How do you make decisions? Why the head is no help at all

When making a decision, it is always wise to cut off your head. (I speak metaphorically.)

Listen to Stella’s story. She knows she has to clean a room in her home because a guest is coming to stay.

But other things interest her more.

Her head tells her she should do it; but that doesn’t make it happen. It merely leaves her feeling guilty that she hasn’t done it.

The problem is, the head is not a decision maker. It is an assessor – but not a decision-maker.

The head is full of possibilities and contrary thoughts which makes an actual decision very difficult. 

The head is a deeply flawed decision-maker; but so often, people give it that responsibility. So, tasks remain undone or avoided.

And back with Stella, the guest room remains untouched and time is ticking before her visitor’s arrival.

Stella needs to take ten deep breaths, get out of her head and into her body – for there in her gut is the place of decision, the place of will and action in the human.

Once she is there in her gut, the voice is no longer ‘I should do this’, which achieves nothing, but ‘I will do this’ which gets the job done.

That room will get cleaned. She’s doing it now.