Miller: Go with your gut

The other day I was in the Business Hall to pick up my Saxby’s and of course, write an article. None of the tables were open, so I sat in an armchair by the front entrance.

The area was littered with newspapers and other paper detritus that had been blown around by the draft coming in the front door.

Everyone was sitting there as if it was no concern that our seating area looked like a polluted waterfront. And, after sitting down and doing nothing myself, I realized why.

Somebody may have come and fixed the mess by getting the papers square and stacked on the coffee tables, but it was clear that the minute the door opened, it would all go sailing into space again.

So I left the Business Hall and the mess in the corner. Still, it’s stuck with me.

Why did I leave the corner sloppy like that?

Partly, it’s because I didn’t see anyone else very concerned with it. Going with the crowd is really easy, especially when the crowd looks about as enthusiastic as you would expect a college student doing homework in the Business Hall.

Partly, though, it’s because I didn’t see the point in doing something I knew would fail. Obviously, I wouldn’t try to tidy a mess that would just happen again.

And yet, I am a college student. If a windy day and some newspapers are all it takes to conquer me, then I have a long road ahead of me.

I could have come up with any number of easy solutions to this problem: picking up the newspapers and putting a heavy object I could part with on top of them, setting them down in a new area free of breeze, or even throwing them away if they were beyond saving.

These aren’t ideas I came up with while writing this article, either. These are ideas I had as I made the choice to walk away from it all.

Now here I am, weeks later, lamenting about a messy seating area. I should have done something, but I didn’t, and that feeling is one I have a lot.

Sometimes I put something off so severely to the last minute that all I can do is let it consume my waking thoughts: I should have done something but I didn’t.

Or, I have a really good idea about social activism, or for a creative project, and I let it die all the while it’s alive in my mind: I should do something, but I won’t.

What a hard way to live. Instead, I’m trying more and more to go with my gut.

When I see a piece of trash, I like to bend down, pick it up, and carry it with me to the nearest trash can. On the way, I might even pick up more, since I’m already searching for a trash can.

When I disagree with a choice that has been made by my superiors in any of my pursuits, I’ve started trying to step back and ask why. Then, instead of letting those feelings get to me, I take measured action.

Private conversations, public proclamations, even a newspaper article are all ways I’ve tried to keep my ideas alive and productive.

Lately, I’ve even set my sights on being more ambitious in my actions. When I see a problem and a solution doesn’t exist, I’ve started going with my gut. Why not try to become the solution?

Whether or not I will be able to see all my ideas to fruition is not worth focusing on when I can try today to see at least one or two through to the end.

I’m an adult now, which is a fact I sometimes forget. If I want to actuate change, I have the free will to do it. I have mentors to guide me, and honestly, Google is free.

In undertaking new projects, my lifeline has been meeting people who already do what I want to.

Take notes on how somebody does a job you want, even if it’s a passion project. Watch the things you like—and don’t. If you don’t know anyone doing what you want to, go with your gut and put yourself out there.

We’re so lucky to be on a college campus where going with our gut is as easy as walking to another building, sending an email, or joining a Zoom call. This place is abuzz with potential colleagues and mentors who have either been there before or want to be there with you.

Of course, picking up some errant newspapers is not as big as project management, but it’s the same idea.

I encourage everyone this week and in the coming months to go with their gut. There’s no telling what might happen.

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