The Gut Knows

I was having a discussion this week about decision making.  So many of the people I talk to - myself included - struggle with decision making.  Sometimes, it's the act of deciding which path to take that causes the trouble.  Sometimes, it's taking the steps required to set the plan into action where we get stuck.  Or, once the decision is made, it's the doubt and second guessing that paralyze us.  Or if you're one of the lucky ones, it's all three!!

The discussion I was having broke down decision making into three essential influences:

HEAD

HEART

GUT

As the discussion went on, someone posited that - while all are necessary - most people are governed by one more than the other three.  If that's true, I started to wonder who's in charge with me?

I admit, when I have a decision to make, I do rely on my Head a fair bit.  I like to look at the facts, do the research, and run the scenarios before making a decision.  But, my Head knows her place in the process;  she does her job and then steps aside to let the magic happen.

My Heart... Well, my Heart is another story.  When it comes to blockage of decision making, it's definitely Heart that is the one gumming up the works.  She has a selective memory and VERY selective sight. She ignores many of the well-chosen facts that my lovely Head provides.  Heart is the one who can't seem to cut the ties.  She's the part of me that says Maybe if you try just a little bit harder...  Have you looked at it THIS way?  If you just changed THIS, and tweaked THAT, might it work then?  Heart is the part of me that believes in the best, most pure intentions of others.  My Heart is the piece that go back over and over, looking for a way to  some how make it work.  Poor Heart means well, but she's far too naive and much too easy to forgive.  She only sees the best and ignores the rest.

My problem comes because Heart drags Head into her mess.  She takes the facts Head provides and tries to cast them in different lights.  And because Head loves to be analytical, she gets in on Heart's game.  Together they waste so much time going round and round and round again.  It's pretty clear that Heart has been running the show.

Meanwhile, there is Gut.  Gut had stuff figured out from the jump.  She took one look at the situation, glanced over the facts Head provided and had a decision made before Heart even realized there was a job to do.  But for whatever reason, I don't ever seem to listen to Gut.  Either because her voice isn't forceful enough, or because I feel more safe relying on Head and Heart, I just don't seem to trust Gut. 

 So she just kind of sits there and waits for Head and Heart and me to catch up.

Sometimes, it takes months or even years, but the thing is, I do get there... eventually.  And when that finally happens, I look back over all the evidence that Head provided, sift through all the obfuscation Heart contributed, and find Truth, sitting there, right in front of Gut.  It's at that moment when I think  Wow, Gut.  You knew that all along.  I really do need to start listening to you.  

And I imagine Gut's response:

So since life all about learning, going forward - today I vow to start listening to Gut earlier in the process.  After all, when given the Hindsight Examination, she really has proven to have an amazing track record.  So, instead of letting Heart run the show, I'm going to start letting Gut take the lead in the decision-making process.  Who knows?  Maybe I can reduce my decision making lag time from 4-5 years down to a month or two.    Hey!  A girl can dream, can't she?