Recently, my intuition failed me.

Epically.

Miserably.

Actually… shockingly.

I had just moved into an apartment in Senegal’s capital city, Dakar. Handed over four months for rent, deposit and commission. After ten days my chest was tight and I couldn’t breath fully. A visit to the doctor confirmed that pollution was heading me in the direction of asthma. Asthma and allergies ~ all known and experienced intimately by many Dakar residents.

Well, no thank you. My health is too important.

Sitting in my barely furnished apartment after multiple conversations with well-meaning locals plus a well-qualified attorney I was left with the reality that getting any of my money back was about as likely as me qualifying to play in the NBA.

On top of that there were other decisions to be made…

• How much longer could I stay in Senegal?
• Where the heck would I go if I leave?
• Would moving out of the city help?
• Would anyone want to buy the oven, fridge, freezer, washing machine, couches and beds? Or was I about to lose even more $$?

So I did what I often do. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and tried to feel my way towards some answers. I invited my intuition in.

You know what I got?

Nothing.

Nada.

Crickets.

A silent night in stereo.

Because here’s the thing about intuition… it’s based on experience. Once you have enough experience with something, someone, or a certain-kind-of-someone, your intuition gathers together all that info and nudges you in a direction.

It’s not magical thinking ~ it’s hours, weeks and months of experience. It’s why executives are some of the most intuitive/gut-based people in the world. They’ve had so much experience with their work and people that they can “see around corners.” They can sense things before they happen. Same for those of you who are parents. Or married to people who are up to no good. Given enough time, we can sense things. That’s intuition.

But it can’t kick in when we’re in new territory. Laid off? Wanting a different career? Moving to a new country? Considering leaving that no-gooder?

All new territory.

I had never had to deal with a landlord in an African country. Nor sold furniture. Nor been faced with a health issue that could catapult me into an entirely new direction.

My intuition took one look at the situation, shrugged it’s shoulders, wished me all the best, and crawled back under the covers for a nap.

I had to get rational.

Logical.

Here’s sort of how I worked my way through it…

• What’s most important here? Health? Money? New friends? Learning French? Sticking to my original plan?… HEALTH.
• If that’s the case, can I stay in Dakar? Nope.
• Can I stay in Senegal? (research about air pollution across north and west Africa) Nope.
• Stumble on article saying Cape Town has cleanest air. Ok, that’s an option.
• Willing to walk away from rent money and furniture? Yes.
• By when? End of the month (10days).
• Next most important thing? Money.
• Action? Get. Back. In. Control. Reclaim as much as possible in the next 10 days and then get on a plane. Remember, health first.

The next ten days felt like a month, but I found a tenant, told my landlord who was moving in, negotiated getting my money back, sold my furniture, and booked a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. I walked away from other people’s ideas and concerns, and got back in control of the situation.

I put my emotions to one side and took big action.

It was Not easy. It was very very hard. But I’m better for it.

There are times in life when we know that something has to change. Maybe our health is suffering, or our confidence is taking a beating. Perhaps we’re drowning in debt, or our intuition last visited us years ago right before it went on strike for being ignored.

It’s at these times, when facing the possibility of something new, that dividing our process into two categories can help.

Start with what’s most important. Then grab a piece of paper, divide it into two columns, and write, write, write. Being very sure to keep emotions separate from logic.

• Intuitive/emotional ~ What am I sensing? Feeling? Fearing? What stories am I telling myself?
• Rational/logical ~ What’s most important? What options do I have? What result do I want? What’s a possible plan? What resources do I need? What’s the worst that could happen? Can I handle that?

Once I knew what mattered most ~ Health ~ my worst-case scenario was losing a few thousand dollars. Far from ideal at the start of a new adventure, but doable. It wasn’t going to knock me out of the game. And there are always ways to make more money.

Now I’m on a train from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Breathtaking scenery. Clean air. Turns out one of my oldest friends from school days is away until September so I’ll stay in his apartment for a month or two.

Hmmmm. Maybe my intuition had a part in this after all…