Fri, December 04, 2009 - 10:30:30

Trust Your Intuition

With the holidays just around the corner, many enamored significant others will undoubtedly be popping the question, and with wedding planning often comes the classic case of cold feet.  But when is it just normal pre-wedding jitters and when is it something more serious?  As a recent report on the Today Show this week revealed, not listening to that little voice inside of you can lead to BIG problems down the line, so whether or not you’re tying the knot, it’s essential to trust your intuition.

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In the case of marriage, as clinical psychologist Judith Sills explains, the difference between a bit of wedding-related nervousness and your body’s physical attempts at warning you can be profound, yet many couples ignore them altogether before getting hitched. Where “cold feet” are short-lived wedding related worries and generalized anxiety, serious doubts are long-held concerns about the overall state of one’s relationships and failing to recognize the differences can lead to a devastating outcome for everyone involved.

But, trusting your instincts isn’t only essential when planning your nuptials; it’s an extremely valuable SMALL skill that can be applied throughout your professional and personal lives.  For example, at the Kaplan Thaler Group, we know we’ve created a winning campaign when we get goose bumps on our arms, but other times it can be much more subtle.  For example, we once interviewed a job candidate who seemed perfect on paper—great experience, strong education—but something just didn’t sit right and we chose another instead.  Later on, we heard through the grapevine that our instincts had been right all along and our decision justified.

Whether at work, at play, or even in love, taking note of the tiny clues we give each other (and ourselves) through even our tiniest gestures is one of the most important things you can do.  In fact, self defense experts often instruct their students that trusting your intuition can even save your life.  So, the next time you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end or get a funny feeling in the pit of your stomach, take a moment to stop and think before you make your next move.  Because you’re body just might be trying to tell you something you shouldn’t ignore.

Want to learn more about trusting your intuition?  Read our post on how a California police officer took her bad vibes seriously and cracked a 20 year-old case. 

Posted by Linda and Robin