We’ve all heard the advice: “Follow your gut. Do what feels right.” It’s practically a mantra in personal development and even business. But what if that conventional wisdom is wrong? What if our intuition is sometimes leading us astray?
That’s exactly what my guest, Morteza Chalak, from Melbourne, Australia, argues. Morteza is a fascinating individual with a PhD in economics who applies a deep, structural approach to self-development. He believes that our intuition can be surprisingly misleading, and after our conversation, I’m convinced he’s onto something big.
The Hidden Roots of Misleading Intuition
Morteza explained that a lot of times, our subconscious carries negative experiences that distort how we perceive opportunities. Think about it: if you grew up in a household where one parent was controlling, your subconscious might register controlling behavior as “normal”. So, when you meet someone exhibiting those toxic traits, your gut might tell you, “This feels familiar, this is great!”. Conversely, someone trustworthy, who doesn’t fit that ingrained pattern, might feel “wrong”. In both cases, intuition can give you the completely wrong signal.
My Own “Feels Wrong” Moment
This really resonated with me because I’ve experienced it in my own business journey. I started Create Grow Profit as a blogger. Everything was written content – blog posts, emails, eBooks. Then, I decided to start creating videos. And let me tell you, it felt completely wrong. Month after month, it felt unnatural, uncomfortable. My intuition was screaming at me to stop.
Yet, I knew it was just a feeling, and I pushed through. Today, video content is a huge part of what I do, and I even help businesses with their video strategies. Morteza pointed out that my intuition was telling me I had to “look perfect” on camera, probably because of a subconscious fear of judgment. He’s right! But as he noted, often, a bit of imperfection makes you seem more natural and authentic to your audience.
The Path to Reliable Intuition: Structured Study & Inner Work
So, if our intuition can be so flawed, how do we make good decisions? Morteza’s answer: “structured study” and deep inner work.
With his background in economics and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Morteza focuses on understanding how our subconscious drives our conscious behavior. He helps clients:
- Uncover deep-seated negative beliefs.
- Learn techniques to change those beliefs.
- Develop awareness to understand what’s happening in their conscious and subconscious minds.
This isn’t about ignoring your feelings entirely, especially for major life decisions like choosing a life partner after a year of dating. But for starting a new venture or experimenting, sometimes you just need to do what’s logically right and ignore the initial “feeling” part. The confidence and good feelings often follow the action.
He suggests techniques like:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) exercises to connect thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
- Meditation.
- Self-love exercises where you bring love to past childhood memories to heal old wounds. These can be done daily.
Beyond “Fake It Till You Make It”: Authenticity in Business
This deep inner work is crucial not just for personal life, but for business too. If your subconscious is running a program that says “you’re not good enough,” that will come through in your marketing, even if your presentation is perfect. People can detect a lack of self-esteem or belief in your product.
While “fake it till you make it” is common advice, Morteza sees it as a harder path to success. It works by gradually proving to your subconscious that negative assumptions (like rejection equating to pain or even death, a primal fear ) are invalid. But working on those self-limiting beliefs at a deeper level allows for genuine confidence and authenticity.
Becoming an “Opportunity Attractor”
Morteza’s ultimate advice is to “make yourself a person who attracts opportunity automatically”. This means becoming independent of immediate outcomes. Even if you “fail” from an outsider’s perspective, it’s a lesson for you.
How do you become this “opportunity attractor”? It starts by changing those subconscious negative narratives. When you stop telling yourself “this is going to fail” and instead believe “every failure is a lesson, and I can succeed next,” your behavior changes. This shifts how you interact, how you market, and ultimately, how opportunities come to you. It’s about building a self-reliant foundation where you are the constant, capable of creating opportunities regardless of external circumstances.
Ready to Start Your Journey?
If you’re looking to dive deeper into understanding and transforming your subconscious patterns, Morteza Chalak is the expert.
Connect with Morteza Chalak:
- Morteza’s Website: https://MortezaChalak.com
- Morteza on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmortezachalak