One of my favorite non-fiction books is The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker (click freely, this is NOT an affiliate link). It discusses the power of one's intuition as a means of avoiding violent crime. It's a great read. But, there's lots of other scenarios where we should trust our guts, too. Should we do business with Mr. Smith? Is Ms. Jones someone who can be trusted with our large financial investment? Will Mr. Applebee deliver the project to the big client on time?
Trusting that feeling deep inside ourselves is something we should all do more.
For example, I'm a big-time animal lover. Whenever someone passes me with their dog, I say "hi" and ask to pet him or her (the pup, not the person). I love pooches. Except, that is, the brown and white dog that I pass in my neighborhood sometimes. This dog always makes me uneasy; he seems unpredictable. And, although I feel like I'm offending the dog's owner, I stay clear when I see the dog approaching.
Today, I learned that the dog bit someone in an unprovoked attack and had to be put to sleep. I feel sorry for the dog and the owner, but I'm glad I trusted my gut and kept my distance. That could have been me on the receiving end of that bite.
The next time you have a decision to make, listen to your gut. Don't rationalize away warning signs. Don't be so optimistic that you don't see the reality of the situation. Trust your gut. It should be your business partner, your accountant, your counselor, and your most trusted friend.
Have a story to share where you trusted your gut and avoided a bad situation? How about a time when you ignored your gut and found yourself in a world of hurt?
Hi Amber! I am a firm believer in gut listening. That is not to say that I don't override my gut and make bad decisions...I do. I find that happens most often when the atmosphere is frenzied...when there is electricity in the air that seems to supersede my ability to think rationally. But, when I can escape from the "chatter" inside and out, I am better able to hear what my gut is telling me. I love your story about the dog (sad story) because it exemplifies exactly the unique power of the gut...that the gut message is most often based on NOTHING...nothing but that GUT. That is SO amazing. That if we take the time to quiet the distractions, we can actually "feel" if something is right or wrong based on no external evidence...so powerful.
ReplyDeleteGreat post @WordsDoneWrite I've always had a VERY good gut feeling about YOU ;-)
xoxo
Claudia
One morning I was going to have cereal for breakfast. I looked at the milk carton and it boldly proclaimed the expiration date was two days away. Being the cautious one however, I decided to put it to the smell test anyway. Hmmmm, my head said you still have two days to go; but my gut said something entirely different like 'this might be a bad thing if you decided to power through this bowl of cereal'. I decided to trust my gut that morning...........:).
ReplyDeleteI'm a dog person too and usually have a pretty good feel when a dog will be unpredictable. My elderly neighbor has two Rottweilers and she was going to be gone for the evening and wanted to know if I could walk them. I've played with both of the dogs several times, but usually in her presence. It did give me reason to pause when I went into her empty house 'unassisted' for the first time to walk these two beasts. It was all good however, I just went in like I belonged there and didn't try to be tentative around them. My gut was telling me it would be ok, even if they looked much bigger in the dark.....
Your gut is usually right BTW.
Hey Claudia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding to the discussion! You rock!
You're so right about the distractions and chatter silencing our guts. We all feel pressured to move fast and go, go, go! But, there is no harm in taking a brief timeout to think things through. If someone who has a gut that's a mumbler and not a shouter, he or she may need to give that gut the chance to be heard ;-)
Oh, and my gut tells me good things about YOU, too!
Ha ha. Good story. ALWAYS trust your gut when it comes to food!
ReplyDeleteAs for the dogs you babysat, you may be a little lucky on that one. The woman really should have had you come visit inside the house to say hi to the dogs when she was there before you went in alone. Glad it went ok, though.
Dogs are so much like people, though. They give you the signs and everything you need to know. We just need to listen more.
Your right, Bill. The gut is usually spot on!
I've been on both sides of that question, which, I suppose, most people are. I think I don't listen to my gut when I let my worries crowd out my instincts. For instance, I'm concerned about paying the bills, so I take a job even though I know I shouldn't. I'm then proved right because the job is so frustrating that it's not even worth the price tag attached to it. I'm learning to listen to my gut better and to say no. It's hard, but it's a part of growing up. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat story, Erin. You're so right. We all do things that we know aren't right for us because our "rational mind" says we should. It's hard to have faith and trust our gut sometimes. But, at the end of the day, our gut has our back. Always.
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS trust my gut … and my gut is getting bigger so it seems to have a louder voice :-)
ReplyDeleteReally though, I rely on it 100% even at my color consultations. It's really a guardian angel!