Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One

by Jenny Blake

the gut contains over 500 million neurons, equivalent in size and complexity to a cat’s brain, and is the source of 90 percent of our body’s serotonin production. The gut-brain is primal, forming in the womb before the heart- and head-brains. It deals with core identity-based motivations such as safety and protection. The majority of nervous messaging occurs from your gut to your brain, not the other way around: 90 percent of vagal nerve fibers communicate the state of our system to the head-brain, with only 10 percent providing communication in the other direction. Perhaps most surprising, the gut-brain exhibits plasticity, and can learn and form memories. In other words, your gut will communicate with you when big decisions are on the line if you pay attention to it, and it will sound alarms when your most primal needs are not being met. You cannot always know with 100 percent certainty what to do when your gut-brain speaks up. The process of working with it is like building a muscle; it takes time and practice. Start by examining big decisions you have made in the past, noting when and how your gut communicates with you in the present.