and physics was the perfect foundation for launching her business, where she’s worked with Brené Brown, Laverne Cox, Judy Smith, and other notable thought leaders since 2013. She is an advocate for using technology in ways that humanize, connect and serve people as well as for asking deeper philosophical questions and teaching others to think more broadly about impact when they create, particularly in STEAM fields.

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