Hey Reader,
You know that feeling when something looks good but doesn’t feel good?
Those shiny opportunities that your gut tells you not to engage.
Or those you feel hesitant about, but have an unsettling urge to give a shot.
Most people fail to achieve their goals, and some miss golden opportunities because they choose validation over instincts.
In today’s issue, we’ll explore the grace of intuition as a catalyst for greatness.
💭 To launch or not to launch
In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the world was closer to nuclear war.
On a Soviet submarine near Cuba, the crew had lost contact with Moscow.
They were surrounded by U.S. ships dropping depth charges.
The captain believed war had already started.
He wanted to fire a nuclear torpedo.
On that submarine, it required agreement from three senior officers to launch.
Two said yes. One said no.
His name was Vasili Arkhipov.
He didn’t have any new data or confirmation from Moscow.
He just believed something didn’t add up.
He felt the Americans were signaling, not attacking.
He stayed calm while everyone else was panicking.
He refused to authorize the launch.
Eventually, the submarine surfaced.
Communication was restored, and war had not begun.
Historians later concluded that Arkhipov’s decision likely prevented nuclear escalation.
Because he trusted his read of the situation.
🧠 You already know
A few years ago, Professor Laura Huang started a study on intuition.
She interviewed founders, investors, and operators. People making high-stakes calls with incomplete data.
And she often heard “I don’t know how to explain it… I just knew.”
Knew not to hire that person.
Knew to walk away from that deal.
Knew to engage before the numbers caught up.
She dug deeper, and she found a pattern recognition.
Your brain stores years of meetings, conversations, mistakes, wins, losses, subtle cues, etc., and integrates them faster than your conscious mind can explain.
She calls it trained intuition. Like an earned instinct.
But most leaders don’t act when that instinct tells them to.
They hesitate and try to justify what’s in front of them.
They look for proof so they can defend it, because anything they can’t defend feels risky.
The more they ignore that early nudge, the harder it becomes to hear it at all.
And the more you can’t trust your intuition, the more fragile your confidence becomes.
It’s only a matter of time before you begin to feel like you’ve lost your spark.
❤️ The grace of intuition
You already know more than you think you do.
The question is whether you trust it.
There’s a higher level of confidence you build from trusting your gut.
Especially when it has proven you right time and time again.
When you trust your instinct, you take on the grace it comes with.
You don’t need validation to act.
You’re clear, calm, and decisive, even if you’re not certain.
You’re not replaying conversations at night.
You decide, and you stand on it.
It removes drag.
You protect your time.
You’re not explaining your boundaries to anyone.
You feel more present in your work because you’re not constantly second-guessing yourself.
You don’t feel frantic or behind.
You’re ready to embrace any outcome.
You feel at peace, confident, happy, and fulfilled with your actions.
Because you trust the one person making the call.
You.
🤲 The art of intuition
Your intuition can play out as a quiet read you’ve earned through experience.
It gets tricky sometimes.
All you have to do is trust it.
The art is learning how to recognize and strengthen it without feeling impulsive.
You can start by practicing these 3 cues:
- When a decision feels clear but uncomfortable…ask: Is this fear or clarity without validation? Discomfort doesn’t always mean wrong. Sometimes it just means new, and it’s okay to engage.
- Before seeking more opinions…ask: Do I already know what I want to do? There’s nothing wrong with counsel. But don’t use it to drown out your own voice.
- When your logic keeps giving reasons not to act…pause and ask: Is this protecting me from something I can’t see, or just another uncomfortable feeling to avoid commitment?
Listen closely within yourself.
The honest answer is always within you.
You’ll know whether it’s fear or instinct.
Let self-trust guide you forward.
🎯 Intuition or validation?
What would change if you trusted yourself more?
Where in your life are you already clear, but waiting to feel safer?
What decision have you been circling that your body answered weeks ago?
All you need to take the first step in or out is YOU.
It doesn’t have to make sense, you just have to trust your instincts.
As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
So embrace the grace of intuition.
You’ve earned it.
With appreciation,
Huw
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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