You Can Trust Your Feelings!

When faced with a recent business decision, I ignored my instincts and went instead with the “right” or rational course of action.

After several weeks of uneasy feelings about my choice, I reversed my decision. Despite any embarrassment this would cause me, or the apologies I would have to make to the other person, I followed my feelings. Once I made the decision, I experienced an immediate sense of inner peace.

After some reflection, I realize that my action flies in the face of what is considered sacred in Western culture—taking in information logically and rationally with our minds, then letting our minds tell us how we should feel.

This intellectual approach forms the basis of our culture and our civilization. Any thought of trusting our inner feelings is often discounted, denied and ignored as being unscientific, unwise, irrational and—worse than that—“feminine” and unmanly. Honoring our feelings is diametrically opposed to what we’ve been taught to believe, which is that the only path to truth and reality is through the logical and rational mind.

I seriously question that concept. In my experience the lingering uneasiness came about because my inner-guidance system [instincts-intuition-feelings] was not in harmony with the decision I made, and the feelings just remained constant to remind me I was out of alignment with my inner self.

The idea of evaluating situations solely with our minds and then letting our minds determine our feelings is no longer acceptable to me. I know that in many cultures around the world people receive information with their entire being. I don’t think that we are any different. I believe our bodies are hard-wired to evaluate everything first with our feelings, and then to partner with the mind to complete the process. In our scientific zeal we have simply gotten the whole thought-process thing backward.

I trust the incredibly intricate design and perfection of our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual bodies. I believe we have everything within us to help us function in life with the best possible outcome. Feelings are a natural part of us and have a positive purpose in our lives. It doesn’t make sense to deny and ignore our feelings. When we do this, it robs us of one of the great gifts of being human.

I have discovered that now when I honor and trust my feelings, I make the “right” decision the first time.
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Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author's book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY--How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers and major book stores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.