A huge caveat to trusting our intuition is that often it is the “storytelling” part of our brain that is talking to us. Meaning, we are assessing the situation from the perspective of some maladaptive coping mechanism that we have refined so well over the years that we have repeatedly internally validated incorrect interpretations and assumptions.

So the fourth question to ask, and I do this regularly, is, “How true is this (gut feeling) really?” Followed by, “What might be getting triggered here?”, and, “ What additional information might I need?” Often, I conclude that my “ gut feeling” is really just an emotional reaction to some limiting belief being triggered, the one I have carried with me since I was a child. In other instances, though, my intuition is a powerful guide. Asking that fourth question helps me discern the difference.