Act on Your First Thought – 4 Tips

Have you ever gotten the gut feel and then either didn’t follow it or questioned it?  If so, we’re just alike.  Yes, I admit I’m an over-thinker.  It’s one of those things that drives me crazy about myself.

I’ve been thinking about times in my life when I just went with the first thought or flash of inspiration.  It amazes me how time after time everything just worked out.  The details fell into place.

Take, for instance, when I felt led to open a wellness center.  It was beyond anything I had done before, but I jumped in and followed my initial “hit”.  It felt like the process was on autopilot.  The equipment I needed became available at a better price than I expected.  The facility was available at the perfect time with all of the features I needed.  The perfect employees came in looking for a job that fit their training and expertise (and happened to be exactly what I needed).  Time after time everything just worked.

A couple of years ago, I felt inspired to visit the Sounds True website.  I love some of the products Sounds True produces and was interested in what was currently available.  When I saw they had a job posted that I was perfect for, I knew without a doubt that I would work for Sounds True.  And sure enough, every detail fell into place with relative ease.  Not to say that there were no obstacles, but the obstacles did not feel challenging or overwhelming.  I was doing exactly what I was inspired to do so the details did not feel like roadblocks.  They were solved relatively easily.

Unfortunately, I have plenty of examples of when I didn’t act on my first thought.  Those stories are laced with pain, difficulty, frustration and anguish.  In fact, I can often tell how off base I am by how frustrated I am in trying to work out the details.  Solutions don’t come easily and every problem I encounter feels overwhelming.  It’s drastically different than the feeling I have when I go with my first thought.

So, how do we trust that gut feel?  I’d be lying if I said it’s easy and I always do it.  I don’t – but I’m working on it and trusting my instinct is becoming easier.  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Practice feeling.  Consciously make a decision to listen for the first thought and then go with it, even if it doesn’t make sense in the moment.  See what happens.  Part of being able to listen is being in the habit of “feeling” and not always thinking.

2.  Ask for a gut feel.  I do this many times a day – both silently and verbally.   I will pose a question and the first idea that comes into my mind is the answer I go with.  The more I do this, the better my interpretation skills become.

3.  Watch others.  You’ll become more aware of how others solve problems.  You’ll see that “lucky” people are often the ones who listen to their gut.  You’ll also see people who don’t trust their first thought and the complicated lives they lead.  It’s quite shocking, actually.  With time, you will be amazed at what you see.

4.  Write down your results.  It may feel, day by day, that you’re not making headway.  However, if you write down a few things everyday (what worked, what didn’t, thoughts you had, how you responded, etc), you’ll soon find that you’re making more progress than you realized.  It also helps to see patterns and areas for improvement.

If you’re feeling frustrated, know you’re not alone.  We are all in this together.  We’re all working together to have a more intuitive, flowing life.

Until next time friends,

Tara