We’re human beings and conscious thought is one of our characteristics. It can help us to do many things that other mammals can’t—invent things, be creative and improve our standard of living. We can build houses, run businesses and create pieces of art as a result of conscious thought.
Instinct, Intuition or Gut Feeling
It’s good to think. You don’t have to do everything in an instinctual way like animals do. And yet, there’s something to be said for instinct or intuition. Some people call it a gut feeling. That’s because you don’t think it up in your mind. You feel it in your gut. And as the term suggests, it’s less of a thought and more of a feeling.
Gut Feelings Lead Into Success
Often, when you ask successful people how they made certain decisions which led into success, they’ll tell you it was a snap judgment or a gut feeling. They didn’t stop to think too much. They just did what they wanted to do in that moment.
Thoughts and Feelings Are Not Opposed
This leads us into a paradox. If thought is a good thing then how can the absence of thought also be a good thing? Perhaps it’s because feeling is not an absence of thought but just something different from thought. Feelings and thoughts are not opposed to each other but need to work together in the long run.
Thoughts and Feelings Are Both Helpful
Sometimes, you need to sit down and sort things out. You need to organize your surroundings. You need to take deliberate decisions. You can do this with the help of thought. But there are times when you don’t have the time to deliberate. The decision has to be made quickly. This can happen in an emergency or when you’re facing a deadline. In such cases, you need to rely on your gut feeling.
Staying in Touch with Your Gut Feeling
Fortunately, the gut feeling is something that can be trained so that it will react in moments of crisis or other times when you really need it. Whenever you’re making a decision, try asking yourself whether your gut is telling you the same thing. If you at least keep in touch with how you feel, you’ll find that your gut feeling will come to your aid when needed.