Instinct is a biological tool we use to react to a situation. It replaces an organized thought process that would involve the collection and evaluation of information to reach a decision with quick and firm action. We use instinct to address situations where different kinds of pressure make it difficult or impossible to produce a properly processed reaction. When instinct produces successful results, the experience helps to boost confidence and trust in the person practicing it and those witnessing it. We use instinct when we have little else to go on, and although it may propel us away from our perceived vulnerabilities, it may not place us in the best position we would have preferred to be in had we used fact and reason to react.
When an instinctive reaction is evaluated retrospectively, its successful results could be justified by good instincts or be blamed for bad ones. When triggered, our instinct selects a reaction from a variety that resides in our conscious and subconscious. Experience, the product of training, can embed many reactions into those same areas in our brain, making our response quicker and more accurate.
When it comes to complex, important choices – think of crafting a large financial investment or changing one’s direction in life – making them using instinct could be dangerous, and may result in a harmful outcome. The weight of such decisions requires safety mechanisms to secure the future of the parties depended on the outcome.
The first is an awareness of one’s own propensity to rely on instinct for decision-making. It may be a habit developed over time or confidence enhanced by experience. Being successful at making instinctive decisions about small matters is different than deciding over complex issues that have greater implications, even if both are similar (for example, buying a used car for cash vs. a new one using a large loan). Trusting the same instinct for similar-looking decisions when their scale is so different injects an undeserved level of confidence into the higher-stakes one, deprives the process of the appropriate level of preparedness, and could end in unfavorable, disastrous results.
The second safety mechanism is an accessible and reliable support system that one can use to investigate and understand the choices in front of them, reflect on opportunities and risks, and explore their options based on facts and reason rather than on emotions and gut feelings. To succeed, this support system has to be built over time and include people who are intelligent thinkers. These people can respond to such challenges with a healthy perspective, offer accurate, independent analysis of the question presented to them, and give mature advice without prejudice or selfishness. The trust of members of this group has to be earned over time through shared experiences that prove their advice is given with sincerity and care. This support group may sit dormant for a time, but be accessible and ready to be engaged when the situation merits.
Preparing for the process of making a major decision requires maturity and mental strength. Being able to engage those challenges successfully will solidify your chances at success and advancements in life, and serve you well in a time of need. It is the insurance policy that will save you from yourself.