How the Mind Interferes With Your Decision Process

Every decision-making fallacy comes from the mind.

Here are five ways the mind likes to interfere and override the heart’s alignment:

(1) How?

Your heart knows what it wants. Then the mind starts in with the questions about how. The biggest of these: How is it going to work?

It’s a rational, reasonable question. And that’s the problem. Decisions aren’t made from a place of rationality. they are made from a place of emotions. Ideally, emotional congruence.

(2) Financial Fears

What’s it going to cost? What did you already invest? Where will the money come from (aka: “how will you get the money?”) What do you stand to lose?

One of the biggest decision-making fallacies is the “sunk cost fallacy.”

The sunk cost is defined as a sum paid, in the past, that is not relevant to decisions about the future.

The sunk cost fallacy is related to our tendency toward loss aversion. In essence: you believe that the amount you already invested will be “lost.” If you’ve ever suffered through a concert or a show that you didn’t like, merely because you “paid for the ticket,” you let your irrational mind override your heart.

(3) Expectations

Expectations, aka “shoulds.” You’re a good person with a big heart. You want to do the “right” thing. The thing that will make others happy. You want to meet — in fact, exceed — the expectations others have for you.

Your heart may make a decision, and then your mind buts in with what you “should” do. Even if that’s not what is truly aligned for you.

The hardest decisions are those where the path that is aligned for us requires us to disappoint others.

(4) Social Fears

One of the biggest forces that pulls us out of alignment is the fear of “what will people think?”

We all want to be loved. Sometimes, the decisions that are aligned with our true heart and soul values may appear to put us at risk of losing the love we crave from others.

Here’s the truth: When you decide to stay aligned with your heart and soul values you may disappoint people. Those people may stop being your friend.

AND …

Anyone who truly cares about you will understand and respect the choices that you make to honor your alignment.

(5) FOMO

Opportunities. Social connections. Fun times. Insider jokes.

The list of things you might miss out on when you choose to follow your heart’s calling is endless. Your mind doesn’t want you to miss out.

But if you don’t choose, you’ll end up nowhere. Analysis paralysis.

Here’s the thing: all decisions involve sacrifice. To decide means to cut off options. You’re going to kill off something in pursuit of another thing. Destroy to create.

AND… choosing always yields more options. Because from every death springs new life.

Whenever your mind tells you that you might miss out on things, pause and consider what your heart will miss out on.