Have you ever been in a situation and just felt like something wasn’t right? That something was off somehow? That was your gut speaking. Your inner voice, your intuition. Y’all know what i’m talking about.

I hear mine all the time. In almost every instance, from business decisions, even right down to something as simple as ordering food at a restaurant. I know, it is silly. But seriously, every time I am on a date night with my husband, I look at the menu, my instincts tell me to order the whatever… & what do I do? I second guess my choice and order something else. Hilariously, my husband usually orders what I wanted in the first place & of course his is always better than mine. Duh! Should’ve listened to my gut & gone with my first choice.

Being in the salon business for so many years has turned me into an untrained therapist. Or a really underpaid therapist! LOL.  Over the years these relationships run strong and deep. We talk about everything and anything. We talk about so many different things, and I really listen to their problems and issues…and they look to me for advice on what to do or how to handle things etc. They usually already know the right answer, they don’t necessarily want or like that answer, and they use a lot of excuses and justification to rationalize their decisions. The reality is, 99% of the time they already know what to do. They should trust their gut!

Trusting your gut is often the best strategy. Your gut saves you time and energy wasted on second guesses. Including the aftermath that comes with. Every single moment in your life is information. It is stored up somewhere in your unconscious mind, (aka your GUT). It has a lifetime of instances, of meetings, friendships, relationships, moments. Pretty much every single solitary thing that has ever happened to you is there and your ability to make decisions accordingly lies there. Have you heard the phrase “Hind sight is 20/20?” Well, it is absolutely true. You can look back on most situations where you did not trust your gut and say to yourself you really should have listened to that inner voice. You can pick up on things subconsciously and not even realize the reason why it seems off to you. It takes practice and time to learn these skills. But the more you do it, the better you will be at trusting yourself and be able to make better and better decisions based on your instincts. It is a powerful tool that should not be ignored or undervalued. It can serve you well in business to relationships and everything in between.

As a woman, I definitely have an edge. Womens intuition they like to call it. I usually know what my gut tell me is the absolute TRUTH. So why don’t we always listen? That crazy lady screaming in my head that justifies  whatever it is that I think the outcome should be? Who the heck is that crazy person? It is your EGO. It is loud and overbearing (like a BAD mother in law!) and tells you to do things you know in your gut are the wrong choice. You shouldn’t have anxiety with your decisions. You should feel an inner calm. I am not saying it is always easy, or you shouldn’t be excited or nervous when making decisions… however anytime I went against the grain and did not listen to my gut instinct, I was sorry. I felt anxiety, and unease. I felt unsure of what I was doing. I could literally feel the nails scraping down the chalkboard. That is because I went against those instincts. They are there to guide and protect you. It is up to YOU to learn to listen.

Here are some tips that will help you to learn to listen and trust your gut.

-Take time to decide. You really need to learn to listen to your instincts. For example, say you are going to sleep on it to decide. It gives you time to really listen and reflect and hear your inner voice.

-Quiet time. Make sure you have some quiet time to make your decisions. Even if it is just a minute. Go for a walk, take yourself out of the situation for even a moment. It really does help to take a minute and breathe and clear your mind so you can make the best choice possible.

-Call a friend. Talk to someone you can trust. Someone who knows you, and someone who’s advice you value. A lot of times they can give you some perspective on the situation and help you clear away the nonsense. A good friend will also make that crazy ego shut up, and a lot of times that is what we need. Someone to knock us off our pedestals to wake us up so we can make choices with a clear head.

-Be aware of your feelings. You need to understand why you feel the way you do, and use that awareness to tap into what your gut might be saying to you.

-Rewind & Reflect.  Look back on all the instances in your life when you were right to follow your gut. It gives you confidence and a reference to feel secure in your ability to make decisions.

Look, sometimes you will not always be right. You are GOING to make mistakes. You are definitely going to make wrong choices. But those mistakes and choices all go into your data bank of information in your unconscious mind. They are amazing references to the things that we DONT want in our lives. On what NOT to do next time and they are invaluable. Most of us already know everything we need to know in order to make that good decision.  You may not even realize it, but the information is there… you just have to learn to listen and trust it.

Do you have any instances where you trusted or didn’t trust your gut? Leave a comment, I would love to hear about it!