Your Instinct Knows Before Your Mind Does

There’s a moment we’ve all felt.

Something looks fine on paper.
The numbers add up. The person checks all the boxes. The situation seems “right.”
But deep down, something’s off. You feel it—but can’t explain it.

That’s instinct.
It’s quiet. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t justify itself.
But when it’s ignored, you usually pay for it.

I’ve learned to take my instinct seriously—because the cost of not listening has been high.

I’ve made hiring decisions where everything looked good on the surface, but something in me hesitated. I overrode that feeling... and regretted it.
I’ve made personal life choices that seemed rational but didn’t feel right. I went ahead anyway. The outcome proved my instinct right.

On the flip side—there are moments I followed that quiet signal.
One of them might’ve saved an entire business.

It was just before the pandemic hit. I had a sudden feeling that everything was about to shut down. No official notice. No data. Just a gut sense.
I went straight to the store and bought laptops for my team out of pocket—just in case.
The very next day, the lockdown was announced. Offices closed. Markets froze.
Because I followed my instinct, my team could keep working, and our business stayed afloat.

That wasn’t luck.
That was listening.

Instinct is Intelligence in Disguise.

It’s not magic. It’s not emotion.
It’s pattern recognition. It’s experience. It’s subconscious reasoning.

When your instinct speaks, it’s not saying “panic.”
It’s saying “pause and look closer.”

Sometimes, instinct says “don’t hire.”
Sometimes, it says “something feels off about this deal.”
Sometimes, it’s a warning. Other times, it’s a nudge toward something great.

The key is to hear it—and then test it.
Not blindly follow. Not dismiss. Just pay attention.

Look Ahead

Every success story I know has a moment of instinct in it.
A bet. A decision. A step into the unknown.

Listen to yours. It might not be loud—but it’s often right.
Don’t ignore the signal.
It’s your experience trying to speak before your ego does.

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