Go With Your Gut

Lately, a lot of people in my life have been struggling with decisions - good and bad.  "What should I do???" seems to be the battle cry as of late and I'm going to give you my best answer: Go with your gut. It never lies. We all know the answer deep down. Maybe we don't have time to sit quietly and listen to that voice; some call it God, others call it intuition. Regardless, it's there and we often ignore it because we either can't hear it or don't want to because we don't like what we're hearing.

How many times have you ignored the voice? Toxic relationship, bad job, pressure to participate - we all have our issues. If we really take the time to listen to ourselves we will do what is right for us and those around us. If you are feeling pressure to participate on a committee and your heart isn't in it will you give it 100%? You might feel the best thing to do is just suck it up and volunteer, even if it causes you great difficulty in scheduling and a lot of stress. Who benefits? You are miserable and you're likely not giving the committee your best effort. Maybe one less activity would make you happier and more productive when it comes to the other things on your to-do list. Do you hate your job but continue to sit there day after day, convinced you are stuck? I understand quitting is not financially feasible for everyone. However, no one is stopping you from making a list of the things you do not like about your job and doing what you can to make it better. If you can't, it might be time to start circulating your resume.

And I get it, when we are the person embroiled in the struggle it seems impossible. Often those around us have a clearer picture of what's going on and what we need to do. Deep down, we do too, we just refuse to listen to the voice. We need to stop ignoring it.

Case in point: Jim (my husband, if you're out of the loop) was miserable in his job this time last year. I watched him deteriorate daily as the stress of it ate away at him. He felt obligated to stay in the job for many reasons, most of all to support us both. But he wasn't listening to himself. At what cost was he hanging on? I finally confronted him and told him I could tell he was not happy and I thought he should walk away.  He was shocked. It took some convincing, but long story short he took that leap of faith and is now in a job he absolutely loves and I am thrilled for him.

I recently expressed my concern about keeping up this quarter at school. I didn't mention it in my original post, but there was a class I knew deep down wasn't right for me. I knew it was a topic that didn't interest me but I felt pressured because everyone else was going to take it and I felt like I needed to hang with the pack. Well, I went to the first session of the class last Friday and it was everything I expected...and more. I spent the next four days ruminating about it and feeling guilty about dropping the class. What will people say? Will the instructor think less of me? Will my director be disappointed in me? Guess which questions I didn't ask? What do I need? How do I feel about it? What is best for me? Until this morning: I woke up with a pit in my stomach and a feeling that something had to give. I knew what I needed to do but I wasn't taking action. It took three phone calls and within an hour I had done the right thing. I dropped the class. I already feel lighter and like I can dedicate my energy to what is most important - me.

Is it selfish to listen to the voice and do what is right for yourself?  I don't think so.  If we are not happy everything else suffers and we are not good to or for those around us.  I expect some of you might be thinking I'm full of it but if you are, are you one of those people who needs to let something go?  Think about it.  We are taught from a very early age about God, religion and taking things on faith.  Is it really that much of a stretch to listen to that voice?  It might be God; it might be intuition.  Either way, you are an expert on you.  Listen to yourself more often.  You'll make the right decisions and you'll be happier.  I promise.