A woman on an airplane was trying to decide between two marriage proposals. She knew no number of drinks on the stewardess' cart could help her solve her dilemma.
When she realized she was sitting next to Norman Vincent Peal, the author of The Power of Positive Thinking, she asked for his input.
Vincent Peal was happy to oblige. His answer, however, wasn't what she expected. He advised her not to marry either man, because if she had to ask his opinion, she obviously wasn't in love with either.
I love this story, relayed by author Alan Cohen of Relax into Wealth. Cohen's take on our instincts?
"When something is right and good for you, it resonates within you in a compelling and unmistakable way," Cohen writes. "You know it just because you know it. It's not because anyone or anything outside you has convinced you. Your inner being speaks so loudly and clearly that you don't need confirmation or validation from the outer world."
I know something about dumbfounding indecision. I was engaged for 48 hours before my inner voice insisted I disengage. My head and my heart were feuding, and my heart ultimately won.
Years later when I said yes to the man I'm now married to for more than two decades, my heart didn't quibble. Something inside me knew he was the right candidate.
Yet, even after that compelling example of intuitive know-how, I sometimes still forget I'm the expert opinion when it comes to my life.
When in a quandary, and in the midst of mind-boggling indecision, take comfort. The expert is in ... it's you.