If you were to ask me what “intuition” meant about a month ago, I may have described it as some sort of psychic power that very few people have. Never would I have imagined that I’d be learning how to use intuition in both my personal and professional life.

You may be wondering how I got here. Back in December, I had been on the verge of a burnout — nothing felt right. That’s when Amy, my boss and mentor, gifted me an intuition course with the one and only, Bridget Quigg. To make a long story short, that’s where my journey of intuition began. From there, it has continued to evolve.

You can imagine my excitement then, when Wheels Up partnered with Bridget Quigg to host a webinar on using intuition to make smarter marketing decisions. The content, of course, was great. I captured a few highlights of my own that I think might be of interest.

Here are 3 key takeaways from the “Trust Your Gut: Why Your Business Hunches Matter” webinar.

1. You have the control in your life

I know this may sound like an oversimplified statement, but when we get caught up doing what society expects of us, we often forget we’re the ones in control of our lives. We have the power to make life-changing decisions like moving across the country or even making simple choices like what we want for takeout tonight. Although those examples are on totally opposite ends of the scale, they show we have the power to make big and small decisions everyday that impact us.

A simple example of me taking control of my own life is how and where I choose to work each day. I often forget the flexibility that my remote position allows. For the longest time, I’d work at my house, in an office, at a desk for hours at a time. Bridget’s webinar reminded me that I am in control. No one is forcing me to stay home and work in the office; I’d simply done it out of habit and perhaps some perceived expectation of what I “should” do. That is when I decided to start going to my local cafe on light meeting days. The calm music, studious atmosphere, and the smell of espresso keep me inspired and motivated. If it feels right, why fight it? This leads me to my next key takeaway.

2. Ask yourself often, “Am I feeling it?’

Checking in with yourself is important. In the Wheel’s Up webinar, Bridget emphasized how critical it is to ask yourself the simple phrase “Am I feeling it?” throughout your day. I used to ask myself this question frequently, but the issue was that I ignored the answer my body gave me. I ignored it because the answer wasn’t convenient or socially acceptable. “So what if the plans I made a week ago sound absolutely exhausting now? I made those plans and it’s not right for me to back down now. If I do, I’m a bad friend,” I’d think.

When I was on the verge of burnout, almost all my plans felt like this. I’d make commitments, and as the events came closer, the thought of them made me feel exhausted and anxious. I pushed through anyway, worried what my friends would think if I let them down. The thing is, my body knew. I experienced almost all of the feelings Bridget described you often would feel if you weren’t feeling it — my muscles would tighten up and I would feel tired. I had gotten used to overriding my body’s obvious “no”.

When I began to ask myself if I’m feeling it and actually listening to my body’s response — it made a huge difference. I said “no” more often to obligations that didn’t appeal to me, shared suggestions for alternatives that did, and actually felt excited about the plans I did commit to because they were activities I enjoyed.

3. Let go of the “shoulds”

Listening to your words is so important. In 'The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom," author Don Miguel Ruiz emphasizes, "be impeccable with your word." Your word dictates your reality. In the webinar, Bridget brings to light the notion that we often use the word “should” whenever we feel we need to follow an external norm that doesn’t actually resonate with us. The word “should” becomes a clue we may not actually want to do that thing. Common examples include: “I should eat healthier,” and “I should go to the gym”. They even happen in the business world: “I should take on that extra project even though I’m swamped,” “I should work during my holiday so my employer doesn't think I’m slacking”. I should, I should, I should.

We make these statements because we are following what we believe is expected from us by society, but they are not what we actually want. If we continue to base our actions on perceived external norms, we lose touch with ourselves. By actively working to eliminate the phrase “I should”, we can make space for the activities we actually want to do. Instead of saying “I should go to the gym,” I think to myself “ I should go to the gym because I want to be active, but I don’t like going to the gym. I can go on a long walk in my favorite part of downtown instead”. In this example, I’m not neglecting the fact that I do need exercise; I’m finding a way to stay healthy that brings me joy and is true to myself.

Bridget’s course and the webinar she did with Wheels Up couldn’t have arrived in my life at a better time. Not only have I been able to apply it to my career as a marketing manager, but I’m learning how to apply it to my everyday life, too.

If you’re interested in learning how you can apply intuition in your life, watch the webinar here.