Here’s Why You Should Listen to Your Intuition More Often

Have you ever made a decision based solely on a “feeling” you had? We’ve all done it, and even though it might not be ideal, we’re never going to stop doing it. The reality is, we can’t have all the information 100% of the time. So that means we have to rely on the vibes we’re getting, and the instincts we’ve developed through previous experiences. Our intuition is kind of like an evolutionary insurance policy meant to prevent us from doing something silly or unsafe, so if you don’t already, you should probably start listening to it.

  1. Better safe than sorry. If you’re getting a bad feeling about someone or something, the safest route would be to at least acknowledge it. Maybe you’ll decide to go against it anyway, but you should never brush it off without considering why you’re getting that feeling in the first place.
  2. No one knows what’s going on in your head better than you do. Maybe your co-worker set you up on a date with a guy she insists is perfect for you. But when you show up, you just aren’t feeling it. Of course she meant well, but she’d have no way of knowing that you never date guy’s who still live at home because of a bad experience you had in the past.
  3. If you’re getting a bad vibe, there’s most likely a reason. Even if it’s not the reason you think, chances are there really is something off about your friend’s new boyfriend. The hard part is when she doesn’t see it. So tread likely, but keep an eye on her just in case.
  4. Maybe it’s telling you what you already know. For example, you kind of already know you don’t want the job you just interviewed for, but it doesn’t seem right to turn it down. Your intuition will just give you a little push in the direction you should be going anyway— back to job searching.
  5. It’s trying to protect you. Generally, self-preservation is important to us. That’s why fear is such a strong emotion. Even if there’s no blatant reason to be afraid of the short cut through the park you usually take to get to work, if you have a weird feeling about it one day, just go a different way.
  6. Not every decision has to be 100% logical. We have to base most of our decisions on the information we have available to us, so a lot of the time it’s hard to make an educated choice without filling in some of the blanks ourselves. Unfortunately living life isn’t an exact science, and it’s unlikely to ever be one.
  7. Sometimes you don’t have much else to go on. If all you have is your intuition, then you have no choice but to listen to it. Blindly making a decision isn’t a good feeling, so it’s helpful to at least have your instincts to rely on, when all else fails.
  8. The more you listen, the stronger it will get. Like a muscle, your intuition will become more and more reliable the more use it. You’ll come to understand yourself better and figure out what your feelings mean in a variety of different situations.
  9. Sometimes you only have a split second to make a decision. There isn’t always time to weight the pros and cons, so if you trust your intuition, you’ll be a lot more confident in your ability to make the right choices on the fly.
  10. It should help you in the calculated risks department. A risk is considered a risk because you don’t know what the outcome will be. Using your intuition to appraise a situation will just be another tool in helping you make decisions when the benefits aren’t exactly readily available.
By day, Courtney is a digital marketing copywriter living in Toronto, Canada. By night, she's a freelance lifestyle writer who, in addition to Bolde.com, contributes regularly to AmongMen.ca, IN Magazine, and SheBlogs Canada. Want to chat about relationships, Stephen King or your favorite true crime podcast/documentary/book? She's on Twitter @courtooo.
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