It is the tendency of far too many people out there to over-analyze things. An idea is put forth, and we immediately run over the possible variables and outcomes in our heads. This is without a doubt an important step in making a decision on whether or not to pursue a business venture, but it is by no means the first step you should make. After all, figuring out the best way to make the biggest PIE possible is extremely important to the self-employed individual like yourself.
When first presented with an idea, look within yourself. Rather than looking at how your mind reacts, look to how your body reacts instead. Anything anyone says to you, be it in life or in business, should illicit some form of response not only in your mind, but in your body as well. While turning over the pros and cons can lead you to a positive or a negative response, it is not your first instinct. That initial response that you feel in your gut is, and listening to this above what your mind says can often put you on the right track.
I want you all to try something. Go into a business meeting with someone. Listen to what you’re told, or pay attention to what you read. Now rather than listening to what your mind says, be it “this is a great idea”, or “this is a terrible idea”, I want you to instead look at how your body reacts.
While it’s a bit of a generalization, this feeling can go in two very basic, very fundamental ways. We’ll call those “The Yes Feeling”, and “The No Feeling.”
The No Feeling is very simple. Your body’s first instinct is no, this is a bad idea. You can rationalize this away by examining things in a more thorough way, but remember, your first instinct was no, and that is not something that should be ignored.
On the flipside of that coin, The Yes Feeling is your body’s first instinct telling you yes, this is a good thing. Further thought on the matter could change your mind, but as with The No Feeling, your body’s initial reaction of “yes, I like this” should not be ignored.
These feelings that you are getting are your body’s first instinct to outside stimulation. Your instinct coming into play. While your financial future is potentially on the line here, it’s definitely worth a bit more thought before making a decision, but these initial feelings of yes and no should not under any circumstances ever be ignored, and should always play a factor in your decisions. After all, all the intellectual rationalization in the world could sway you in one direction or the other, but they, much like your gut response, could easily be wrong. Take a look at an opportunity, statement, etc. from all sides, from all directions, both intellectual and physical, and make your decision based on that. At least that way, should a proposition potentially fail, at least then you can’t say you didn’t look at it from every possible angle. And if you’ve been following this blog with any kind of regularity, you should be able to see the signs (and probably have yet another gut instinct) that things are about to go off the rails, and be able to, should it be necessary, get out with your reputation and financial security intact.
Make no mistake, we all want you to succeed to the best of your abilities, but if your gut says no, perhaps it might be wise to listen.
