9 Reasons Why Going With Your Gut Will Lead You To Happiness
It’s not hard to find a reason to say “No.” When opportunity knocks, we often tell ourselves we aren’t ready, it’s not the right time and that we simply can’t do it.
We learn to trust this voice and over time, the voice will feel like a friend. Yet, the reality is that saying “no” because we aren’t ready deprives us of infinite potential experiences.
Doing something before you’re fully ready requires courage because by design, our instinct is to avoid discomfort and pursue comfort. Challenging this idea can yield astonishing results and maybe even completely change the way you live your life. Here’s why:
1. It’s exciting
Similar circumstances can often cause anxiety and excitement, which are emotional siblings.
If you approach stepping into the unknown with a playful attitude, what would normally make you anxious may actually excite you.
It’s like when you’re rolling up to the summit of a roller coaster and can’t quite see all the tracks ahead of you.
2. You’ll learn more about yourself along the way
You hear it all the time: How you handle hard times shows you who you really are.
Whatever happens, you can relish in the fact that you’ll know yourself better by the time it’s all over and you will be that much more prepared for the next thing.
3. It’s attractive
We’ve been conditioned to think that the safe choice is always the right choice. The word “confidence” is thrown around a lot when describing what makes people attractive, but confidence pails in comparison to courage.
People from all walks of life will respond to your bravery for doing something before you’re ready.
4. You can discover something new
Implicitly, doing something before you’re ready means that you don’t know what’s coming next. When we let go of the urge to control every aspect of our lives, we’re much more receptive to new experiences.
Let’s say you are planning to move to a new state. You can know your address, your projected expenses and maybe even a little bit about the neighborhood culture.
But, you can’t know everything until you get there. The only way to know anything with absolute certainty is to experience it firsthand.
5. You’ll unlock your full potential
Something special happens when you resist the urge to play it safe. Once you’ve made a bold decision and there’s no turning back, your whole body will rise to the occasion.
In an unfamiliar situation, your body will switch over to survival mode and you’ll become capable of things you didn’t think possible.
Regarding creativity, productivity and awareness, you’ll live a much fuller life if you make decisions objectively, before you think you're emotionally, physically or spiritually ready.
6. It reminds you of what’s important
Life ebbs and flows and your level of adventurousness will certainly ebb and flow with it. Sometimes, leaving your comfort zone will help you appreciate the grand design.
Feeling lost is perfectly normal and will also remind you of what’s important to you.
Doing things outside of your comfort zone will shed some light on the fact that we often take ourselves way too seriously. A playful approach to life is just as important as a practical one.
7. You’ll be in good company
Some of the greatest thinkers and adventurers in history have talked about the importance of leaping before you look.
Successful people often become successful because they’ve made decisions impulsively and aren’t afraid to let themselves get kicked around.
Most make it look easy, but take comfort in the fact that every person who embodies success has been right where you are standing.
8. You might inspire someone else to do the same
Life is difficult for every person due to different, complicated reasons. Each of us is on a journey that is independent from the needs and wants of society.
And yet, our journeys intersect constantly, sometimes without us even being aware of it.
By being bold and resisting the temptation to make safe decisions, you might inspire someone else in your life, who needs to be at that exact moment of your journeys’ intersection.
9. There’s no such thing as “no turning back”
Leaping before you look doesn’t have to be such a massive undertaking. Each person is different. Every person has a different sized comfort zone that has been battered and molded as a result of circumstances specific to his or her own life.
A “leap” can mean buying a one-way ticket to a foreign country or simply deciding to greet a stranger.
When you make choices, try to approach them with a sense of objectivity. Don’t trust your gut exclusively because sometimes, it lies to you. Sometimes, you need to say, “Yes” before you are confident, before you have a plan and before you are ready.
