Intuition and Risk Taking

Gut confidence and "knowing before knowing".

In professional decision making, we often become paralyzed waiting to have all the logical facts to ensure success.

However, there is a faster and deeper decision-making mechanism: intuition or "gut confidence".

This manifests as a bodily knowing, a subtle but insistent physical sensation that pushes us in a direction before our rational mind can justify it.

Cultivating this capacity involves learning to distinguish between the voice of fear (which screams and contracts) and the voice of intuition (which is usually calm and expansive).

Following this instinct often requires acting "before knowing," that is, committing to a course of action (such as enrolling in a course or accepting a position) based on internal resonance rather than absolute external certainty.

Action before full preparation

When taking on new challenges, people with imposter syndrome often feel they must be experts before they begin.

Here it is useful to apply an ethical variant of "fake it till you make it": act as if you are already in the role.

This does not mean lying about expertise you do not possess or inventing skills.

It means assuming the responsibility and posture of the position, occupying the space with the security of one who has the right to be there, while working diligently to acquire the missing competencies.

It is vital to avoid comparison to an idealized version of oneself who "should know it all."

Instead, one must adopt the attitude of a capable professional who is in the process of learning.

This mindset allows you to take risks and accept positions for which you may not have 100% of the technical requirements today, relying on your own ability to close that gap through effort and adaptation as you go along.

Emotional scaffolding and support

Taking leaps of faith and taking risks requires a safety structure. No one achieves great change alone.

It is critical to build an "emotional scaffolding" of mentors, trusted colleagues, friends or coaches who act as a safety net.

These people not only provide support when the going gets tough, but serve as mirrors of reality that counteract our distorted self-criticism.

By verbalizing our fears and plans with this circle of trust, we gain accountability and pers