Go with your gut. Do what you feel. Be yourself. All sound pieces of advice, but ones that many of us ignore at key points in our lives.
When faced with a big decision, the logical way of dealing with it is to think through each path and its pros and cons. We allow ourselves to look further down the road and see where each choice might lead us. Will it cause problems? Will it be difficult? While this method of decision-making may point us to the most practical or the least hassle-free solution, that doesn’t mean it will take us to the right answer.
Of course, you can’t go through life just going with what feels “right,” every time. There is a certain level of thought needed in every decision, no matter how big or small. But at the same time, over-thinking things takes all the risk out of our choices.
Sure, Route A might be the one with the fewest obstacles down the road, with the least amount of stress and with the strongest feeling of security. But Route B could in turn be the one that leaves us feeling fulfilled, content and happier in the long run. Our head is always reluctant to take that leap. But our heart and our gut instinct will send us on Route B, every time.
Following your instinct can seem like quite a vague way to deal with all of the things life throws at us. “I just had a feeling,” isn’t exactly evidence that would stand up in court. Sometimes though, that feeling is more solid and logical than anything your brain could come up with.
Take relationships, for example. Everything might seem right on paper. You two love each other, you look out for one another, you have trust and security. But something just doesn’t feel right anymore. You can’t put your finger on it. Well, rather than ignoring that feeling simply because it’s not anything tangible, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to you both to actually listen to your gut and explore what the problem in your relationship could be?
The same goes for reaching your career potential. Ambition and determination are strongly linked to our ability to trust our instincts and take risks for the sake of our future. Success is never easy – it not only requires hard work but a lot of self-belief too. There will be times when you have no idea what to do next, and that's when being able to trust yourself comes in VERY handy.
You can do this. You will make it work and you are strong enough to get through it, whatever happens. These are all things we’d tell our friends in a heartbeat but that we rarely tell ourselves.
Next time you’re faced with a decision, be it a life-changing one or something minor, don’t just listen to your head. Listen to your heart to, and trust in it for once. Informed decisions are not always necessarily the best ones. Take the leap!
