How to use your built-in answer generator

I just got back from a trip with my best friends from college to Sedona. It was a whirlwind of hiking, wine touring, hot tubbing and laughing . . .  so much laughing!. 

The day I was supposed to leave for the trip, my daughter woke me up in the middle of the night because she was sick. (I swear, my kids are ALWAYS sick when I have a trip or a big work thing!!). Luckily we didn’t fly out until afternoon so I was able to take her to urgent care and rule out COVID, influenza and strep. 

Then came the hardest part: should I stay home or should I go on the trip as planned? My babysitter was ok with taking care of her with whatever virus she had. 

But what if she started feeling worse and I was gone? Or what if she felt totally better the next day and I missed the trip we’ve been planning for months? 

My only real choice was listening to my own intuition. To do this, I just asked myself “what does my gut say?”

The answer didn’t come right away. I didn’t panic, because I knew the answer would come and I still had a few hours before I had to decide. 

I went to the store for the standard “sick supplies” - ibuprofen, popsicles and gatorade - and then I snuggled her on the couch. 

Suddenly I knew - yep, she’s ok. She’s in good hands. It’s ok for me to go. The answer showed up with time to spare. 

If you want to get better at listening to YOUR gut, here’s what you can do. Today, just pause for a second before all of your decisions and see what your gut says. 

Do I want to hit snooze on my alarm? 

Do I want to say yes to that happy hour after work today? 

What do I feel like wearing today? 

Which route should I take to work? 

Just by pausing and listening to your own answer, you learn to get more and more tuned in with your internal wisdom. If you get an answer like “I don’t know” just wait and see if it comes. If it doesn’t, this article might help you see what’s blocking it. 

PS If this is an area you struggle with, I can help. Finding your own answer is life changing and I can help you do that in my coaching program. Click here to set up a complimentary consultation to find out more.