Don't Trust Your Gut

Here’s the truth. Your gut is not a compass. Most of the time, it’s a shortcut.

There’s a scene in Top Gun: Maverick where Tom Cruise tells a student, “Don’t think, just do.” Lately, everyone seems to be quoting that line like it’s deep wisdom. It sounds confident. It sounds bold. And at first glance, it even sounds useful.

But it’s not.

In a very specific, split-second situation, sure, you might need to act fast. That’s not what this is about. The problem is when people start applying that mindset to everything. And they do. “Don’t think” has become a lazy excuse for poor decisions and shallow analysis.

Here’s the truth. Your gut is not a compass. Most of the time, it’s a shortcut. It’s built on untested assumptions, emotion, and whatever bias you’ve picked up from your past. When people say “trust your gut,” what they usually mean is “don’t bother thinking.”

That’s not decisive. That’s careless.

Gut Instinct Isn’t Intelligence

The human brain is wired to conserve energy. It looks for patterns, defaults to habits, and takes shortcuts. That’s why we procrastinate, why we jump to conclusions, and why we struggle to change our minds once they’re made up.

Your gut isn’t some oracle. It’s a blend of emotion, ego, and the easiest path forward. Most of the time, it feels right because it’s familiar or comforting, not because it’s correct. That’s not insight. That’s your brain looking for the door with the least resistance.

Instinct is only useful if you’ve done the work beforehand. Without that work, it’s just guessing.

Stop Guessing. Start Assessing.

If you want better outcomes, stop moving on instinct and start building the habit of deliberate assessment. That means slowing down just enough to look at what’s really happening. You don’t need to overanalyze, but you do need to ask better questions.

Assessment is a process. You collect real information. You question what you think you know. You look at context and timing. You factor in stress, emotion, and environment. Then you act.

You don’t default. You decide.

Timing and Context Always Matter

Say you want to have a hard conversation with your partner. The content of what you say might not change, but the outcome absolutely will depending on timing. If you bring it up right when they walk through the door after a long day, it’s going to crash. That same conversation on a calm morning with coffee might actually land.

This is what assessment looks like in practice. Paying attention to what’s happening around you, not just inside you. Your feelings aren’t irrelevant, but they’re only one part of the equation.

Build the Habit

You’re not going to flip a switch and suddenly be an expert at this. You build it like anything else. Here’s how it starts:

• Pause. Just for a second. Let the reaction cool.

• Observe. Watch. Listen. Look for data you missed.

• Question. Ask yourself what else could be true.

• Challenge. Don’t trust your first impression. It might be wrong.

• Adjust. Shift course if the evidence tells you to.

This is how you build real judgment. It’s a skill that pays off in every area of life.

Results Over Comfort

You can be confident or you can be correct. Choose one.

Trusting your gut might feel right, but it doesn’t mean it is. Professionals don’t move on instinct. They move on clarity. They ask questions, study outcomes, and stay flexible. That’s how they win consistently. Not through ego. Through process.

In work, that means checking the numbers, not just the vibe in the room. In relationships, it means noticing patterns and adjusting your approach. In high-stress moments, it means slowing the situation down so your action actually matches the problem.

Gut feelings are fast. Assessment is accurate. And accuracy is what gets results.

So the next time someone tells you to stop thinking and just act, don’t take the bait. Think. Assess. Then act.

That’s not hesitation. That’s discipline.