It takes courage and unflinching honesty with yourself to do business from your heart, follow your intuition, and truly connect with others. But if you dare to do this, the rewards can be immense.
When you ignore your gut feelings, fear and uncertainty creep in. Without your internal compass, you’re left questioning whether what you’re doing is right. To compensate, you might feel compelled to maintain control, setting up rigid agreements and hiding behind a protective mask. You may tackle conflicts head-on, making work feel arduous and draining. This approach often leads to chronic fatigue. But work can also be energizing; it’s not meant to leave you with only enough energy to binge-watch Netflix at the end of the day.
Allow yourself to be surprised by what wants to emerge.
If you dare to see the other person simply as a human being, an equal, assuming you both want to create something beautiful, then things get interesting. This requires surrender—granting yourself the freedom to release control and stop trying to bend things to your will. The collaboration might take a completely different direction than you initially expected, one that truly suits both of you. This is where the real magic happens, where the potential for endless flow exists.
Imagine letting yourself be surprised by what wants to emerge. It might mean one client gives you a wonderful assignment, while another offers a collaboration where no money is exchanged. Perhaps you redirect one client to another, knowing they are better suited to meet that client’s needs, or you tell a client that their question isn’t the right one, and you return the assignment.
These moments only feel tense if you fear you’re shortchanging yourself, if you’re anxious about your earnings, or if you believe you need to be ‘dishonest’ to ‘survive’. I guarantee that if you are always sincere about what you feel in the moment with a client, it will always pay off. Not always with that specific client or assignment, but in the long run, as it sets new opportunities in motion. And that requires trust!
Every time I’ve had to say ‘no’ to a client, I’ve felt that tension. But each time, I could see afterward how it created space for something new to emerge. For example, a new client who was a perfect fit might appear the following week, or the free time allowed me to dive deep into a collaboration that later brought in numerous new clients.
Is it nerve-wracking in the meantime? Absolutely, especially when money is tight (because that’s usually the source of the anxiety). But I’ve never, ever regretted making such decisions. On the contrary, I have regretted going against my better judgment—taking on a client who didn’t feel quite right just because I needed the income. Inevitably, that client ended up costing me more in time, energy, and even money. When things don’t flow naturally (and you sensed that from the start), the work becomes sluggish, you’re out of your element, the project takes much longer, unexpected costs arise, and the payment is often less than expected.
Your Intuition Sometimes Whispers Softly
Intuition doesn’t shout from the sidelines; it usually whispers, giving you a vague feeling in your gut or a slight shiver. Often, you can’t pinpoint exactly what’s wrong, which makes it hard because your rational mind wants proof before you say ‘no’ to an assignment.
But your intuition is always right. Try this: for the next month, commit to following your intuition. After each conversation, consciously tune in to what that person or assignment makes you feel. Make decisions based on that feeling, without over-analyzing, and see what unfolds. I promise you, the results will often be surprising and much more exciting than anything you could have predicted!
