Intuition vs. Rational Thought
February 23, 2009
3 Comments
Have you ever experienced a pull to do something radically different in your life? Maybe it was something that didn’t make sense on the rational side of things, but for which you had an incredibly strong intuitive feeling to take a leap of faith.
How did you make your decision? What types of gut instincts or intuition experiences did you have? What did friends and family say? Any regrets?
Leap of faith? Yes, quit great paying job with benefits and ect. to do my own business:
How did I make my decision? Prayed, prayed some more, then prayed some more, then went and prayed: Got some adivce from others but not much. My wife was very supportive and was a huge encouragment.
Gut Insticits? My gut told me it would work and and be ok:
What family and friends said? Are you crazy??? Family and friends advice is important, but surround yourself with those who are positive and will bring you up and not be negative. You must stay postive at all times, imagine it in your mind, you must be able to see it.
Any regrets: For me NO! I thank God everyday for where he has placed me. There are tough days, but never a regret. The only one would be, a relationship with one person that is well, for the most part shattered, that I regret, I wish it could have been different, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do, I pray about that all the time.
In 2000 when SPS merged to become Xcel Energy, I was informed that I was losing my great-paying job with benefits. As an uneducated single mother of three, this was frightening. So, I decided to take the severance package and go back to school full-time to get my BBA in management.
How did you make your decision? I just jumped in sink or swim.
What types of gut instincts or intuition experiences did you have? This was a completely gut instict scenario and I went with it.
What did friends and family say? I had no one to support my decision. I was called stupid, irrational, and many other names I cannot divulge within a public forum…
Any regrets? Not really, other than that my student loan debt has not been justified and the BBA has not assisted me with finding a job that has ever paid close to what my job with SPS did. I am still searching for that wonderful opportunity!
What is priceless is the time that being a full-time student afforded me to spend with my boys for those few years. Working full-time I would have never had that experience. For that I am eternally grateful!
I think sometimes we don’t know the final outcome of our instinctual decisions until much later down the road. Each stepping stone moves us closer to that wonderful opportunity. Things I have disliked doing during my career have actually put me in a place where opportunity grabbed me by the throat and dragged me forward.
A person has to learn to recognize how options resonate within their innermost being. When it feels right, you know it. When it doesn’t, you know it, because there is dischord. The key is learning how that feels and sounds. It’s not a subject we are taught in school or even church. Yet it is a lifeskill that has been identified as an attribute of successful entrepreneurs. Makes me think it might be an important one to learn.