I have a mission for you. Should you choose to accept, then I guarantee you that your life will improve dramatically. Do you accept? Good.
Well, I guess I should tell you what it is first, if the title didn’t already give it away. Just once today – literally just one time. I want you to trust your gut. And I want you to trust it whether it’s big or small.
Why? Because I believe that doing so holds the secret to what we’ve maybe been missing – if we haven’t been listening to our instincts that is.
I'm sure from time to time, you ask yourself "Should I trust my gut?" Let’s dive into it.
Whether we want to call it trusting your gut, listening to your intuition, being instinctual or following your heart – it all means the same thing.
We all have these gut feelings – even if you’ve been ignoring them for so long that they’ve become a dull and faint noise off in the distance. They’re always there, and they always will be.
You see, whether these thoughts are big or small – they seem to know something that “you” don’t – they know the truth, they know the path, and they are the ultimate and true you.
Let me explain.
I believe that our intuitions are simply messages coming from the subconscious mind. You know, the subconscious mind is capable of processing 11 million bits of information per second – while the conscious mind is only capable of processing 50. Yes... Only 50!
I know it sounds ridiculous, but believe me you, this is true. They discovered it through science and stuff.
Now in knowing this ultimate truth, would it not make sense that the subconscious mind (the one we don’t have direct access to) knows more than the conscious mind (our thinking mind – the one that makes up that whole “use 5% of our brains” concept)?
Well a big Hell yeah! Of course the subconscious mind knows more than the conscious mind. It’s the one that does all the processing, it works through every single piece of information you’ve absorbed in your entire life while you sleep, while you eat, while you read and write and walk and watch and listen and – geez. Just everything. It knows everything.
So, why the Hell are we so scared of that? Why do we ignore the “voice in our head” so much? It’s likely because it’s an unknown. And the unknown can be scary. You want to know something really scary though? Xenophobia. Xenophobia is the fear of the unknown – and it can take you by the hand and lead you down some paths that you aren’t supposed to be on.
Fear can keep you in a career that you loathe for a decade too long, in an abusive relationship until it’s too late. Worst of all, it could cause you to find yourself eating dill pickle chips when you really wanted ketchup. Imagine?
You see, whether big or small, these gut feelings are the truth, and the sooner we can trust them exclusively, the better off we’ll be.
I’ve had infinite situations in my life where I’ve either trusted my gut and benefited more than I could ever dream of, or when I haven’t trusted my gut, and paid the ultimate price.
Let’s start small. As you may or may not know, I had a brutal accident and broke my leg in the spring of ‘23. As such, I started to really prioritize my health and wellness. I had to regrow a bone, after all.
As such, I’ve started drinking these vitamin, nutrient and supplementary drinks called Boost.
Just the other day after a workout, I went for a vanilla boost – but something inside of me said “have the chocolate”. It was ridiculous – it was the simplest thing. Does it matter what flavour of Boost I have? What a dumb thought.
Well, I did indeed listen, put down the vanilla and had the chocolate. And then I had a string of thoughts that put together the pieces of this very concept that I’m writing about now.
You see, if I hadn’t had the chocolate, I would have stood there arguing with myself, saying that it doesn’t matter – and then I wouldn’t have had the chain of thoughts I had mentioned, ultimately leading the perhaps not even writing these thoughts down.
Well, anyways – I think it’s pretty interesting, but I could understand how some could remain skeptical – so let’s move on to a bigger picture example.
Let’s flash back a few years. I’m 27 and I’m in Calgary, AB. I’m starting to get my life together after a series of poor life decisions led me down a path of confusion, sadness and a longing for self-discovery. I was working at a landscaping company – something that was far from my intentions in this life.
So, I’m driving into town and I get hit with this intense thought. “Call Mike.” The gut feeling tells me. I sit there thinking “Why? Why the Hell would I call Mike? I haven’t talked to him in more than 6 years.”
You see, for this entire week I had been thinking about my career, and the BIG thing that I kept coming back to was “I want to be a photographer.”
Back in my band days, Mike was our photographer. Everything was a little hazy, but I remember he was always ridiculously talented – and we always got along. We saw eye to eye.
So you know what? “To Hell with it,” I say “I’ll give the guy a call. What’s the weirdest thing that could happen?”
The phone rings. It rings 2 or 3 more times. “Hello?” A stern and raspy voice inquires. “Hey, Mike. It’s Ashcroft. I don’t know if you rememb…” “Jay ASH! What is up my man how have you been?”
Oh wow, the guy actually remembers me. This is off to a good start. I make it up as I go, because I didn’t expect him to even answer “Hey man, I’m good – I’m good. So, listen. I’m out in Calgary. I’m just really trying to figure out my life here man, and I’ve decided that I want to be a photographer. What should I do?”
“Ha ha!” He laughs with excitement. “You do, do you? Well I’ll tell ya what, Ashcroft. I’m doing something pretty cool back home. Are you gonna be back here at some point?” He asks.
“Yeah, I am – a some point.” I say, with uncertainty. “Cool, cool. Okay well ring me up when you get back. I’m putting something cool together I think you’d like”.
We say our good byes and hang up the phone. “Doing something pretty cool?” I think. “Well, what the hell is it? What could it be?” As I continue my drive I wonder what he was talking about.
I didn’t really give much thought to our conversation. I went on with life as usual – until I got back home. It was a year later, and Mike popped into my head “Call Mike.” The voice said again.
Ah, geez. Not this again. Ring… Ring… Ri… “Hello?” I hear the familiar raspy voice. “Hey Mike, I’m back in town. What’s going on? I Ask. “Ashcroft! Welcome back buddy. Come to this address. I want you to see what I’m working on.”
We say our goodbyes, I head out for some lunch with a friend and then drive on over to the location.
It was the day after I got home from my travels, I had trusted my intuition to call Mike, and low and behold – he was building a beautiful and massive photo studio, right in my home town.
Jesus – I’ve hit the jackpot. I was a sponge. My construction background came in handy as I helped him finish the build. He opened his doors a few months later, and before you knew it I was there every single night after my day job.
Mike taught me everything that he knew, and he made me just as good as he was. He put me on weddings, he put me on studio shoots and engagement shoots.
We shot corporate events and edited and talked about business.
Low and behold, I had landed myself the best mentor I ever could have asked for – just by listening to my heart, and calling a guy on a whim from Calgary who I hadn’t spoken to for half a decade.
Since then we’ve gone our separate ways and remained amicable. We’ve even done some work together since then. I’ve built my own business and his continues to thrive. Mike was the springboard to my success, and I’m forever in debt to his expertise and generosity with his time. I pay it forward as often as humanly possible.
Now, there’s been many times in between then and now where the trail gets a little more foggy. Sometimes the choices we’re supposed to make aren’t as clear as we’d like them to be. But the truth is, that I always listen to my gut – no matter what.
The path to growth and attainment is always a long haul. Whichever one you walk, make sure that it’s yours. After-all, this whole experience is only due to our own individual thoughts, feelings and opinions. You can have exactly what you want, and more. All you need to do it listen. Then you need to think. And then, you simply act.
To Your Success,
Jay Ashcroft
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