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Ever get a feeling that something isnt right? An internal voice that is trying to tell you something? It could be your intuition bubbling up. Or maybe its anxiety. Or both. Learning to tell the difference between anxiety and intuition can help you determine if that feeling is something you should listen to or address in another way, but its easy to confuse the two. People have become disconnected from their emotions, beliefs, and self-confidence, says intuitive life coach Tammy Adams. They have so much doubt within themselves that they don’t listen to their own intuition. People veer off with fear and live more in anxiety than they do in confidence. Your gut feeling is your intuition, says Adams. It has many different names, she says. I call it our sixth sense. The more you connect to your senses, the more information you get. Anxiety is an alert system, a feeling of apprehension, says Laura Day, a practicing intuitive and author of Practical Intuition: How to Harness the Power of Your Instinct and Make It Work for You. It can be useful momentarily because it makes you pay attention to the data that intuition is providing, she says. That data gives you a blueprint that leads you immediately to the right action or perception. Anxiety has put the spotlight on your intuition, but it is the intuition that is useful, not the anxiety. When anxiety persists after that, it is no longer useful. A test for anxiety Telling the difference between intuition and anxiety is simple, says Adams. If acting on the information makes you feel free, its intuition. If that feeling doesn’t go away, its anxiety. We often create our own anxiety by putting ourselves in negative situations because we’re creatures of habit, she says. True anxiety is not something someone just catches or has. Its been built up. The only time that anxiety would persist in an intuitive paradigm is if a boundary has been crossed, says Day. For example, you see a good friend do something unethical and dangerous, such as stealing or lying. Your intuition tells you that the person needs to be stopped, but you will often be anxious because someone close to you has broken rules you hold dear. How to Get Better at Listening to Your Intuition Your intuition is something that needs to be trained, and its different from belief, says Day. Trust is belief without proof, she says. Intuition provides proof; it does not require belief to be present and useful. I am wary when I hear people say, I believe in intuition. That is like saying, I believe in gravity. Intuition simply is. If you refine and document its action, you quickly discover that you can rely on it. But when you magicalize it with belief, you remove its burden of proof, thus rendering it less useful. Day recommends recording your feelings of intuition. You can use a journal, for example, but she recommends removing any attached emotional content. Also, dont try to make sense of what you feel. We get lots of information all the time, but we don’t have a very good filing system, especially for our intuitive information, says Day. Intuition functions best on automatic pilot. When you document it, you begin to see that it’s accurate, it’s precognitive. Your subconscious will make it more available. It’s noticing what you notice, not looking for anything. The importance of goal-setting To use intuition, its important to know what youre working on and know what your goals are. You dont see what you’re not looking for, says Day. You will know how to address your intuition when you know what your goals are. Adams also recommends practicing meditation for at least 20 minutes a day as a way to make room for intuition. Allow yourself to step away from situations that could become negative habits, such as wasting your night on things that are not important, she says. Reclaim quality time by doing meditation, being silent, or walking in nature. . . . Pay attention to your breath. When youre quiet, your soul, spirit, and bodythe true trinity that’s inside of uswill have an epiphany and the knowledge and knowing inside you starts kicking in. Every human being has intuition, says Adams. We can all feel energy, because we are all energy, she says. Feel the energy coming off other people. The energy may tell you that person’s not so happy, or that person is really happy. You can’t lose your intuition. You can disconnect from it, you can ignore it, but you can’t lose it.
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Windstorms can seem like they come out of nowhere, hitting with a sudden blast. They might be hundreds of miles long, stretching over several states, or just in your neighborhood. But they all have one thing in common: a change in air pressure. Just like air rushing out of your car tire when the valve is open, air in the atmosphere is forced from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. The stronger the difference in pressure, the stronger the winds that will ultimately result. On this forecast for March 18, 2025, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, L represents low-pressure systems. The shaded area over New Mexico and west Texas represents strong winds and low humidity that combine to raise the risk of wildfires. [Image: NOAA Weather Prediction Center] Other forces related to the Earths rotation, friction and gravity can also alter the speed and direction of winds. But it all starts with this change in pressure over a distancewhat meteorologists like me call a pressure gradient. So how do we get pressure gradients? Strong pressure gradients ultimately owe their existence to the simple fact that the Earth is round and rotates. Wind speed and direction in the upper atmosphere on March 14, 2025, show waves in the jet stream. Downstream of a trough in this wave, winds diverge and low pressure can form near the surface. [Image: NCAR] Because the Earth is round, the sun is more directly overhead during the day at the equator than at the poles. This means more energy reaches the surface of the Earth near the equator. And that causes the lower part of the atmosphere, where weather occurs, to be both warmer and have higher pressure on average than the poles. Nature doesnt like imbalances. As a result of this temperature difference, strong winds develop at high altitudes over midlatitude locations, like the continental U.S. This is the jet stream, and even though its several miles up in the atmosphere, it has a big impact on the winds we feel at the surface. Because Earth rotates, these upper-altitude winds blow from west to east. Waves in the jet streama consequence of Earths rotation and variations in the surface land, terrain and oceanscan cause air to diverge, or spread out, at certain points. As the air spreads out, the number of air molecules in a column decreases, ultimately reducing the air pressure at Earths surface. The pressure can drop quite dramatically over a few days or even just a few hours, leading to the birth of a low-pressure systemwhat meteorologists call an extratropical cyclone. The opposite chain of events, with air converging at other locations, can form high pressure at the surface. In between these low-pressure and high-pressure systems is a strong change in pressure over a distancea pressure gradient. And that pressure gradient leads to strong winds. Earths rotation causes these winds to spiral around areas of high and low pressure. These highs and lows are like large circular mixers, with air blowing clockwise around high pressure and counterclockwise around low pressure. This flow pattern blows warm air northward toward the poles east of lows and cool air southward toward the equator west of lows. A map illustrates lines of surface pressure, called isobars, with areas of high and low pressure marked for March 14, 2025. Winds are strongest when isobars are packed closely together. [Image: Plymouth State University, CC BY-NC-SA] As the waves in the jet stream migrate from west to east, so do the surface lows and highs, and with them, the corridors of strong winds. Thats what the U.S. experienced when a strong extratropical cyclone caused winds stretching thousands of miles that whipped up dust storms and spread wildfires, and even caused tornadoes and blizzards in the central and southern U.S. in March 2025. Whipping up dust storms and spreading fires The jet stream over the U.S. is strongest and often the most wavy in the springtime, when the south-to-north difference in temperature is often the strongest. Winds associated with large-scale pressure systems can become quite strong in areas where there is limited friction at the ground, like the fat, less forested terrain of the Great Plains. One of the biggest risks is dust storms in arid regions of west Texas or eastern New Mexico, exacerbated by drought in these areas. When the ground and vegetation are dry and the air has low relative humidity, high winds can also spread wildfires out of control. Even more intense winds can occur when the pressure gradient interacts with terrain. Winds can sometimes rush faster downslope, as happens in the Rockies or with the Santa Ana winds that fueled devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January. Violent tornadoes and storms Of course, winds can become even stronger and more violent on local scales associated with thunderstorms. When thunderstorms form, hail and precipitation in them can cause the air to rapidly fall in a downdraft, causing very high pressure under these storms. That pressure forces the air to spread out horizontally when it reaches the ground. Meteorologists call these straight line winds, and the process that forms them is a downburst. Large thunderstorms or chains of them moving across a region can cause large swaths of strong wind over 60 mph, called a derecho. Finally, some of natures strongest winds occur inside tornadoes. They form when the winds surrounding a thunderstorm change speed and direction with height. This can cause part of the storm to rotate, setting off a chain of events that may lead to a tornado and winds as strong as 300 mph in the most violent tornadoes. Tornado winds are also associated with an intense pressure gradient. The pressure inside the center of a tornado is often very low and varies considerably over a very small distance. Its no coincidence that localized violent winds from thunderstorm downbursts and tornadoes often occur amid large-scale windstorms. Extratropical cyclones often draw warm, moist air northward on strong winds from the south, which is a key ingredient for thunderstorms. Storms also become more severe and may produce tornadoes when the jet stream is in close proximity to these low-pressure centers. In the winter and early spring, cold air funneling south on the northwest side of strong extratropical cyclones can even lead to blizzards. So, the same wave in the jet stream can lead to strong winds, blowing dust and fire danger in one region while simultaneously triggering a tornado outbreak and a blizzard in other regions. Chris Nowotarski is an associate professor of atmospheric science, Texas A&M University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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AI is fundamentally re-engineering how work is done, who does it, and why. From AI-assisted nursing tools enabling healthcare providers to serve more patients to robotics improving retail fulfillment efficiency, the change is monumental. Organizations must establish a common language around work to navigate this transformation effectively. This raises a critical question: Who bears the responsibility for preparing the workforce for the AI age? Industry expert Josh Bersin notes that thriving in this era requires redesigning work, jobs, and organizational modelsdeconstructing tasks, evaluating AI solutions, and defining the human role alongside automation. This imperative underscores the moral mandate of leaders to empower people, not displace thema theme explored further in his piece. It is clear that readiness cannot fall solely on employees. Leaders must rise to the challenge, driving the reinvention of work ethically and inclusively. The moral mandate of leaders AI is poised to reinvent nearly every job, with research showing that 92% of tech roles will evolve in response to automation. Yet, most employees lack the tools to navigate these shifts independently, and many HR leaders remain uncertain about future workforce needs. Expecting employees to pivot seamlessly without guidance ignores their struggles to balance work and life, let alone reimagine their career trajectories. Leaders must rise to this challenge by creating a unified understanding of work that drives intelligent workforce transformation. The imperative isn’t just about adopting AIit’s about re-engineering work in a way that ensures no one is left behind. Leadership must understand their workforce’s day-to-day activities: Which tasks are primed for AI enhancement? How can we create more opportunities? How do we ensure work flows efficiently to those best suited to perform it? Bersins research shows that to succeed with AI, companies must rethink work, jobs, and structures. This means focusing on customer outcomes, breaking work into tasks, using AI where it fits, and defining where humans add value. Leaders who do this will make AI work for their peoplenot replace them. Accountability is the new currency Todays stakeholdersemployees, customers, communities, and shareholdersscrutinize companies like never before. Business success is no longer measured by profits alone; its judged by how well organizations unlock and amplify the full potential of their people. Leaders must rethink traditional job design. Jobs consist of tasks, not skills, and people possess the skills to perform those tasks. Reskilling efforts must be task-focused, dynamic, and deeply personalized. Consider financial services. Junior analysts, whose roles are heavily impacted by AI, could become data scientists within months through upskilling in Python and AI fundamentals. This isnt just workforce optimizationits workforce empowerment. The alternative is bleak: mass unemployment, economic instability, and widening social inequalities. Failing to act doesnt just hurt employees; it undermines economic resilience. Design for meaningful work AI will eliminate some roles but create countless new opportunities. The key is ensuring that those opportunities are accessible to everyone, regardless of their starting point. Organizations need comprehensive frameworks that map jobs, tasks, processes, and career paths. Through this understanding, leaders can create clear development pathways for every employee. This isn’t just about workforce optimization; it’s about creating an environment where every individual can grow alongside technological advancement. For example, our Workforce Reinvention Blueprint pinpoints high-value areas where AI complements human capabilities. Leaders can build reskilling strategies tailored to individual aspirations and organizational goals, ensuring every employee finds meaning and purpose in their work. From incremental to transformational The journey to workforce reinvention doesnt happen overnight. Leaders must adopt a phased approach, starting with understanding their current workforce dynamics, aligning job tasks with future skills needs. Heres how companies can embrace transformation: Workforce analysis: Identify tasks for automation and map the skills needed for higher-value roles. Reskilling as a priority: Pinpoint skills gaps and offer tailored learning opportunities. Transparency in communication: Build trust by sharing the vision for AI integration and its impact. Inclusive leadership: Ensure reskilling opportunities are accessible to all employees, especially marginalized groups. Leadership that goes beyond numbers As we continue through 2025, the organizations that thrive will be those that approach workforce transformation with both boldness and responsibility. Success lies in ensuring that as work evolves, people evolve with it. This isn’t just about AI adoptionit’s about creating a future where technology amplifies human potential rather than diminishing it. The opportunity to reinvent work has never been greater; the responsibility to do so has never been clearer. Siobhan Savage is CEO and founder of Reejig. The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more.
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