100 Pedals

Significant Outcomes in the Face of Adversity

# Trust Your Instinct

September 30, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

The battle between instinct and intellect is a perpetual, ongoing fight. While it often possible to prove what is known, it is difficult to be confident and certain all is known about what is being proven.

When dealing in the absolutes of something such a math, we have learned to qualify and quantify the rule that we often trust our calculations. The rules of math as we have learned them give us confidence in the answers we come up with, unless we make a calculation error. In that situation the rule is probably still correct, but the answer is wrong.

How do we trust our “math” when it comes to the areas of our relationships, opportunities, and conflicts. How do we know what the rule is for the situation. How can we know that we didn’t make a calculation error or apply the wrong formula to situation.

We don’t!!

While we all desire to avoid making a bad decision, taking an incorrect action, or make an untimely move there are no success formulas to guarantee the outcomes. While we desire a certain result from any action we take, sometimes we calculate wrong. It happens. Sometimes we don’t calculate wrong . Which happens less than not.

Trust your instincts. Your subconscious mind spends a great deal of time — much, much more time than you realize — assessing all the situations in your life. Your brain is constantly calculating and recalculating the score, the situation, the scenarios, and the experiences of the past as it assesses your options. When your “gut” gives you that call to action, chances are it knows what it is talking about. The odds are in your favor that it has given you the advice that reflects the best answer for that situation.

Why don’t we take it? We don’t want to make a mistake. Who does?

When in doubt, where do we go? Often we go to a more conscious thought process, which is more deliberate and confusing than the fluid, continuous, subconscious thought process your brain has already engaged in. Or we go to our friends — the people who know you best, yet have no earthly way of knowing all the work your subconscious mind has already completed. Or we go to the source of the problem, who will spin their story in any way possible to minimize an adverse outcome for them.

Trust your instincts. Your mind has put in the time already. It has done the math, calculated carefully, and used the best formula to discover the solution for you life. Your instincts know you best, has your best interests in mind, and rarely makes a calculation error — trust in that!!

Filed Under: Embrace Responsibility, Learning From Experience, Maintaining Focus, Managing Adversity, The Four Wheels of Personal Leadership Tagged With: commitment, conflict, controlling fear, decision making, fear, inspiration, integrity, managing fear, responsibility, trust

### Speak Your Mind Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

»