Following Intuition Through the Fog
Trust the next step you can't justify and let it reveal a destination you can't yet see.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 70%
Houpert contrasts two operating systems. The analytical mind sees a desired end, then backwards-breaks it into steps toward a known outcome. Intuition works the opposite way: it reveals only the next step and deliberately keeps you foggy about the destination, which is 'greater than you could possibly imagine.' The practice is to pick an intuitive or 'feminine' modality that draws you, follow the small hits even when they seem like a waste of time, and stay with the thread through its whole arc rather than bailing after the first step. Most people give intuition a bad reputation because they obey it once (entering a doomed relationship) then ignore its later warnings, and blame intuition when it collapses. The reward is a deeper layer of self-trust: the ability to trust both the analytical mind and the intuitive, flowing sense at once.
Origin
Charlie Houpert developed this from his own recovery out of hyper-optimization, including a moment playing the video game Hades 2 where he caught himself optimizing every upgrade and deliberately chose 'the purple one' instead.
Core principles
- 01The analytical mind sees the end and back-plans steps toward it
- 02Intuition only shows the next step and keeps the destination foggy
- 03Craving and intuition feel different; learn to tell them apart
- 04Intuition warns you throughout, not just at the entry point
- 05Sticking with it builds a second kind of self-trust alongside the analytical
How to run it
- 1
Pick one intuitive practice
Choose whichever intuitive, non-rigid modality draws you: meditation, breathwork, therapy, men's groups, sound healing, long nature walks, unstructured physical activity, music, singing or dance.
Pro tip Go with the one that seems interesting to you first rather than the 'optimal' one.
- 2
Follow the small, pointless hits
Act on minor intuitive pulls even when they seem like a waste of time: play the game for fun, look at the artwork, make the phone call, start the weird project.
Pro tip Experiment in little ways so a wrong turn costs almost nothing.
Watch out Distinguish intuition from craving; not every impulse is a genuine intuitive signal.
- 3
Act on what surfaces, gently
Practices surface unfinished business: an apology to make, a person to tell you love them, a hurt to name. Act on it once you are less raw and have containment.
Pro tip Wait a day or two after the raw practice so you can be vulnerable without exploding on the person.
- 4
Stay with the thread to its end
Intuition reveals its destination only step by step. Keep following it through the whole arc, including the mid-course warnings, rather than bailing when it stops making analytical sense.
Watch out The most common failure is obeying intuition once, ignoring its later warnings, then blaming intuition when things collapse.
In the wild
Playing the video game Hades 2, Charlie caught himself doing damage math to pick the objectively best upgrade every time. He deliberately chose 'the purple one' even though it was worse, started doing random things, and rediscovered fun. He escaped his local minimum, found new build paths that made him better, noticed the game's artwork, and ended up researching Greek myths of Aphrodite and Ares to reflect on with ChatGPT.
→ He realized his intuition had routed him to the game to get inspired by myth, not to veg, revealing a destination his analytical mind could never have planned.
Common mistakes
Bailing after the first step
People listen to intuition a tiny bit then try to jump straight to the outcome. Intuition doesn't work like analytics; it only gives the next step.
Ignoring the mid-course warnings
Intuition that pulled you into a relationship also whispered 'something is off' at month one and 'time to get out' at six months; ignoring those and then blaming intuition is the real error.
Confusing craving with intuition
Treating every impulse as an intuitive calling collapses the practice back into the directionless victim state optimizers rightly fear.
Is it for you?
Best for
Hyper-optimizers who have squeezed all the results from analysis and feel something is still missing.
Not ideal for
High-stakes precision work (e.g. neurosurgery) where in-the-moment analytical control is required.
From the transcript
“Intuition starts at the next step. It keeps you foggy as to the actual place that you're headed. You don't know, and it's greater than…”
“we listen to intuition a tiny tiny bit, and then we try to bail. But intuition doesn't work like analytics does.”
From the episode
How to Survive the Death of Your Old Self - Charlie Houpert - #1063
Charlie Houpert