The Ongoing Battle Between My Gut and Brain

Which is more superior: making decisions using intuition or logic? Put another way, is it better to trust the gut or the brain? Believe it or not, it’s an important question – one that continues to be debated at the philosophical, intellectual, and medical levels.

There’s  no doubt that sometimes you need one or the other, and sometimes you need both to make the best decision, because there’s not always the right decision, but the best one you can make at the moment.

I was for a long time the intuitive decision-maker. I would sit on a problem for days trying to figure out which was the “wrong” way or the “right” way. I would take every motive and intention into consideration. Boy, was that exhausting. When the final decision didn’t work out as planned, I would take it personally.

Then I started on my academic pursuits and learned to think more logically. You were trained to use the scientific method to come to the final decision. I found that process less frustrating. It didn’t really matter who’s feelings I was hurting or who would be excluded, frivolous concerns that haunt only the intuitive types. Nope. You just followed steps 1 through 7 and then made up your mind.

I’ve come a long way since that intuitive to reasoning transition. My experiences have changed. So have my career paths – twice. I’ve went from balancing company records to supporting victims of terrible crimes. Once again, my method has changed. I’ve come to rely on both intuition and reasoning. Then there are times I have to choose between one or the other, but I’m pleased to share that neither method has failed me. I start every interaction from the soul, reaching out to victims and working to gain their trust. When that gut starts jabbing at me, because something, somewhere is about to go wrong, my logic kicks in. I have now found the best of both worlds.