Gut Instincts or Who’s In Your Corner, Baby?

Hey, Annie. Your Gut here.

For the last 50 years, I’ve hung out on the sidelines, doing my best to point you in the direction of your authentic self. Sometimes you’ve listened to the old Gutmeister here. Other times… not so much.

Remember me bugging you in the mid-80s about how staying in the economically challenged ‘Burgh wasn’t the best choice for a recent college grad? You couldn’t believe leaving everyone and everything you’ve grown up with was a smart choice, but eventually I won you over. Within weeks, you’d secured an entry-level job with a newsletter publishing company in South Florida that provided the solid foundation you needed later to build a successful freelance writing business. Three cheers for Gut Instincts!

Then there was the time in the mid-90s when everyone told you not to marry the nice guy you’d been dating after your divorce. You listened to endless renditions from friends and family of “He’s transition guy, not long-term guy.” Not from me. The Gutmeister said, “Trust me. This one is a keeper. Go for it!” You did, and now, twenty years later, “transition guy” and you are still together and doing great. Kudos to Gut Instincts!

And let’s not forget in 2007 when that budding e-commerce company hired your team to rework their corporate branding strategy. You knew they wanted to play it safe, but playing it safe wasn’t going to make them stand out like a Purple Cow in a crowded industry. So you listened to your Gut and pressed a cutting-edge, off-the-wall approach that had the client nervous-to-try but willing-to-do. The result? Their name recognition and sales exceeded expectations. Chalk another one up to Gut Instincts!

Three notable successes because you listened to me.

But you haven’t always, and that’s when you’ve paid a price. Remember when you had a strong inkling that the story your boyfriend gave you about his Jeep accident and the girl that was with him was bogus? You wanted to believe him, despite everything the Gutmeister told you. So you gave said boyfriend the benefit of the doubt and rationalized your feelings away. You wasted another year on that loser before finding him and Accident Girl in bed together. Talk about a slap right upside the head! You should have listened to Gut Instincts.

Then there was the time I nudged you about your best friend not being as committed to and believing in your friendship as you were. You wanted to believe that she knew you so well that she’d never fall for someone else’s bullshit. You ignored all the evidence to the contrary, and one misunderstanding blown out of proportion left you, alone, in the cold. Reality sucks, doesn’t it? Repeat after me: You should have listened to Gut Instincts.

And don’t forget the business partner that I suspected wasn’t telling you—or anyone—the truth. You wanted to believe that such a close confident and friend would never do anything to hurt you or the business you both were building. You refused to see the truth staring you right in the face and spent a lot of money, time, and energy dealing with tons of lies, grief, and pain. Not to sound like a broken record, but you should have listened to Gut Instincts.

Call me your gut, intuition, or whatever, but when you’ve listened to me—really listened to me—you’ve done well.

So listen to me to now. Finish that novel you’ve been playing with for the last ten years and write another. Become the author you’ve always dreamed of becoming. Stop listening to those well-meaning supporters and supposed experts who’ve torn your stories and your dreams apart. Start listening to your Gut Instincts. I’ve always steered you straight.

This is your wake-up call. This is your time. This is your life. Go for it!