INSTINCT

Instinct – Animal
Intuition – Woman
Logic – Male
-Anon., 1232 A.D.

When we think of instinct we think of animals and of being preprogrammed from birth. We explain it as the migrating instinct of birds and the survival instincts of animals. There is no question that animals do incredible things by instinct that seem amazing.

But humans are creatures of instinct, too. We don’t fall out of bed (most of the time). We breathe even when we sleep. We don’t break wind in front of strangers. We digest our food without thinking about it. We do it by instinct. We call it ‘subconscious behavior’.

Instinct and Gutfeeling go hand in hand. What we do by instinct, we do unconsciously. Think of the ‘fight or flight’ response. In humans the response can be so strong we react even without thinking about it. But sometimes neither fight nor flight responses are appropriate. That’s when it most pays to take a step back and consciously make a decision.

The more your decisions become conscious, the more appropriate your actions will probably be. Gutfeeling, while intuitive in nature, I see as the subconscious becoming conscious. The more conscious your decisions become, the less you have to worry about an instinctual response getting you into trouble. Try to develop your Gutfeeling. Make more use of it to help enrich your life.


Excerpt from Gutfeeling
Author, Peter Urs Bender