Our Yin/Yang
One of the things I love about reading is the diverse characters we encounter. In each story, the protagonist has a problem/issue to resolve or a mystery to uncover, so the decisions and choices he/she makes determines the chances for success…or not. 
In order to find their way, the hero or heroine can either follow a methodical, logical path or wing it and follow their gut. Which is always a blast watching unfold in story, especially when the hero has to work with a heroine who has an opposite approach to problem solving (ie, one goes by-the-book and the other takes the willy-nilly, ‘throw it against the wall to see what sticks’ approach). Boy the sparks that fly! Makes for great entertainment. Hehe.
In fiction, it’s fun to watch these characters try to figure each others’ quirks out and learn to work together, but real life personalities are a bit murkier than fictional ones. For me personally, depending on the situation, I can be either ends of the spectrum. Sometimes I totally trust my gut, and others, I’m all about planning and precision. Thankfully, my hubby goes with the flow and trusts my judgment when I have a “gut instinct” day. *g*
How about you? How do you approach decisions in life? Are you all about the process, ticking off the reasons, making a list and deciding based on that? Or are you totally the gut instinct type? And if you’re a mix like me, which to do lean more toward, your gut or methodical? Have you ever made a gut decision that you regretted? Have you ever planned to the ‘nth degree yet nothing went as you expected?
I think I’m somewhere in the middle. When faced with a big decision, I like to gather a lot of information and analyze it to death, but in the end I go with my gut. So is that an “informed gut”?
And then of course I agonize about it afterward.
Hi Jeri! That response is so YOU, I cracked up! And I like the “informed gut”. I think I do that too from time to time.
I am a total planner. I’m a HUGE fan of making pro and con lists. I analyze almost every single decision (regardless of what it is) from every possible angle, then I call my mom and talk it through with her, then I talk with through with the hubby, then I analyze it some more. Once I’ve made up my mind, I waiver about my decision and let it fester for a few days before I become okay with it.
Some might say I’m not so good with change…
We all have a process that works for us.
Had you asked me this question 10 years ago, I would’ve immediately said I’m a planner. And I did have plans, I’d be working in the FBI, with a marriage under my belt, etc etc.
Is reality anywhere close to that? LOL HA, NO! I try to think rationally and logically, but I don’t really plan things out as I tend to come down really hard on myself if they don’t go as planned. So I guess I tend to go with gut instinct. There may not be as much rhyme or reason with your gut, but for me, as strange as it sounds.. I like who I am now a lot more than who I was 10 years ago.
Hear, hear! I like who I am now more than I was 10 years ago too. I wonder if the ‘gut instinct’ is more about the wisdom that comes with age? Makes me think of that saying: If only I knew then what I know now.
Does making the list and then deciding based on what my gut tells me count? It’s totally changing with me
Sure! Maybe it’s like Jeri said, informed gut.
I am a “go with the flow” person. I realized long time ago that for some reason my life unfolds itself no matter what decisions i take. So i just go with it and try to make the best of it. It has given me 2 marriages, one kid, and a very happy life so far lol
What a great attitude!
I started my adult life in the military and made a shift into education. In both cases, the word to live by was “fluidity.” You can’t be just flexible, you have to be fluid. I think that’s where the saying “go with the flow” comes from. But I had to laugh when I first read the blog today because I always start my day with lesson plans; they rarely go as planned! I’ve learned to trust my instinct because I rarely have time to over-think a situation.
I am a planner. I analyze every problem in minute detail until either the problem gives up and goes away in exasperation, or it becomes so urgent there is only time left for immediate decisions.
My mom and my Irish twin sister are both spontaneous. If they want something, they go and get it. When my mom decided to move cross country, she put two kids and a puppy in the back seat of an SUV and just went. No job lined up, no apartment rented, no possessions other than what was in the trunk. When my sister decided she wanted to go to Europe, she booked tickets to and from home and just left. She ended up lost in foreign cities trying to talk to people who didn’t speak English. And she loved it.
Against all logic, it works for them. I still have no idea how, but somehow they always come out just fine. It baffles and amazes me.
‘Informed gut’ – I like that. For important things, I listen to my dad’s voice in my ear and make lists, plan ahead. But sometimes I jump, regardless of the evidence. Yes, I’ve been known to crash and burn. But when I grow wings, there are no limits to how far I can soar!
=A
I’m a worrier, so if I take too long to make a decision I tend to get it wrong. I overthink the situation to death and always get it wrong. It took me a long time, but I finally realized my first instinct is usually the best for me.
I make long-distance plans, then move by my gut in the short term. Sort of like following the north star while still navigating the terrain I see in front of me.