Listening to Your Inner Voice

The most efficient decisions made often are the decisions that are made the quickest. The fastest way to make decisions involves using your instincts, or intuition. You're already pretty good at this, if for no other reason that you've come this far in life. If you want to develop your powers of choosing based on instinct to a finer edge, start a log. Write down your intuitive choice before making any final decision. Then, when enough time has passed to see the results of your more analytical decision, write them down and compare them to the results from your intuitive choice.

Logging choices enables you to track the accuracy of your intuition without forsaking your traditional decision-making procedure. As time passes, you'll begin to notice how frequently your intuitive choices were good ones, and find yourself relying on your intuition more easily and more often. Once you get cooking, you can bypass the realms of data and information that previously impeded your ability to choose. You can call upon your still, quiet, faithful, internal guidance system.

Intuition in Action

Do you have a dentist? It's a fair question. How did you select your dentist? Did you open up the phone book and get the names of the ten to twelve dentists nearest you, then call each of them, and based on the call decide to visit five to seven, and in visiting their offices, discuss with them their billing procedures, background and expertise, competency of their staff, office hours, prices, and overall philosophy?

Then, did you whittle down the list to maybe two or three, perhaps call them back or visit on another occasion, do some background checking as to the reputation of the doctor, his or her longevity in the community, and professional standing? Then, and only then, did you decide on dentist A? Or did you choose a dentist based on who your parents or friends see, or where some referral service sent you, or simply the clever ad you saw in the phone book?

You probably used the latter method. You didn't stop and analyze which dentist would be best for you: you picked a dentist by hook or by crook, and if that particular dentist didn't work out, you switched once or twice. In short, you used a combination of references and intuitive processes to come up with your dentist.

Why then, do you over-complicate so many decisions at work and in the rest of your life? When you choose based on intuition every cell in your body and every shred of intelligence you've ever accumulated is brought to bear. There's a lot behind the solutions you make. Pay attention to your small voice; it's there to support you, if you listen to it.

New information is only going to hit you faster and faster as your life proceeds. You're only going to be able to absorb and use a fraction of what you're exposed to. Suppose you want to get information on a particular type of product. You're not going to find five or ten articles, chances are you can identify dozens of articles or more--more information than you can deal with. You're going to have to trust your instincts. Suppose you want to make a decision about moving to either town A or town B. What are the factors that you would logically consider?

housing prices

taxes, population, and population demographics

schools

crime

community groups

resources

lakes, streams, trails, mountains

the business community

density

nearby colleges

churches, synagogues, mosques

nearby beaches, mountains, streams

road systems

shopping

traffic patterns

community groups deviant groups!

You guessed it. There are dozens and dozens of factors that you could analyze and compare. In the end, your decision would probably be based on some combination of data (though not too much) and intuition (probably a lot).

Blasting Through Procrastination

When faced with too many decisions, your natural inclination is to procrastinate. Don't beat yourself up; lots of people face this today. Decisions that would normally roll off your back become more involved when there's too much on your plate. Here's a list of ways to creatively break through the procrastination that stops you from effective decision making: * Face Procrastination Head‑On--What is blocking you? What is the real reason you don't want to choose? Write it down or record it on cassette. This exercise alone may dislodge something and help you to decide.

Choose to Easily Begin--Make a positive affirmation of yourself: "I can easily make this decision." This powerful affirmation is often enough. Elizabeth Jeffries, a speaker and trainer for healthcare organizations, maintains a list of daily affirmations that help her make decisions she might otherwise have put off.

Find the Easy Entry Points--Ask yourself, "What are three to five things I could do to progress toward the final decision, without actually tackling it head-on?" Then initiate these "easy entry" activities. Often, they are enough to get you fully involved.

Set Up Your Desk for a Decision--Set up your desk or office to enable you to focus on the decision at hand, and ignore other less important matters. This might involve neatly arranging papers, file folders, reports and other items, while working at a clear desk, with only the issue at hand in front of you.


-----------------
Jeff Davidson, MBA, CMC, is a popular conference speaker and author of 28 books, including Breathing Space (Feb 2000). For books, videos, cassettes, or presentations, visit http://www.BreathingSpace.com, FAX (919) 932-9982, or call (919) 932-1996.