I’m reading a book about intuition, which is another word for “gut feeling” or “instinct” or “spidey sense.” I’m always curious to hear about how decisions are made, particularly when folks choose something unexpected. It takes gumption to make a non-traditional choice — and maybe, also, intuition.
One chapter points to an acronym used in recovery circles: HALT. It stands for “hungry, angry, lonely, tired.” The author writes:
The thinking is that if you are experiencing any one of these conditions, you are not to make any big decisions, have any important conversations, or make any proclamations about what things mean. Instead, you are to eat a banana, take a deep breath, lie down.
When we are feeling depleted or triggered or at the mercy of the shoulds, our intuition is best utilized for answering a single small but vital question: What needs to happen next? The answer is unlikely to be to move to Portugal or get a divorce. More likely, it’s to drink a glass of water.
This made me think about leaders making poor decisions because they don’t have time and space to step back and regulate. Is it time to performance manage an employee out? Look for a new job? Turn down a promotion? Lean into or away from conflict?
Surely a banana and a quiet walk wouldn’t be too much to ask when navigating these choices?
I had to laugh at a story my friend recently shared. She and her husband had rented a beach house with friends; between the families were four adults, five kids and a dog. By Thursday, the other family had decided to leave.
“The kids have had enough of the vacation,” they said. “We’re heading home early.”
My friend was floored. They had paid for a whole week! But once her friends showed them what it looked like to follow their gut instincts, she realized that the vacation was over for her family, too. Staying just because it was on the calendar didn’t necessarily mean it was the right thing to do.
I wonder what big decisions you might be mulling over today. I wonder what state of mind you’re in, if you’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. And I wonder what you might do to regulate yourself so that you hear your intuition a little clearer.
Try it and find out.
2025 Career Planning Guide
Somehow it is already about halfway through 2025. Did you do the Day of Big Dreaming course or fill out the Career Planning guide earlier this year? If so, today is a good day to drag that out again and remind yourself of your plans. Which ones are en route? Which ones have been deprioritized? And which ones are just… dead?
For those who didn’t set 2025 intentions, download this free Career Planning guide and get going on H2! As we learned above, make sure you’re fed, regulated, socialized and rested. Apply intuition at will!
For me, one of the most problematic parts of intuition is separating instinct from control. Am I trying to force an outcome? Am I really just scared about uncertainty? Or am I intuiting what wants to happen?
Given the world as it stands today, my intuition tells me that this summer I want to be a safe place for others, invest in my own creativity and slow down. Writing this newsletter counts for all three.
So thanks for reading and sometimes writing back. It’s always good to feel you here.
xo Jen
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