There are three things that I have always stuck to, in life. One is staying true to my passion for art, another one is my whimsy, and the last one is instinct. I’ve always been asked by pretty much everyone in my life why I am so stubborn about things. I’ve never had any reason because I never thought about it too much, but looking back, I think it was always instinct. I have relied on it a lot more than I thought I did, and I’m not really in a shabby place now. The older I get, the more I realize that I’ve been the Time Traveller in my story all along, who has been trying to stop my younger self from making mistakes!
I’m going to keep it very short, but I’ll tell you all the times it has worked for me. At least all the formative decisions that have led me here. Hopefully, this encourages people to rely on their gut feeling a little more. People have a habit of second-guessing themselves, but I don’t blame them. It happens to the best of us.
The first time I relied on my instinct was when I was deciding what major I would pick. I’d always been an artistically aligned student, even if I kept up my grades. I think the only time I couldn’t keep up my grades was when I was forced to take up science instead of arts in high school, but it didn’t go as bad as I thought. At least not where academia was concerned. But when every relative was bugging me about how badly I had screwed up my life by choosing English Literature as my major, instead of something in STEM, I knew I’d never be happy if I didn’t pursue the arts. Eventually, it turned out to be one of the best decisions I made in life.
The second time relying on instinct had a major effect in my life was when I decided to not take up a desk job right out of college. It allowed me to develop my writing skills better than I could have ever imagined. My previous employer was very patient with me as he taught me how to write blog content. The fact that I’d never worked in start-up resource before was never a problem because I’ve always been a fast learner. By then, I’d already started writing on this blog, but eventually, working for that website was what gave me a better approach to content, which leads me to the next thing relying on instinct did for me.
The third time was when I decided to take up my current job. I was interviewed to be the senior copywriter when a record label was onboarded at the digital marketing agency I work at. At the time, they didn’t have a dedicated resource for the label. I’m not going to reveal any details here, but those who know me personally, know where I work. There have been countless times when I’ve wanted to quit my job, but there has always been a small voice at the back of my head telling me to hang on a little longer because there are so many things I am yet to learn here. And looking back, I realize I’ve written scripts for interviews, planned campaigns that have gone live, written copies that have been widely appreciated and what not. I guess it’s not such a bad thing after all.
Another major effect relying on instincts has had in my life is my friend circle. Up until I was seventeen, I was the kind of person who would thrive on being validated on social media or having a big group of friends. It wasn’t until eighteen that I realized I needed to be a lot more picky with my circle. My circle is drastically smaller than it used to be. Now, when I say this, I’m not talking about networking; that’s a completely different thing, and I’ve built a pretty good network for myself. But even though my friend circle is small, I know I can rely on each one of them to be here for me.
Last, but by no means the least, relying on instinct has made me realize that I shouldn’t stick around in relationships where I’m not valued. And by relationships, I mean any dynamic, not just in the romantic sense. It takes a lot out of you to actually get out of spaces that you feel like you’ve outgrown. But it’s the comfort of the familiar that keeps us lingering around for far longer than we should. It’s not healthy, and the sooner we realize that, the better.
That’s pretty much all I have on instinct. It might not always seem like it, but in hindsight, you’ll realize that if you hadn’t taken that one small decision for yourself, you wouldn’t be here, and all the good things that have happened to you so far, might not have happened.
TL;DR, rely on your instincts a little more. You’ll thank yourself for it later.
Yours truly,
The Shubhster. Xx
~Featured Image by Alexander Grey on Unsplash
The Shubhster Diaries 
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