Today's TQ

Daily Lessons in Intentional Excellence
Friday, January 2, 2026

What's Your Gut Say?

Follow your intuition. Trust your gut instinct. Your subconscious mind has a store of wisdom that you can learn to use profitably.

For thousands of years animals have survived in the wild because of their instincts. Do not ignore the wisdom in your own, even when you sometimes don't understand them.

Today's TQ Challenge: Search Beyond Acceptable -- Find the BEST Alternatives.

Choose to be WELL-INFORMED! Think of the last time you didn't follow your gut instincts. What happened?
Choose to be OPEN-MINDED! Do you really need more information to make your next decision?
Choose to be INSIGHTFUL! Are you willing to let your intuition guide your day?

Your first idea may not always be the best idea. Nonetheless, it's the only one you can act on if you fail to come up with better alternatives. You minimize mistakes and create better results by carefully considering your options in advance. Explore additional possibilities before you reach a conclusion. Consider other perspectives: consult expert opinions; test your options; do a little research. Life's too short and money's too valuable to do otherwise. So, think it through, ask for help and learn to make better decisions by finding better options.

"The man who gets the most satisfactory results is not always the man with the most brilliant single mind, but rather the man who can best coordinate the brains and talents of his associates." ~ W. Alton Jones

Think about it. How well and how often do you actually DO Make Plans Factor 5C?

"I review my options to make an informed decision before finalizing any plan."

A high commitment (5C rated 8 or better) suggests you are intelligent enough to create a plan, and smart enough to know there may be better alternatives. You begin your plan of action by identifying the most ideal outcome -- not just an acceptable one. To do this, you ask the advice of others and investigate alternative directions, methods or suggestions before fully committing to a plan of action. Once you have carefully considered the pros and cons, you immediately proceed with the option that provides the greatest chance of success.

On the other hand...

A lack of commitment suggests you rarely investigate your alternatives. You hesitate to seek advice from peers, and rarely call on experts who have the experience needed. Instead, you tend to operate from habit, shoot from the hip and go with the first solution found. Only after you complete your work, do you step back and take a fresh look. Only then do you discover that what you just finished -- is far less than what you could have done -- with some "informed alternatives."

What happens when you CHOOSE to do Factor 5C a bit more frequently?

You achieve better results by choosing the best alternatives before proceeding. You accumulate performance positives like "Well-Informed, Conscientious and Open-Minded" -- immediately moving you towards the results you expect.

What happens when you FAIL to consistently do Factor 5C?

You produce less than ideal results when you fail to investigate your options. Negatives like "Narrow-Minded, Uninformed and Habit-Driven" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

Now Ask Yourself This...
Is Factor 5C Causing You Problems?

If you believe this factor is a key performance obstacle -- and that it's preventing you from realizing your personal dreams and goals -- then you need to improve it.

* * *

This PDA version of Today's TQ is provided by ThinkTQ.com, the leader in personal perfomance and intentional excellence.