Your Gut Is Talking, But Are You Listening?

If I told you that I knew someone who could accurately predict whenever you were about to get into some trouble, would you listen to them?

We all have that friend in each of us, and its called our intuition. Our intuition has developed over generations to help us survive so that we continue our species. However, our cognitive brain and thought process often gets in our way. We think that because we can't rationalize what we're feeling and we can't identify the reason we are feeling insecure, therefore we must be crazy.

You're not crazy - at least, not for listening to your instincts. Your intuition has developed to keep you alive, it works faster than the cognitive brain, and it doesn't require justifications, or reasons why it feels the way it does.

So how do we know when our gut is talking to us?

Countering The Criminal's Plans

Whenever I've been asked to teach a self defense session for one group or another, I always start with the Rules to Live By. I adapted this from Sanford Strong's book, "Strong on Defense" which has been out of print for several years now. Parts of the book can be seen if you use the Google Book website and do a search for the book.

When criminals commit a crime against us, they need three things: Time, Control, and Isolation. The Four Rules to Live By, according to Strong, all work in direct opposition to all three. If a criminal has these things, than they are more likely to be successful in their task. By utilizing the rules, we directly counter the criminals intent and disrupt their plans.