Going with Your Gut

“Never ignore a gut feeling, but never believe that it’s enough.” — Robert Heller

Some people like to “go with their gut.” Others don’t trust their “gut” to make decisions.

If you have an instinct or intuition, that is a data point. It is coming from something—maybe you are picking up on the body language of others or doing a mental analysis that is conceptual, not verbal, so you can’t put words to what you are thinking. The point is—there could be something to it.

However, you can also have a “gut” reaction to something irrelevant. Maybe that other person uses the same shampoo as your ex. The scent is giving you information, so you don’t know why, but you feel like this person can’t be trusted.

So, use your “gut” reaction as a hypothesis—you have a feeling about the situation, but you don’t know what it is coming from. You can’t put words around it. In these situations: trust, but verify. If your instinct or intuition is saying something is wrong, don’t ignore it! Treat it like the “check engine” light in your car and look carefully to confirm your understanding. Do a quick cost-benefit analysis with that gut reaction—if it’s right, what will it cost me or benefit me to act on it? What will it cost me or benefit me to not do it?

This cost/benefit is apparent in the situation many women face when getting into an elevator with a lone man. If your instinct is saying that it feels dangerous, listen to that instinct! The cost of not getting into that elevator is a couple of minutes of your time, and a man you don’t know may feel a little offended. The cost of getting in might be ending up as the victim a murder investigation covered on Dateline, e.g. “She had a smile that could light up a room…”

When you are facing decisions at work or in life, you can listen to your instinct… and also should listen to your brain.

(quote source: https://www.rd.com/list/uplifting-quotes/)