Decisions, Decisions

The Situation: You are offered two jobs in different cities—Los Angeles and Chicago, where you already live—and you only have a week to decide which one you'll take. Every bone in your body is leaning toward moving to Los Angeles, because you love the company you'd be working for and like the idea of being in a new city. But the job there pays significantly less, and you don't know anyone in the area. Still, you can't shake the feeling that moving there is the right decision.

The Outcome: After talking with close friends and crunching the numbers, you realize that as much as your gut is telling you to go west, it's also telling you that now's not the right time.

When it comes to making decisions, intuition doesn't work alone. "The human brain is essentially two brains bolted together," says Ayton. "We have a fast, intuitive sense that works almost immediately, and we have a slow brain that crunches through information."

That information might very well prove to be valuable in analyzing a decision like moving somewhere new. "Your slow brain is like a sober person who's with you when you're drunk," explains Ayton. This sober person knows that while you want to move to Los Angeles, you'll be better off in Chicago—for now.

Intuition isn't magic; it doesn't make things happen, but it can give you the insight to move your life in the right direction. So now that you know L.A. is in your future, you can create opportunities that will help get you there.