From an early age, we learn to doubt ourselves. We are taught that being a skeptic is good, and not to believe strangers. When we are young, this is good advice. Children are innocent and don’t have the life experience to know right from wrong. They genuinely wouldn’t know if someone is steering them in the wrong direction because they simply haven’t been alive long enough to know the difference. But the problem is that we don’t leave this behavior behind as adults. Instead, we don’t trust out instincts and our life experiences. We second guess ourselves and don’t give ourselves the credit that we deserve. Here is why you should start trusting your instincts.

It Isn’t Just About Intuition, You Are Reading Social Ques

Sometimes we’ll have a bad feeling about a situation or a person. And instead of taking the right action, we’ll brush it off and say we don’t have enough evidence to come to that conclusion. Maybe you are in a position to hire someone at your job, and you are getting a bad vibe from a candidate. But you ignore the feeling, and hire them anyway. Chances are, that your feeling was accurate, and you’ll probably come to regret the hiring. It isn’t just intuition that you have, you are actually reading social ques. You might have picked up on their body language, or maybe they said something to you that didn’t quite seem right in retrospect. Your feelings are valid, and you should make sure that you don’t ignore them.

Don’t Disregard Facts That Disprove Your Narrative

At the same time, you want to make sure that the decisions you make aren’t totally going against the grain. If facts arise that disprove your narrative or show that you might be wrong, you should explore them. Don’t hold on to a narrative that can’t be supported as new facts arise. You should always be willing and open to change your perspective if the circumstance demands it. However, you shouldn’t dismiss your own initial feelings out of hand either. Trust your gut, and don’t ignore your intuition. But if a long line of facts come to light that disprove your notion, you have to acknowledge them.

Become More Confident

Learning to trust your gut will help you to become a more confident person. You’ll be more apt to lead projects at work and you’ll have better success at trying to accomplish your goals. When you trust your intuition, you will second guess yourself less. Learning to become more confident is a skill, something that you can improve at over time. And becoming more confident will open up a lot of paths to leadership positions at your job or at other organizations.