Intuition Based Decisions
Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 11:15PM Decisions are usually an important step towards making changes in one’s life.
When facing an important junction of options, opportunities, or challenges, sometimes it can be overwhelming. How do we know what to do? Which path to take? How to progress?
The numbers of books and tools that have been written about decision making is countless. I am not intending to provide you with yet another list of “How to make a decision” guides. Instead, I would like to share my own experience, the way I’m finding I’m making decisions lately.
It is so simple you might think I’m a complete nutcase.
So my secret is - I don’t make decisions.
I know, I know… That might seem a bit odd. Surely I’m facing experiences where I need to prefer one situation over another. So how can I say I’m not making decisions if clearly I do take one option and not the other?
Well. When I say I don’t make decisions, what I really mean, is that it’s not a conscious part of me that makes the decision. It’s not my thinking mind that weights and calculates the pros and cons of a situation. It’s not a process of trying to project into the future and guess the outcome of my action steps.
My decision making tool is simply following my instinct. You could call it intuition. You could call it gut feeling. Call it tapping into the soul, or listening to the higher self… Doesn’t matter how you call it, what DOES matter is, the decision is made FOR me, not BY me. And it is directed by how I FEEL, not by any logical procedure.
Example. A few months ago, I started thinking I should leave my office job. Just like that. Out of the blue. A job that I used to be satisfied with, an office job with lovely people, a great boss, a steady income – who can ask for more, really? Well, I could. There were a few reasons for me to want to quit my job: physically, it didn’t do me well sitting long hours in front of a computer. Mentally as well – I didn’t like being “boxed” in an office 5 days a week. So a thought entered my mind – maybe I should leave. And the seed was planted. Then all of a sudden the KNOWLEDGE arrived. Knowledge of what I want to do once I leave my job. I didn’t torment myself or forced my brain into it. It just fell upon me without any warning.
I wanted to create opportunities for people to eat and experiment with raw food. Very simple.
But this knowledge wasn’t enough.
Again, I was THINKING of leaving my job, however there were no tormented thoughts (“should I/should I not”… “What will happen if/If not”… etc), no sleepless nights, no endless discussions with my best friends to help me make up my mind – nothing like that. Just some thoughts, that’s all.
Next, I accidently came across Steve Pavilna’s website. I was searching for first-hand raw food experiences, nothing else. However I ended up reading his article: “Ten Reasons you should never get a job”.
The next day I went to work and told my boss I have to quit.
That’s it.
No drama, no fuss, no endless debates in my mind.
I just knew it was the right time to make that change.
A few months later (in other words, while writing these lines) I’m only working in that office every now and then – an average of one day a week. My raw food business is slowly and steadily evolving. Every now and then my mind comes along and stressful thoughts are arising: “What am I doing? What did I get myself into?”
That’s all okay.
My decision was based on my intuition. On a knowledge that goes much deeper then the restrictive knowledge that’s framed within my rational mind. And so I TRUST that everything that will enfold itself due to that decision is for my higher good. And so I am calm and relaxed, knowing a decision was made and I wasn’t entirely involved.
It feels RIGHT for me.
For some people, this type of intuition-based decision making is a complete no-no. People that are driven more by logic than by emotions will probably need a list of pros-and-cons and scenarios of different outcomes to quiet their mind. That’s what makes them KNOW they made the right decision.
However if you like to try the intuitive approach for decision making, here’s a little trick I learned a while ago.
Next time you have a decision to make, take a coin with you and find a quiet space.
Sit for a few minutes and try to completely forget the topic you need to decide about. Breathe as calmly as you can.
If you can’t stop thinking about your dilemma, don’t worry about it too much! This will work regardless. Just make the effort to be as still as you can.
Now. Take the coin and decide which side should be which option. For instance, heads for leaving your job, tails for staying.
If you have more than just two options you might want to use a cube instead – just make sure there are equal number of faces for each option.
Flip the coin (or cube) and look at the outcome. Sit quietly for just a few more moments.
How do you feel? Do you feel relieved and calm?
That means it’s the right decision for you!
Do you feel stressed? Is there anxiety in your body?
That means you should go for the other option.
Another way of knowing you made the right intuitive decision is by how easy it is to implement.
Does it feel like it’s a struggle and that you need to fight all the time? Or does it feel like the road enfolds itself clearly and effortlessly, and synchronicities come across your way ever so often?
Think about it this way – even if the external situation is pretty much the same, we will notice the positive signs all around us, when we feel that we’re doing the right thing. And when we’re hesitant or not passionate enough about something we’re engaged with, we will tend to notice the hardships and the uneasiness will amplify.
It seems that if you made the right choice, the universe is signaling you by providing ample opportunities for you to take advantage of. Or it’s your consciousness that is more attuned to those opportunities that are always there. No matter how you look at it, it simply means you have made the right decision.
Good on you!
Reader Comments (4)
its beautiful. i love ur insights and couldnt agree with u more x
Makes me think... about tossing a coin
thanks
Hey very inspiring! And great article "10 reasons... "
And at such a special time... for me =)
"If you can’t call your boss a jerk now and then without fear of getting fired, you’re no longer free. You’ve become your master’s property.
It’s only a matter of time before you sacrifice the noblest parts of your humanity on the altar of fear: first courage… then honesty… then honor and integrity… and finally your independent will. You sold your humanity for nothing but an illusion."
Peace Love homie!
xo
Yes Maya, I experience that intuitve feeling as a way to make decisions, and I also use the hard head method, mmm perhaps both, not sure, and I am still playing with the whole area. The life as a research project continues.