Powered by Instinct: 5 Rules for Trusting Your Guts

I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts. ~John Locke Powered by Instinct presents a way to success that is determined by powerful motivations or impulses and reactions that are below the conscious level. I also think Kathy Kolbe is tapping into Intuition, because when you use Intuition, you are technically making decisions based off what you sense vs. the use of a rational process. There are times when everything inside you is saying: "GO," and it is based much more on a feeling than a detailed or organized thought process. Kathy Kolbe also presents the idea of fatigue, fear and frustration leading to despair. Once you feel an overwhelming sense of despair, how many good decisions are you prepared to make? She also makes an excellent point about the actions you should take to avoid problems. After reading this book, you may start to tap into your personal power center. If everything inside you is screaming "no" or "stop," then you may want to listen to that inner voice instead of dragging out the process through an extended session of contemplation. I liked her idea about not finishing a book if you are not enjoying it and I have been listening to my inner voice for quite some time on that point. So, with that said, I happened upon page 65 and realized I wanted to go to the website and take a test. When I arrived at the site, I found out you had to pay for the test. So, if you are interested in reading this book, spending time taking a test at a site and then analyzing your results, it could be a fun way to spend a few days learning about yourself. If you decide not to take the test, you can still enjoy this book. I'd be willing to bet that if you are reading this book, you have a good idea of whether your life is out of balance or whether you are in need of taking the test and gaining a sharper focus. The entire book is technically a conversation between Ev and Kathy. Ev being "everybody." There are sections where you can record your thoughts. Are you instincts telling you that you have too much stress or too little relaxation? Should you sit down and figure out your priorities? Does knowing your purpose in life put this entire book into perspective? I personally think that if you have a specific purpose in life, you will start to make more instinctive decisions. This book will encourage you to: 1. End the cycles of procrastination and action. You will act more quickly. 2. Step out of despair and start to believe in your abilities. 3. Take no action when nothing works - patience in the midst of conflict. 4. Act with a sense of purpose and passion. 5. Increase the joy in your life and follow your dreams. This entire book seems to be mostly about balancing your life in order to enhance your creative potential. You may decide to "target your top priorities," or make a decision today based on your instincts. Most of my best decisions have come from an extended thought process and some of my

Capturing your InstinctsHow many times have you looked back over a decision you made and said, "I knew better than to do that! Something in my gut told me not to do it." Oh, I've been there plenty of times. How do we harness that instinct, that gut feel that can guide us on a better path through life? Author Kathy Kolbe has a set of five rules to harness the hunch and a set of "think-ercises" to retrain your behavior. This is brilliant. In fact, this is one of the best self-improvement books I have ever read. I am serious!The five rules are:1. Act-before you think (scary!)2. Self-provoke (stimulate your instincts)3. Commit, but to very little4. Be obstinate in overcoming obstacles5. Do nothing when nothing works (stop beating that head against the wall.)I am especially impressed with Kolbe's visualization chart of the Creative Process. This is quite different than the creative exercises I learned in the past. Kolbe's process involves charting first motivation, then your inner talents, drives and energy, then your will and its commitment to the goal, followed by the reasoning and rationalization process to justify the action, and finally the behavior. This is not acting WITHOUT thinking; instead it is acting with a follow-through of self-examination that combines your subconscious hunches with rational thought and experiential data.I also like the question set about instinct when something "feels wrong":1. Is it the way you are approaching a task?2. Do you feel you've done something wrong?3. Are you feeling sick or run-down?4. Does the way another person responds to you make you uncomfortable?5. Is there something physically unsafe about your situation?6. Are you ill at east with the way things are happening?Look at the above list and look how that applies to so many situations in life. Let's take the decision to ride home with a friend after a party. If your feeling is you shouldn't get in the car, examine if you feel something is unsafe. Perhaps the friend had a few too many drinks. This list would be a good exercise to train teenagers to act on their inner voice of conscience, something to harness their good sense and channel it to better decisions. And of course, this list is essential for looking at your daily work life and perhaps deciding to move on to find other opportunities before you are forced by the situation to do so. This list alone would help you stay ahead of the wave of circumstance. I think nearly everyone could profit from "Powered by Instinct." If you know someone in the job market or going through a life-changing event, this would make a wonderful gift to him or her-or to yourself.

If you want to:1) accomplish more in less time, and with less effort2) learn to better prioritize your activities3) reduce your stress, without reducing your productivity...then this book is for you.I must admit I'm not a big fan of "self-help" books, but Powered By Instinct is far more substantial than the genre (and the title) suggest. If you're interesed in the subject of "instincts", you might already know that places like IBM, Stanford University, the US Army, etc. having been using Kolbe's research and applying it to solve problems and improve productivity for years (even professional sports teams have used her program). This book allows the "average person" to apply this research to daily life in areas such as finances, relationships, career, parenting, and education. Several (high powered professional) friends who have read this book say that it gave them a whole new perspective on their professional and personal lives, and led them to make key decisions with excellent results. Still, I was skeptical. Not being a big fan of "rules", I doubted that Kolbe's "5 Rules for Trusting Your Guts" would appeal to me. All I can say is that I was completely wrong. Powered by Instinct demonstrates (through Socratic dialogue and hands-on exercises) how to trust your instincts in an intelligent way. I've always believed that everyone already possesses what they need to succeed (not just financially, but emotionally)-- this book teaches you how to tap your own resources and maximize not only your output, but your sense of well-being. I highly recommend this one.

I was skeptical about this book when I first picked it up; after all, trusting your instincts sounds so counter intuitive to what most of us are taught to do. But after the first few pages, I was hooked. These concepts make so much sense! How many times have you had "that feeling" about something, but then took action that went against your initial inclination and later regretted it? Kathy Kolbe teaches you how to listen to your guts and act on those instincts with confidence by following a few simple rules. This is not some self-help book that expects you to conform to a strict set of rules the author followed to acheive success; instead, it teaches you to look inside yourself to act on impulses that are uniquely yours. Following Kolbe's rules will help lift the weight of the world off your shoulders as you begin to act less like the world expects you to act and more like yourself. From students to parents to business professionals, everyone can benefit from this book's unique insights into human action.

As I read the first few chapters of this book I began to feel stress lifting from my body. Kolbe has certainly tapped into an uncharted area of the self. I have never been one of those people that are constantly trying new ways to better their life -- i.e. self-improvement books have never held my interest. But, Kolbe's philosophy is smart from the get go. Her five rules for trusting your guts can be applied to the entire scope of your life from business - to relationships. You want to read more because you can shake you head in agreement with her throughout the book. If you only read one self-improvment book in your life make it this one!!