When I don’t trust my gut, it’s because I get caught up in the “analysis paralysis” loop. I get caught at step one, wanting to gather “enough” information; instead, I end up collecting too much. Having too many options paralyzes us more than having none.
Hint: you probably already have “enough” information.
G
ut feeling is not a mysterious force, but an incorporated history of experience. It is the sedimentation of deeply learned practice through numerous feedback loops on success or failure. -Sönke Ahrens
Trusting your intuition is the opposite of jumping to conclusions. It means you’re willing to trust a more profound, wiser part of yourself. It doesn’t mean ignoring your rational mind. It is the result of unconscious processing. Our bodies already know all the stuff we’re consciously trying to figure out.
It’s funny how resistant we can be to change until we’re ready for that change. Our intuition will let us know when we’re prepared for it.
For example, when I decided to quit my job and work on my own, all I had was this gut feeling that I was wasting my talents doing work I didn’t care about, and it was time to take a risk. My intuition told me to go for it, even though I didn’t have all the details and answers.
It takes courage, but it’s worthwhile because trusting yourself allows you to make decisions quickly, without the paralysis of analysis.
To begin the process, take one moment to do a ‘gut check.’
Make a list of what you did, said, and thought today that made you feel good. Keep exploring those ideas. Heck, create a Notion database about them. If you want to procrastinate, let this be one of the ways. You might as well take one tiny step in the right direction.
The more often you listen to your intuition, the less energy and time you’ll waste on things that aren’t going to get you where you want to be.
How do we continue to live life in accordance to what we hold to be right and true, even as the world crumbles around us? How do we stay doing what’s right, even when it sometimes seems that right is futile in the face of forces of explotiation and destruction that appear to be larger-than-life? -Jessica Dore
Life is short. When we face decisions that lead to positive outcomes, we have a chance to inspire other people to be brave.
Get curious about your projects and your beliefs. Talk to people and create communities. Don’t worry about doing it “right.” Once you make a decision, stand behind it. Trust yourself.
Not everything has to happen at the same time. We can start taking small actions and then use those experiences for bigger things. The only way to succeed is to try.
Don’t second-guess yourself. It’s in that space where the magic happens.
Trusting your intuition is a continuous practice. How will you trust your gut today?
