How do you feel about decisions?
Here are some common responses:
Decisions are draining.
Decisions are difficult.
Decisions provoke anxiety. And Fear. And confusion.
So many criteria to consider. Information to analyze. Pros and cons to chart.
All the “What ifs…?” can drive you to feel stuck in an endless looping of possibilities and outcomes and imagined consequences.
Search around for decision models and you’ll find many mental models to help you make better decisions.
Therein lies the problem with decisions.
The mental models.
When it comes to decisions, it’s the mind that’s the problem.
Decisions can also be very simple. Easy.
How? you ask.
Listen to your heart.
Yes. Just that.
I know. This seems like its own herculean task. Where do you even start?
Here’s the thing. You know how. You already do hear the stirrings of your heart. You just don’t listen.
You heard you heart tell you to skip the party. You heard your heart tell you that you needed to rest instead of scheduling a late-night call. You heard your heart tell you not to take on that client.
But you also heard the voice that told you how much fun you’d have at the party. It told you that the client call was important. And that you couldn’t afford to give up a client and the opportunity that it represented.
The mind likes to take over with its questions, doubts, and fears.
What happens when you listen to your head?
What happens for most people is feelings of guilt and resentment.
You resent yourself for listening to your head. You resent whatever “external” force “made you” choose the path you chose. And you resent the path itself.
Decisions often feel difficult because we allow the mind to override the heart.
When you stay in alignment with your values and listen to your heart, decisions are easy.
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