Volume 12

I’ve been thinking a lot about intuition lately. Some people call it “gut instinct” or “following a hunch.” It’s been formally defined as the ability to understand or know something immediately based on your feelings rather than facts.

We all have some level of intuition inside of us, but at what point in our lives do we begin to actually listen to it? How do we grow this ability and quiet the internal voices that sometimes lead us astray? As a marketer and a manager, I can tell you that I have regrets in my career for not listening to my intuition when I should have. But these missteps also have a purpose. They help us grow, become wiser, and lead us to trust ourselves more. One educator friend of mine, Rodney Crouse, brought this point home when he said to me, “My biggest failures and successes have come hand in hand. Any success I’ve had wouldn’t have been possible without the mistakes that I made along the way.”

Educators are extremely intuitive. Another educator friend, Tracy Selock, recently reminded me how incredibly intuitive educators have to be every day. “We have to pay attention to the littlest subtleties in our students to begin to understand how they are doing.” It doesn’t matter if educators are remote, hybrid, or in-person, they rely heavily on intuition, coupled with experience, empathy, and sheer perseverance to guide them through the school year.

Even though we know we all have some level of intuition and that subconsciously we may know that ignoring our intuition will lead us to eventually trust it, it’s still a difficult journey. August was particularly difficult for me. It felt like at times I was purposely ignoring my intuition, almost in spite of it. Perhaps I was doing this because August marks a year since my father passed away from COVID and everything felt upside down. My father was the kind of person who didn’t have many regrets and barreled through life always choosing the path that brought him the most joy. With a smile on his face, he used to say to me, while usually breaking some type of law, “Do as I say and not as I do.” I’d generally laugh at him and shrug off the advice, but looking back, I actually appreciate it.

We all struggle with listening to what we know deep down inside is right for us — not our career or even our family — but ourselves, human beings who each have a unique journey in this life. There’s a lot going on right now. Do yourself a favor and take a moment to pause when you need to make a decision. Tune into that little voice that lives deep inside of you.

Be well.

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