Do you trust your instincts? Do you make decisions based upon your head or your heart?
Even people who often make decisions based upon logic use their instinct when they go house hunting. When you look round a house and you know it is the one for you but you are not sure why it is better than the last one you saw; which you also liked. I was talking recently to someone about which University their daughter was going to and they said, “It just had that feeling.” Funnily enough, it is also on my daughter’s list, but whether she will have that feeling too remains to be seen.
Instincts can get us out of situations as well as into them. Sometimes you know a relationship is no longer serving you. It is not so much knowing that; maybe you have had that feeling for some time. Action is usually taken when one trusts that instinct.
Head or heart? You know you are listening to your head when you begin to ask, “What if….” questions and you can hear, “But…” What stops us acting on these instincts is fear. Fear of the future, fear of making a ‘wrong’ decision, fear of the unknown.
I have become increasingly aware of how much I can trust my instincts. When I don’t listen to them is when things usually go wrong. Some are big events and some are small but all leave me with a ‘sick’ feeling in the pit of my stomach. Trusting my instincts generally leads me to make better decisions. Better because they feel good. If I make a decision based on instinct then:
a) It is more likely to be the right choice/path
b) I feel better if I then change path or adapt
Some say you should not trust your instincts because you can contradict yourself, instincts can change depending upon circumstances, you need to make mistakes to learn about your judgements and instincts are easy to manipulate.
All I know is that if I go against my instinct and follow my head then I do not feel authentic, I feel uncomfortable and I have a sense of worry and foreboding.
I have chosen to live a more fearless life, to trust my instincts and live in the flow more.
Life is easier, happier, more relaxed and it feels good.
“Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do.” – Benjamin Spock