Embracing your Judgement

I’ve often been told that I’m judgmental by those who observe social constructs and typically perceive it as an insult. What they fail to recognize, however, is that my judgement is an intuitive skill that I’ve honed to navigate uncharted territories and foresee situations yet to arise. In the past I’ve ignored my best instincts in an effort to make others around me feel more comfortable- Leading ultimately to my own discomfort and unfortunate interactions that didn’t benefit me or anyone else involved.

My judgement told me I shouldn’t trust X person to work on my early stage startup because he needed a comfortable life despite an outward desire for adventure. My judgement told me I shouldn’t engage Y person professionally because he was too attracted to me and only working on the project to engage me. My judgement told me not to partner with a certain female exec because she was too insecure and would behave erratically and against the interest of the company when she became too jealous. But I avoided my judgement, because I was afraid that I would never find what I was looking for. I was afraid that I wouldn’t find people who believed in me for the right reasons, because deep down, I doubted myself.

Why are you afraid to embrace your judgement? What is your intuition telling you, that you’re trying to avoid?

Judgement is actionable intuition- It’s a survival tactic, and if used correctly, a success tactic. Embrace your judgement, and reflect on it- Why do you feel a certain way about a certain person? Do you feel this way due to your own bias and insecurity, or are there certain traits or desires this person emotes which could be problematic to your engagement in the future? Define your own judgement, understand where it stems from, and let it guide you.

Originally posted on Medium.