Trust your Gut
It has taken me about four decades, nine years, 3 months and 14 days, roughly, to come to the conclusion that I don’t subscribe to conventional wisdom. I’m not sure I ever did, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that I now subscribe to my gut. It is my compass for all things. Some call it your God voice, or your intuition, but it has become my guiding lantern in the dark whenever I’m seeking the truth.
It may sound strange, but I distinctly remember my mother telling me to “trust my gut” on almost every occasion, and now I find myself telling my daughters to “trust their guts”. As a child, I thought it sounded absurd, and by no means a good way to manage your decisions. Let me get this straight, my stomach is going to tell me what I’m supposed to do? Will this be a voice that speaks from my stomach? How exactly will I know when the message is coming through? Do I need to be completely silent in order for it to be delivered properly? Oh the questions that went through my head were endless.
Metaphorically, and in reality, the gut actually should be driving my decisions because as I learned when my mother suffered a stroke, there is a nerve pathway that runs directly from the gut to the brain. So, every time I’ve done something I shouldn’t have done, something felt completely off, or something seemed like an outright terrible idea, that very uneasy, uncomfortable and almost nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach was actually a warning trying to signal this was not right for me. This was my intuition, my driving force, my God voice, my gut feeling to pivot.
By the same token, there have been times when I have been naturally drawn toward something, doors kept opening at exactly the right time, and opportunities unexpectedly arrived, and it felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be - on the right track. I haven’t always been on the right track, and maybe you haven’t either, but as soon as any warning signs emerged, I knew it was time to be prepared, to pull the ripcord, and get back on track.
On more than a few occasions, the ripcord landed me down the rabbit hole seeking information and determined to locate the truth about whatever it was I needed to learn. My sister’s battle with cancer was a transformational period when I left no stone unturned and searched endlessly, at all hours of the day and night, for an answer to her illness, some way to help her get better so she could be physically present for as long as possible. I could not imagine life without her, and witnessing my sister’s deterioration left an indelible impact that has reverberated in my consciousness for the last decade and beyond.
Years later, my mother’s decline led me to the realization that it’s not a one size fits all. We are all undeniably unique, one-of-a-kind women, and what works for one person may not work for another. I celebrate these differences and I hope you do too. But the important reminder for me was that conventional wisdom goes out the window when there are no answers for a loved one and their physical presence is taken.
That is why I have gathered and continue to gather as much knowledge and information as I can consume in order to be my own personal advocate, discerning what is going to give me the best possible outcome, and highest quality of life for the long run. And likewise, this has inspired me to be an advocate for others, to help women prioritize their own wellness as a lifestyle choice in order to live with more abundant joy and fulfillment. My mission is to share the insights and information I have accumulated to support others in a positive way and make a difference in their lives.