This morning I was reading more about the big losses at JPMorgan Chase. By most accounts, warning bells had been going off about the danger the bank was facing with its trading activities in London. Executives were tranquilized by their optimism. This type of emotional illusion is often present at the downfall of leaders.
This myopia, however, isn’t the exclusive purview of organizational leaders. We all get caught up in it from time to time. There was a groundswell of optimism in the U.S. about the continuous rise of housing prices. While there were some on the edges, who warned of the fallacy of this belief, many bet their 401k accounts or acquired greater debt than was prudent under the spell of this infectious optimism.
Warming bells go off and we don’t heed them. We believe they are not meant for us. Our intuition is often screaming “NO” and we override the warning with tranquilizing stories that are logical. It is the flaw of logical thinking that blinds us. There is no logic that can understand the complexity of the world. We can’t yet explain how a plant knows to grow roots and leaves and flowers. How then can we logically explain an economic system that is as much hidden as it is visible?
If we reorient our guidance system and allow intuition to be the centerpiece, we will rarely experience surprises. I’m not advocating ignoring the logical mind. I suggest we use it in a different way. Instead of having it be the captain of our boat, give it a new job. This job is to gather information that helps us better understand what our intuition is showing us. This broadened understanding helps us act with greater confidence and feel more peaceful.
I’m trusting intuition more and more. I see life-long patterns that orient me to not trust it. Every time I have ignored intuition lately, I look back and realize it showed me the truth of a situation and my mind’s confidence was not well placed. The journey continues.
Sometimes, we feel a gnawing discontent. This arises from something inside that keeps letting us know that something isn’t right in our lives. In my case, this discontent has arisen many times and i have done my best to push it back down. Not in overt ways. I’m more subtle in my approach to my inner concerns.
“Yes, yes, that’s right things aren’t going well for me. Let me just finish what i’m doing” or “I need to do just one more things and then I tend to this concern”. The problem is there is never a comfortable moment so the dance drags on. Until there is a calamity of some sort and the noise is so loud that to ignore it could jeopardize my life.
I’ve had a long career of creating new businesses or helping businesses grow. The creative flow is very strong in me. I probably see a new business opportunity multiple times a day. The problem is that I’m have way more ideas than time and even when I take the time to engage a new idea, I don’t vet it as well as I could. Particularly, I don’t dig in and see how well this great idea is purposeful and is aligned with my most important values. I just jump in.
Which leads me to today. I used to have a writeup in this space about my wonderful accomplishments. Sure, I’ve done lots of things, but does that really matter to you? You might be more interested in why am I writing. I would be if i was reading this.
I’m writing because I love helping people see things they may have missed. Not to help them be smarter or think of me as a clever guy. The purpose is to help them have richer lives. So, few of us tap even a small portion of our potential. Each day that we pass the opportunity of a full life will never be recovered. I’m at a stage of life where this feels more important than ever. I do have regrets for not reaching this conclusion earlier and then again there is no time like the present.
I welcome any feedback you have or areas you are interested in exploring. If I have something to share, I’ll do so gladly. Thank you for reading and I wish you a full and rich life.
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