Years ago, on my “Year by the Water,” I was in Tampa and was scheduled to take a train to Savannah, where I was speaking.
That morning, a little voice whispered in my ear, “You don’t have to take the train. Why not drive?”
So, I cancelled the train and started driving. Instead of planning the day and locking myself into a hotel reservation, I decided, “I’m going to make it up as I go along.” And boy, am I glad I did that!
I checked the map to see what was ahead. Marineland, an oceanarium that offered a dolphin encounter, was just 89 miles away.
I thought to myself, “I’ve always wanted to swim with dolphins. Here’s my chance!”
A couple hours later, I was swimming with Zach the Dolphin. What a thrill to get in the water, meet him face to face, feel his rubbery skin, and look him in the eye.
And to think, I didn’t even know Zach existed a few hours before! This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t honored my instincts and acted on a whim.
I believe whims are more than a “sudden desire or change of mind.” They may seem “out of the blue,” but I think they happen for a reason — a good reason.
Many of us discount these intuitive nudges and ignore them. Or we get whims, but we’re too busy to follow up on them.
My epiphany was, “If we have instincts that alert us when something’s about to go wrong, don’t we also have instincts that alert us when something’s about to go right?”
ACTION
How about you? Do you honor your instincts? Do you listen to the voice that doesn’t use words – or do you overrule your intuition with your intellect, logic, and rationale?
Do you ignore whims or promise yourself you’ll follow up on them “later?”
From now on, honor your instincts, act on your whims. Understand that your intuition is trying to do you a favor. It has your best interests at heart. It’s doing its half. All it asks is that you do your part to meet your best future halfway.