Deciding how to best act on your choices
What do people mean when they say ‘just trust your gut’? They are encouraging you to become more in tune with your body and how you’re feeling. Have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach when walking down a dark alley? That’s you sensing danger. You might want to cross the street.
Have you ever felt really low in energy when you’re around a particular person? That’s a sign that they’re sucking the life out of you and they are most certainly not someone you need to regularly associate with. The best advice I can give you is to cut them out of your life. Someone I went to High School with was like this. Haven’t spoken to them since 2006.
When you gut is wrong
In 2011 I was backpacking Europe for 6 months. I overstayed my Schenghen visa by 3 months which was really easy to do. I was able to hop around from country to country because the borders in that region are no longer patrolled. I felt deeply sick in the stomach the first time I crossed from Italy to Austria at the 3 month, 1 week mark. Sick, to the point where I was envisioning myself being escorted off the train by authorities when they checked my passport and convicted me for lack of valid documentation supporting my stay. But I made it to Austria with no questions asked.
This was a case of my rational mind overseeing my gut instinct. The key is striking a balance between both.
3 months later when I was crossing from France to England to leave the Schenghen region, I felt unusually calm. I knew I was going to have to talk to authorities at this time but I felt at peace and was asking myself why I wasn’t more concerned at the possibility of being deported. My gut was aware the unlikeliness of this happening and once again, I had no problems.
Gut instinct vs rational thinking
Striking the right balance between your gut instinct and your intuitive right brain involves ‘reading’ you surroundings, while your conscious left brain is distracted. Your right brain will process this information subconsciously while your conscious mind remains blissfully ignorant.
Give yourself the challenge this week to become more in tune to your body and how you feel. You may be surprised by how trusting your intuition can pay off.
