Trust Your Instincts

Instincts are a funny thing. They’re not tangible, they’re not measurable, and sometimes they’re not even believable. And because of that, many people don’t trust them. They don’t follow them. They ignore them. They rely on their “intellect” and ignore the little voice in their head telling them what’s right or what situation or person to avoid.

Every time I call my best friend to get her opinion on something that just isn’t sitting right, her response is always the same, “Trust your instincts. They serve you well and they’re never wrong.” Every time she says it, it still surprises me as if I just heard it for the first time. Some days it feels easier to put my head in the sand and simply forge ahead.

But if I look back over my life, each time I ignored the little voice telling me the right way to go or the person to stay away from, it always came back to haunt me. Didn’t matter if it was work or personal situations, if I had trusted my instincts I would have saved myself a lot of heartache and even money in some cases (divorces are expensive!).

But now, as a business owner, I make decisions every day about what partners to work with and what clients to sign. Sometimes it’s hard to walk away from a client or prospect even when you know you should. The lure of the account or the pay check is a tough one to ignore. But sometimes, it’s just the right thing to do. Getting to choose who to work with is a major benefit of running your own business, and one that many entrepreneurs overlook. Sometimes it’s better to keep looking for the right business than to “settle” for the wrong one. Things may be tough out there right now, but it shouldn’t change you or how you do business for the worse.

When one door closes, another always opens…

I’ve been very blessed with wonderful partners and great clients. After six years in business, dealing with corporate buyouts and a recession filled with shrinking marketing budgets, I can still say that. So, to all my partners and clients, thank you. Thank you for following your instincts and choosing to work with Active Integrated Marketing.