When it comes time to make an important decision, a potentially life-altering, game-breaking decision, how are we to know what to do?
Some would say use logic
Some would say use ration
Some would say listen to your emotions (maybe?)
Some would say follow your gut
Some would say call a friend
What many don’t say is…
What to consider when using logic
Logic relies solely on the past. All of its’ reasoning and facts are based upon what lay behind us, not ahead of us. This can surely have some merit, however, facts change, science evolves, and this must be taken into consideration. The past does not equal the future.
There’s a good chance we’re making a decision based on logic when we base our decision primarily around fact and evidence. Therefore, leading us to create a specified sequence that will get us from here to our destination in order to justify our upcoming decision.
Logic has its’ place assisting in the decision-making process, but I would argue that it shouldn’t be a crutch.
But above all, logic is really shitty at going beyond the material world of things and involves zero insights gathered from our infinite wisdom.
Use logic wisely.
What to consider when using ration
Like logic, ration also relies on a past to predict the future. In comparison, ration will be based more on concepts of reasoning as opposed to evidence or facts.
Sounds ideal right? Well yes, except…
Ration doesn’t take our emotions into consideration. And yes, our emotions are very real to us. They can tell us a lot, or they can tell us very little if we’re in tune with them.
Making a rational decision that eventually leads to resentment probably wasn’t the wisest decision at the time. Could it have been avoided? Surely.
And similar to logic, ration is based on conceptualizations on the material world.
Use ration wisely.
What to consider when using your gut
The largest issue with this in my experience is that most people don’t even know what the heck it means to follow their gut.
What does that even feel like?
Butterflies in the tummy?
If so, what does that even mean?
Elation?
Love?
Hunger?
I know most use this figure of speech in a way that refers to our inner knowingness, our internal compass,
In my experience, this is just bad terminology that people could intellectualize in numerous different ways.
Many people I talk to aren’t familiar with what a gut feeling is in relation to our inner knowing vs our emotions fluttering in their belly.
If you are familiar with how to separate the two then definitely take your gut feeling into consideration. Our gut can tell us things that have yet formulate in the material world, it hasn’t been proven, we cannot see it, but we just know.
What to consider when listening to your emotions
They are very inaccurate. All our emotions do is give us an accurate indication of our thinking in the moment. Our thoughts could be logical, illogical, rational, or irrational, our emotions do not care.
They are just reflecting back to us what is going on upstairs, nothing more.
Making a decision based on emotion is like trying to find a treasure after buying a compass that states on the package “all directions could be True North”.
It’s the blind leading the blind.
What to consider when calling a friend
At first, I put this one down as a joke and was going to treat it as such. Then, a thought came to mind, calling a friend can actually be quite useful.
What a friend can offer us when we’re consumed by endless choices and one decision to make is… perspective. A single shift in perspective can lead to an insight that changes the entire landscape for us.
Choose this person wisely, use their vision, not their opinion.
Tapping into our infinite wisdom
Each and every one of us has an endless well of wisdom waiting to be tapped into. When it comes to making life-changing decisions, this would be a great time to drop a bucket into the well and see what wisdom may come out.
Our wisdom doesn’t rely on logic, ration, emotions, our friend. While our wisdom doesn’t rely on any of these, it can tell us how to use them wisely.
Our wisdom does have some relation to a gut feeling, otherwise known as our inner knowing. This is a knowing that cannot be explained in the world of form, there’s no evidence to prove it, it may even seem irrational to some, and maybe even ourselves at first.
Our wisdom will distinguish the gut feeling of inner knowing vs anxiety.
At this point, you’re probably wondering how to tap into your infinite wisdom…
Instead of looking in the direction of what you already know (logic, ration), look toward the unknown. Sit quietly with your thoughts, direct your attention toward what you do not yet know. Or, maybe you do know but have yet to acknowledge it due to being so focused on the variables of the known.
flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">Connect with the space between your thoughts, as out of this space of nothing, arises everything.
Be patient, an inner knowing will surely come to you. An answer will come, that can be assured, but it won’t be on your timeline. The more you try to force an answer the further from it you will become.
Sit back and listen for the whispers of your wisdom, allow it to be heard.
