Rory, A Guy Called Bloke, wants to know about instincts and how well we know and trust our instincts? He asks…

How well do you trust your own instincts for sensing if something or someone is wrong for you and/or your life?

Overall, my track record when it comes to instincts is pretty good, albeit not perfect. I do believe, though, as I’ve gotten older (and wiser?), my instincts have improved.

Do you or can you make the right decisions based upon your gut reactions quickly or do you simply tread more carefully and observe everything before making decisions on your findings, opinions, and beliefs?

It depends upon what is at stake. I tend to do a lot of research before I make any significant or long-term purchases, like a house, a car, a bicycle, an outdoor grill because I don’t want to make an uninformed gut decision that later I’ll regret. When I make an important decision, I like to have as many facts as possible at my disposal so that my decision can be an informed one. On the other hand, when faced with an inconsequential decision, such as what to eat for lunch, I mostly let my gut lead the way.

If you were to sense a change in a friendship but were not sure of the direction this was taking, but your instinct told you something was seriously off – how would you choose to react?

If the friendship is one I value, I’d want to discuss what I was sensing with that friend to see if I was misconstruing the direction the friendship was taking or to prove my instincts to be correct. I’d hate to end a meaningful friendship on a misunderstanding.

Do you think your instincts are always right and if not, how do you think can alter them to become more reliable?

Always right? Hell no. Mostly right, yeah. As far as altering them, well, you gather and analyze all of the relevant information and then you either go with your gut or you don’t.