Trust your gut

By Daniel Francis

Have you ever lamented over a big decision for weeks on end? Whether it be a battle of right versus wrong, or what is the best life decision for you? I argue that within the mental back and forth you inherently know what the right decision is, you are just fighting yourself.

Recently, I made some big changes in my life. These changes included taking a step back from organisations that have been intricate parts of my life for years, completely severing some relationships, and prioritising certain aspects of my life.

Within this reshuffling of my life’s priorities, it occurred to me that some of the decisions I made were long overdue because something within me has been telling me to make these changes for a long time, but I ignored that something.

I once read a Personal Development book that stated as humans, we inherently know what we should and should not be doing. I believe this is one of our God-given abilities.

When faced with multiple options, with time, we can decipher what will suit us best and what will overall be the best growth factor for us. Yet, when most of these crossroads are met, we tend to falter. We doubt that inner voice that is trying to guide us and we attempt to sell ourselves on the alternative option. Essentially, we silence that inner voice. I know that inner voice to be my gut. We all experience those gut feelings, whether the feeling is backed by overwhelming evidence or just a feeling that option A is better than option B.

It was only while sitting in church last weekend, in a moment of clarity, that I came to realise that this gut feeling is God sending us a message. It makes so much sense when you think about it.

However, in the same way that God can nudge us in a particular direction, so too can the devil. So, we must be wary. As I write this, I think back to clips from movies or different television series that show a character having an angel or a devil on their shoulder, both attempting to persuade the individual to either do the right thing or the wrong thing.

I do not know about anyone else, but almost every single time that I fought against what my gut instinct was telling me, the situation almost always resulted in pain, struggle, or frustration.

For example, when I kept fighting the gut feeling that I was not meant to be a doctor I struggled along knowing something did not feel right. There have been instances I ignored red flags that an individual presented within a relationship whether business or personal.

I silenced my gut and those instances resulted in unwanted drama that always negatively affected me, especially my mental health. As you read this, are there any instances of you going against your gut instinct and the fallout was a negative result?

It is true that for some, me included, we need to burn to learn, but as you have noticed, it comes down to having trust in God. When we go against God, whether by ignoring our gut instincts or by a direct revelation that He has placed in our path, we are asking for hardships. We are also welcoming the devil into our lives.

If you are ever unsure if your gut instinct is leading you to the right path, you are in luck. You have one tool in your toolkit that will bolster this gut instinct and that is prayer.

The next time you are at a crossroads, I urge you to listen to that gut/God instinct and when unsure pray about it, you cannot go wrong.

Daniel Francis is a millennial helping other millennials. He is a two-time author of the books The Millennial Mind and The Millennial Experience, and an entrepreneur. Over the past four years, he has served as a Personal Development Coach whose work targets Millennials and helps them tap into their full potential. He is also a Self-publishing coach and has guided hundreds on self-publishing their book successfully.

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