Should You Trust Your Gut Instinct?
Aug 04, 2021
Some people trust their gut instinct implicitly, while others don't hesitate to dismiss it out of hand.
The truth is, sometimes your gut instinct is right... and sometimes it's not. If gut instinct was right 100% of the time there would be far more winners in Vegas than there are.
They key to deciding whether or not to trust your gut is to identify whether is really IS gut instinct (based on latent memory, or whether it's an excuse to do, or not to do, something; or a reason to explain an ill judged decision.
If you're able to anticipate what your gut instinct is going to tell you, then it's probably an excuse. Gut instincts are a reaction to a given circumstance, sending an error message to your brain - they can't be anticipated.
When it comes to our businesses, the notion of gut instinct is often misused as a way to make snap decisions. The 'I went with my gut on this' rationalisation. But actually, when you follow your gut on something, there's often a niggling feeling that's difficult to ignore. It's not a snap decision and it's not something you can anticipate. It often goes against what you want to do. The gut instinct is essentially an error message triggered by an intended action. If the instinct supports what you want to do, it's probably not what it seems and is more likely to be an excuse for making a certain decision.
Learn how to differentiate the two and it could open up a whole new world of smart decision making.
When you're hit with that niggling instinct or reaction to something, run it through these filters:
- What would following this course of action prevent you from doing?
- Deep down do you really want to do this?
- Ignore the reaction or instinct for a few minutes - is there a feeling of anxiety or do you move on?
- Was the instinct or reaction a surprise? Or were you anticipating it?
- If the consequences of following your gut reaction are far reaching, make a note of the decision and come back to it in a while - how does it feel now?
In time you'll come to recognise the gut feelings you can't ignore and be able to separate them from excuses or justifications.
Making smart, solid decisions for your life and your business is critical... get REALLY good at it!
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