When you are dehydrated, your body sends a signal that you are hungry even though you are, in truth, thirsty. Similarly, when I first met the people who would ultimately become my closest friends, it triggered a feeling in me that I initially mistook for dislike.
Conventional wisdom says to go with your gut, but what if you cannot figure out what the heck it has to say or where it wants you to go? It is easy to see how this happens. A stomach that is in knots closely resembles one that has butterflies.
Under normal circumstances only 8% of men and .5 % of women are color blind, but when it comes to evaluating opportunity, weighing change, and initiating something new, the numbers go haywire. When we look at the flags waving and the lights flashing they appear to be red, when in fact they are closer to green.
It is fitting that I am writing this while on a trip we took even though my whole being seemed to be sending me a signal “to just stay home.” While my gut certainly had something legitimate to say, I can see now that I botched the message. Now that we are here and having a ball, I understand that my intuition was not telling me to “skip it,” but rather to proceed cautiously – get on the road early, pack snacks, and have my directions handy.
When you challenge the status quo, bet big, and alter the routine, you will feel it in your gut every time. I am a big fan of gut instinct (it’s your amygdala in action after all) and believe it should be heeded. But not without a gut check. Before you turn back, pass or stick with the tried-and-true, make sure you have read the signs accurately.