One of the most significant things I have learned so far in my life is to go with your gut. Always. No matter what. With no exceptions.
Don't doubt your natural instincts for even one second.
Growing up, I never really thought much about this concept. My mom and dad always instilled this in me. Over and over, they would tell me to go with my instincts. Humans have this super cool power to sense things before they happen. Every time you come across a difficult or trying situation, your gut has some instinct and reaction. Your body is not wrong and obviously does this for some reason.
It's just like the thing that teachers always tell you, go with the answer that you picked first. You probably picked that answer instinctively for some reason. This is because subconsciously, your brain has already identified the choice it thinks is correct. When you don't follow this rule, and you change your answer you will probably end up making mistakes. As stupid as this seems, it is unbelievably true in all parts of life.
My mom is one of the most instinctive persons that I know. I think the biggest reason that I am so instinctive is because of her. She has predicted the craziest things before they happen. She has literally saved my life with her instincts, numerous times. Fate has a funny way of working out, and I believe that every single part of life happens for a reason. Yes, I know this sounds cheesy. But it is so, so true.
One time my mom, sister and I went to see a play. We went to see A Christmas Carol at a theater about an hour away. The whole day leading up to the play my mom told us about how terrible of a feeling she had about us going. My sister and I used to roll our eyes at our mom's psychic feelings. But as we grew older we recognized how accurate they usually were. So, before the play we had some time to kill and stopped to go shopping. My mom was really dragging her feet at this point, and we knew something was genuinely wrong. Eventually the time to leave rolled around, and she was adamant that we not go. About ten minutes later, we decided that we would go, even though we would be late. She still told us that she had a bad feeling, but we convinced her otherwise.
We made it to the theater, and had an incredible time. The actors, costumes, script and everything seemed perfect. After the play we were walking back to the parking garage when my mom expressed her feelings of doubt again. As we turned the corner to the parking garage, we saw tons of cop cars, ambulances and fire trucks. Immediately, my mom decided that we should stop into Starbucks and have a drink. My mom, sister and I were all quite shaken up by this time. To top things off, some creepy man stalked us while we were in Starbucks. We watched from the window as other theatergoers arrived at the parking garage to the scene. They all stopped, talked to the police, and then turned around. It was clear that nobody was allowed in.
After a while, a large crowd of people waiting to get their cars had started to form. We left Starbucks and went to the parking garage. We asked the people around us what happened, and it was shocking. They told us that someone had been stabbed while getting into their car, and the worst part was that the suspect was still on the loose inside. After what seemed like hours, we were finally allowed in. We got into our car quickly and counted our lucky stars to be alive. It finally hit my sister and I that it could've easily been us. If we had left the theater a few minutes earlier, it could have been us.
We were in a safe part of Los Angeles, so this random crime came as a huge shock to everyone. On this rare occasion, when we happened to be in town, this terrible thing happened. And all along, my mom had sensed this coming.
It is a beautiful thing that humans have this capability. It's like the stars, God, fate, whatever you believe in, is trying to warn you. All you have to do is listen.
This is only one small example of the many times that my mom has saved our lives with her instincts. Often times, the benefit of listening to your gut isn't so substantial. But even things as small as getting a question right on a test is enough. Your instincts will never fail you, so don't ever ignore them.
Sometimes when people try to listen to their gut, their friends or family call them paranoid. I literally can not stand hearing this. You are not paranoid at all. You feel fear, hesitation, or doubt for some reason. Having a bad feeling about something is clearly not being paranoid. Listening to your gut means that you have common sense, not that you are overreacting. Do not be shut down by other people. You have some sort of a valid reason for feeling the way you do.
Listening to my gut has saved me at least once in every aspect of my life. So the next time you're faced with a decision, and your gut tells you something, listen.
