Have you ever been really mad at yourself for making a decision that you secretly knew wasn't going to deliver the magical improvement you'd hoped it would? 

Perhaps you enrolled in a disappointing class, accepted a job offer that was all wrong for you, or developed a serious case of "food envy" at your favorite restaurant? And all because you or someone else suggested that it was time to try something new?

What's worse is: YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED the very second you got on board with it.

You might have felt a twinge of hesitation and questioned yourself. Then, before you knew it: you made your choice, and regret immediately set in... which quickly evolved into feelings of hopelessness. Your inner critic was saying things like, "Why can't I just trust my gut and go with what I know?!?! Then I wouldn't be in this mess!"

I have definitely been there before, and I know that when you're in the grips of this feeling, it really, really sucks. It feels like swimming through dark, muddy waters and you can't see your way out. You thought you'd finally taken that step that you SO needed in your life, and now you just feel lost... and it's all your fault! You start to question your own sense of knowing, your judgement, your intuition. 

The funny thing about intuition is sometimes it can steer you clear away from truly awful situations or into really great ones, but sometimes something else happens.

I've been wondering lately: what about those times when we actively choose to ignore the nagging feelings in the pits of our stomachs? Our intuition tells us to "watch out," but we actively decide to sidestep the warnings and press onward. Examining this process a bit closer has led me to ask the following question, which has served me well in recent months: 

What if, in the build-up to these difficult decisions, my intuition was there all along, guiding me toward the difficult choices on purpose —  because deep down, I intuitively knew that the struggle was going to provide a lifechanging lesson?

This is the space where intuition and free-will come together to deliver some very powerful lessons. Consider my examples above. Maybe the "wrong job choice" could become a window for exploration, change, and reprioritizing. Perhaps the "disappointing class" could highlight your tendency to avoid downtime and rest?! The weird salad you ordered could be an opportunity to practice changing your mind or listedning to your body.

Put it into Practice:

If this resonates with you, just take a minute to dissect your situation. Ask your wise, knowing self what it has to say about it all (especially if you've had enough time and distance for reflection of this nature). What If you started to look at the results of some of your decisions-gone-awry in this way? As gifts rather than punishment. 

I invite you to think about your most recent experiences of questioning your own intuitive abilities and see if maybe, just maybe, your intuition was at work all along —  albeit, sneakily from behind the scenes —  pointing you towards the challenging, yet manageable path. These could be the experiences that can ultimately lead to growth, change, and empowerment if you let them. They can be the small little steps that lead to major, major shifts.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Be well,

Jessica

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