Listen to Your Gut!
What's your gut saying?
Since I discovered CrossFit I’ve been loving working out again. I thought it was just about the workout and looked for other CrossFit gyms that were closer to my house, and a little bit less expensive would be a plus.
I found just the place. They had an intro type class, so I signed up.
When I walked into the gym it had a different feeling than the first one I went to. It was smaller, so I wasn’t as intimidated to step inside. And the other people taking the class seemed like my kind of people.
I thought it would be perfect.
The first class went really fast and I didn’t quite get what was going on. We learned four or five new exercises in a short amount of time. Actually, every one else seemed to learn it except for me.
I already learned the lesson about not all teachers being equal in their ability to teach. But somehow I let that gnawing feeling in my stomach slide.
I was new to class, maybe it would just take a while. I’d get it eventually.
Two more classes came and went and I was more frustrated each time. I knew it wasn’t all me.
Maybe I have high standards when it comes to teachers. Maybe this was a gym better suited to quick learners or people who already knew what they were doing. Me, I go for mastery. I don’t want to move to the next thing until I have the first thing down well.
The skills kept piling on top of each other and I was just going through the motions.
That feeling in my stomach got louder and started to push up into my chest. I knew what would come next if I didn’t do something about it.
And I did not want to start crying in the middle of a gym.
I was frustrated and upset, and I didn’t want to be there anymore. So I took a deep breath and put my hand on my stomach.
I made a decision right there in the middle of the workout. I told myself I wasn’t going back to that gym.
As soon as I thought the words, my body calmed down. The tightness stopped traveling up my throat and my chest opened up. I could breath again.
I made it through the rest of the workout and walked out the door without looking back. I knew I had made the right decision and I knew where I wanted to be.
But that old nasty self doubt started creeping in again.
That gym was cheaper and closer to my house. Maybe if I stuck it out through the intro class I’d get a better teacher in the next one.
I began the process I usually do, which is to call someone and ask for advice. But, as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew I was right the first time. She said there were always more than two choices, and started searching for other gyms.
My gut cramped up and I knew what it meant. I didn’t need to check in with anyone else. I already knew what I wanted.
Two sentences is faster than I’ve ever figured that out before.
I smiled to myself and thanked her for talking me through it. When I got home I emailed the first gym I went to and signed up. I didn’t care that I’d already paid for the intro class. I knew where I wanted to be.
And that is where I’m going.
My gut has been thanking me ever since.
Do you listen to your gut when making a decision? How do you deal with self-doubt? Is phone-a-friend one of your strategies?
The gut always knows! Every time I ignore my instincts, it’s a mistake.
Isn’t that the truth! It seems like we have to learn that over and over until we really get it.
Yes I agree–go with the gut!
My problem is getting so busy and caught up with stuff that sometimes I am not even paying attention to hear anything.
Way to go on getting thru it Emma!
That can totally be a problem. I think we have to remember to slow down and listen. Thanks for the reminder!
Lovely post, Emma. I do my best to always hone in and trust that inner voice. I’ve learned the hard way what can happen when I don’t!
It is always right, isn’t it? Why does it take so long to learn that?
That’s a good way to make decisions, sometimes your gut just knows and you go the other way and you regret not going with your first instinct. Sometimes I call my mom or a friend if there is time. Most of the times I just let it be and learn from it for next time. It feels good to correct and move on and then talk about it with someone, it’s a mini accomplishment you can feel good about sharing. I’m glad you didn’t suffer/waste time unnecessarily, it’s hard to do sometimes but you gotta do it eventually
I like the idea of talking about it after. I would rather share my decisions than have to always ask someone else what they think I should do. Thanks for pointing that out! I’m going to try that next time!
valuable post, Emma. Like you, I had to verbalize my thoughts and concerns to someone. I told myself it was to get advice, but then i realized that in the conversation I usually came to my own conclusions (oops) so now I don’t bother calling someone, I pay attention to that voice within.
it’s a valuable lesson about what’s right for you. well done
Maybe we just get so used to checking with others when we don’t trust ourselves that it becomes a hard habit to break. Hopefully, I will be like you and not need to call now that I am learning to trust myself.
Always trust your gut
(I’m saying that to myself as well.) I almost always phone-a-friend. Even though I know what to do, it helps to talk it through. Usually it’s with my husband because we’re a team, but if it’s something he doesn’t know much about (like the business of writing), I have other people I’ll turn to that I trust.
Yeah, and I can see a difference between someone to talk it out with and turning to someone else for the answer. I think that in the past I was looking to others to give me the answers so I didn’t have to figure it out myself. No more of that for me! Talking it out with your husband is a good idea, especially if it’s something that could effect him.
I’m reading The Gift of Fear right now (thank you, August McLaughlin!) and it’s all about listening to your gut to avoid being a victim. What’s really fascinating is how it breaks down tiny clues your conscious mind misses, but your subconscious processes that we interpret as intuition. Maybe your subconscious noticed something that clued it in that some of the people there weren’t so nice after all. Have fun at your new gym that feels right!
Sounds like a good book. I may have to add that to my list. The subconscious brain is pretty amazing. You’re probably right about that.
So tell me which gym did you decide on…I have had similar problems with different trainers.
Judi
I went with CrossFit Portland because the teachers are so great. I’ve also heard good things about the CrossFit gym in Hillsboro. My chiropractor’s brother goes there and loves it!