Gut Instincts And Do You Listen To Them?

I went for a parking spot today at a Loves, I didnt really need to stop, something kept bugging me about it, I couldnt put my finger on it. Two open spaces next to each other, not a whole lot of room up front but a pretty easy spot, somewhere in between a 45 and a 90. I almost didnt go for it and then went for the set up, didnt like it for a 45, pulled a bit further forward for a 90, Gut instinct was screaming at me to leave it alone. Started the back, I just didnt like it. pulled out and left, went back through the pumps, finished my loaded call, went back by the spot again, still didnt like it. I left drove for a few hours, pulled into a different loves, hooked a perfect horseshoe to straight back from blindside.

I dont know why my gut was screaming at me to not park there. It happens from time to time. I cant figure out if Im just having a lack of confidence in that moment or if its that trucker instinct. I almost always listen to it though. It bothers me though, I feel like I should be able to hit any spot any time and maybe Im just second guessing myself, but at the same time, every time, without fail that I have ignored that gut instinct, its bitten me on the posterior hard.

Anyone else go through that? Some times it will come up like that for no reason that I can find. Idk.

I don't trust my gut for anything, damn thing can't even drink a glass of milk.

Yes, big time! I'm a massive proponent of trusting your instincts. I always trust mine when they're telling me something. There's a lot more to our nature than we understand. I'll give you an example.

My entire adult life I've been able to wake up whenever I like without an alarm clock. It's the craziest thing. I can lay down at 11:00 pm knowing I want to get up at 3:00 am. I'll look at the clock, think about it for a second, and go to sleep, determined to sleep as hard as I can until it's time to get up. Of course 99 out of 100 times I'll wake up at 2:59 or 3:00, never at 3:01. If I don't wake up right on time, it's 10 or 15 minutes early, but that's rare.

This has been a thing with me for 30 years. For most of my years on the road, I did not own an alarm clock. Whether it was a one-hour nap in the afternoon, a two-hour nap at night, or a full night's sleep, I pop wide awake at exactly the time I want to get up. I have no earthly explanation for this at all. It's just one of the endless mysteries of life.

I trust my instincts with people, too. Especially with people. If I get a bad feeling about someone, I don't question it. I know I've detected something, and I trust it.

I did it with driving decisions, as well. Especially in bad weather. There were times I parked it when I could have driven through because I just wasn't feeling it, and there were times I kept going when most people wouldn't because I felt good about it.

I believe the more you try to tap into your instincts, the sharper they become. It's like anything - you have to develop it. You'll never know what caused you to feel that way about parking there, but it doesn't matter. You felt it and you acted on it. I would have done the same.

Yes.

If it’s working, stick with it.

You may have needed those extra miles the following day, so it worked. I’ve had plenty of times when I wasn’t sure if I was making the right decision to shut down or start a little later (or more likely, earlier) and then I learn I avoided an accident (which could’ve involved me).

Not sure if this is accurate, but I like to think your gut feeling is just you gaining experience and knowledge of what works for you. And like I said, if it’s working, stick with it.

DRIVE ON!

As you know I’m newbie here. In my previous careers be it personal safety, judging someone’s ability to preform task (explosive handler) treating the public honestly, dealing with children or life in general. l found more often than not they “gut instincts” are not wrong. Like you sometimes I fret over why. Often later on it became clearer and I’d just smile to myself. Hardest thing for me is not to second guess them. Sure every now and then you get one wrong and you may never know why just roll with it.

In the safety classes for real estate professionals we taught “go with your instincts” was on the top of the list.

Stay safe.

Interesting topic. Instincts are like luck. Why do hard workers have the best luck in general?

Brett and other veteran drivers have great instincts in trucking and various other areas of life because of good genetics , but primarily because of experience gained over many years. When I first started driving I had zero instincts, just some accumulated common sense. Now I have developed what I would call instinctual decision making.

When I was recently in West Virginia, my truck navigation told me to turn onto a road that looked like a glorified goat trail. My instincts told me not to turn so I hit re-route about 4 or 6 times until Jill gave me a more truck friendly route. Why did I trust my instincts in this situation? Because I’ve gotten in several pickles by blindly relying on Jill.

Most animals are born with certain instincts, but they build upon those instincts as they gain experience in their lives.

Like I said, this is a very interesting topic, thanks for posting. I

True Bruce sometimes ya just gotta ignore the GPS and think a minute lol The other night on my way back to Calif, I stopped to do my 10 hr at a pilot in NM or AZ I forget. Anyways, there is this spot open at back row of this smaller pilot. So I think yeah I'll take it. Well the angle was a bit off because in front of me was fenced area with extra big tanks, and steel poles outside the fence. Now the angle looked good, I set to do kinda a weird offset driver back watching them poles. Well, I get started in the hole ok gunna turn and follow in. Something, told me "GOAL" dummy, somethings off.

I walk back and yes sirree, the right corner edge of my trailer was mid-cab of truck on my right, near center where the guys head would be in the bunk.....Now my head barely fit thru that gap !! Damn I was lucky I stopped n recheck when I did, or it woulda turned ugly fast! So I leave, and head out, next to Pilot was dirt lot with trucks parked , so I try there, got parked, but I didn't feel right, and said screw this drive down the road, I got time to find something better, which an hour later I did find the perfect spot..... I kept telling myself, "good thing you listened to self back there dummy"

Aint hit anything yet, and don't plan to with the driving months I got left hahahaha

I believe in what some people call gut instincts. In Russian it is known as the 6th feeling and has a special name. For example, you walk at night on a dark street and suddenly know that you will be attacked. I also trust my first impression about people - if I don't like the face, I avoid that person. Interesting to learn that other people wake up when they need too, I normally set up my alarm and always wake up 2-3 minutes before it rings. Another way to look at these "instincts," and it is how I do it, is that Almighty simply tries to help you or keep you out of trouble.

I believe in what some people call gut instincts. In Russian it is known as the 6th feeling and has a special name. For example, you walk at night on a dark street and suddenly know that you will be attacked. I also trust my first impression about people - if I don't like the face, I avoid that person. Interesting to learn that other people wake up when they need too, I normally set up my alarm and always wake up 2-3 minutes before it rings. Another way to look at these "instincts," and it is how I do it, is that Almighty simply tries to help you or keep you out of trouble.

Man, Ive struggled my entire life with sleep. I usually dont put much stock in crapola like new names for syndromes and such. But years ago I did some work on a doctors house, she was the head of a department doing sleep studies. She explained to me that I wasnt lazy and didnt have insomnia, she said that my circadian cycle was set differently that most other folks. Its called delayed sleep cycle syndrome. Most call it being a night owl, others different terms, but basically I naturally will sleep at 4 to 5 AM and will generally wake up around 11:00 am or noonish. Im highly creative and productive late night and early morning hours. It plays hell with conventional hours of construction and most jobs, schooling etc. Once I do sleep, I have literally slept through earthquakes, fires, floods, gun battles, you name it, but I just can not sleep most nights until then. Most of the time, I start driving around noon, and nock off about 2 or 3 am. I run good miles, am productive and it doesnt seem to bother the office at all. Only time I struggle with it is like 7 am hard deliveries.

Lol Davey yep my mom used to tell me as a skinny youngster I snore very loud, when I snore. She would ask me " How don't you wake up from your snoring?" I said, " uhhh because I'm asleep, I don't hear it" lol I could sleep thru a bomb goin off sometimes. I don't always need a full 8 of sleep, and I too was always a night owl, especially working night shift for over 15 years in my youth. Now I'm ve learned to grab, what I can, when I can, and roll with it.

I slept thru the 1988-9 Whittier quake like a baby....When I've ran my butt ragged, and really wore out I snore, so I been told lol.....I don't hear myself.....I used to have these lucid dreams of bouncing off clouds n going higher each jump. Astral projection? I dunno, ain't had em for long time as I age.