We all hear them every day. Little voices inside our head. They remind us things, keep us on track, and help keep the details of life in order. I’m talking about the subtle, random thoughts that come to us while our mind is focused on something else. Not big-picture ideas like "today I’m going to finish this project" or "I need to rethink my business strategy."
I’m talking about the ones that are easy to ignore.
Too easy to ignore.
Sometimes they don’t start as thoughts: they start as feelings. You stop, cock your head, furrow your brow, and think. Words pop into your head: did I pack my toothbrush? Did I remember my car charger? Did I turn off the TV?
Many seem insignificant – that’s why they’re easy to ignore. We disregard a subtle prompt from our subconscious, telling ourselves, it’s so small – don’t bother…I’ve got bigger fish to fry. We go about our day, heedless of the fact the voice we ignored was trying to tell us something important.
Early Warning System
Trust those voices.
You’re in a hurry, pulling out of your driveway a little too fast, trying to make that appointment. The voice says don’t rush – take it easy.
Listen to that voice.
Ease up on the gas. Because the next second a kid appears out of nowhere on a bike, cruising right by the foot of your driveway. If you don’t listen to that voice – disaster.
Then you’re half a mile away from home and the voice says go back and make sure you turned off the stove.
Listen to that voice.
Go back and check your stove.
You’ll be thankful when you get back to your kitchen, see the burner on, and notice the potholder you accidentally left too close starting to singe.
You realize you were probably thirty seconds away from a catastrophic house fire. If you’d ignored your inner voice, you’d still be rushing to your appointment across town while the potholder catches fire and starts a tragic chain of events you could have stopped.
The next time you get that feeling and your self-talk tells you nah, don’t bother, it’s so small – what you should do is stop immediately, hone in on the small thing your self-talk is trying to talk you out of, and do it.
You’ll avoid a lot of preventable problems, and you’ll also learn another important lesson: trust your instincts.
They’re your personal crystal ball.
Onward and Upward!
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