Listen to Your Gut
Have you ever been there? That place where you know, deep in your gut, that this is the right decision. Or this is the wrong decision. It’s a base-level, physiological gut reaction to a decision or circumstance. Last week I didn’t listen to my gut. I walked away from something remembering why I don’t like doing that kind of work. I survived it, but I didn’t thrive in that environment. My gut had a lot to say. It may be time I listen.
For me, my gut tells me from the get-go if something is a good opportunity or not. This is different from my head’s decision or my heart’s decision. It’s a gut feeling that says, “This is good, jump on it,” or “You’re going to regret saying yes.” When I listen to this sense, I find it’s almost always accurate. However, I have to ask if it’s the right reaction when balanced with my head and my heart.
How can we know if we should trust our gut? I think there are some distinguishing factors when it comes to our gut reaction versus our heart or head reaction. Gut reactions are often visceral. You feel them. Your body responds with fight or flight instincts. Maybe you cringe physically or maybe your shoulders slump. Your gut shows you how it feels.
This is different than our head and heart decisions. When we make head-level decisions, it’s about the logic and the strategy of the decision. Your gut may tell you to not take a chance and present to a group of 100 people, but your head says, “No, you’ve got this. It’ll take work and practice, but you can do it.” Head-level decisions are purposeful, thoughtful and deliberate.
Your heart communicates differently than either the gut or the head. It identifies things you are passionate about and it creates excitement and energy around a decision. Your heart leaps when presented with something it knows you love and you are committed to. Heart decisions are often the easiest to make because why wouldn’t you say yes?
The gut, in contrast, shows you when you are misaligned with either your head or your heart. Your gut shouts when you are off the strategic and logical path. It tells you when you stray from your heart’s passions and loves. Your gut communicates through the physical and says, “Your head is thinking too much about this. Your heart says it isn’t loving it. Listen to me, I know what we need to do.”
With all things, there’s a necessary balance between these three factors. You need your head to push you into uncomfortable spaces to continue growing in skills and abilities. Your heart gives your work purpose and meaning. The gut to reminds you to take care of yourself.
If you’re like me, it’s easy to push past the gut reaction and to logically justify your decision. That’s what I did last week. I justified a decision I knew was a bad work decision because I could logically show the benefit. The consequence of not listening to my gut’s warning me that I was giving my head too much leeway included a stressful, long week that produced little return.
How many times do we push past our gut reactions because we think we know better. We think it’s the right thing to do and we want to show we have a great heart for others. Our gut helps us figure out when really, deep down, we maybe are doing this for the wrong reasons logically or in service to others.
It’s time to let our gut know we’re listening. It’s time for me to let my gut know I’m listening. The consequence of not listening is costly. It’s wasted time and energy. I don’t know about you, but I get to go around this world in just one lifetime, and listening to my gut will make it a trip filled with more joy, more satisfaction, more life. Listen – is your gut saying something to you today?
Keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams. To buy her book or inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com.
