Have Your Instincts Served You Well?

The basic idea: I don't know who lives in the house shown in this picture, but when I wandered by it on a walk recently, everything about the property gave me a sense of comfort and security. I like how it blends many different materials—rocks, timbers, reclaimed wood, handsome lighting—to create the sense of a very solid and welcoming home.

Even explaining this to you is difficult, because my reaction was more instinctive than analytical. I didn't calculate whether or not I like this house; I just instantly loved it.

Life can be like this: you don't know why you feel a certain way, you just know how you feel.

For example, throughout my life, I've always been drawn to people who are truthful, compassionate, strong and kind. I don't know why; I just have.

A bit more background: Who or what are you drawn to? More importantly, has this instinct served you well?

I know quite a few people who are drawn to powerful, highly competitive individuals... but who are surprised years later when one of these individuals "betrays" them. And yet, if winning is everything, why should anyone be loyal to you when they can shift alliances and win again?

Other folks perceive that more money = more security, only to discover that the quest for more money weakens their relationships and leaves them feeling less secure.

I'm generalizing, of course, to illustrate my point, which is that it's not always easy to get an accurate answer to this question:

Have my instincts served me well?

Your answer to this question needs to come from a combination of data and intuition.

Data is your accumulated life experience. How have your instincts served you? When you are drawn to a person or opportunity, have things generally worked out well?

Intuition is a gut-level check after you review the data. My favorite example of this involves a woman trying to decide which of two men she wanted to date. Being utterly confused, she made a list of their strengths and weaknesses. The list clearly indicated that one guy completely outclassed the other, but when she saw the results, her heart sank. It was then she knew which was the right guy for her (despite all evidence to the contrary.)

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