Don't let emotions decide, decide considering your emotions.

The past two years have been an emotional roller coaster for so many of us. We've had to make tough decisions on whether or not to leave a job, a state or country, even relationships! At the same time, while we make decisions on what we want to walk away from, we also have to make decisions on what we want to walk into. We have to decide who, what, and where do we want to invest our time, energy, capital, and other finite resources into. These decisions bring up and are often triggered by strong emotions. Here's how emotions can help, rather than hinder good decision-making.

I like to think of emotion as a wise friend who whispers in your ear rather than a guide who tells you where to go. Most of us have at least one friend whom we trust to be wise about something. But the key to wise friends is that they almost never directly tell you what to do. Instead, they listen to you, helping you express all your concerns, feelings, hopes, and fears. Then they ask great questions that expand your perspective. A wise friend can bring clarity to murky situations. When you listen to your emotions as a wise friend, you can better explore the situation, people, and environment with more discernment. When you let your emotions guide you on the otherhand, you can end up someplace and wonder "how the heck did I get here?" Remember that emotions are so varied and fleeting. There is validity to every emotion and a message in every emotion. The key is to figure out what the emotion is telling you and to respond appropriately rather than explosively.

Also, it's important to note (I swear I wrote this, not AI lol) that SOMETIMES the appropriate response IS explosive, but not most of the time. So don't go blowing shit up all the time yall! And also don't sit in a disrespectful, harmful or toxic situation and let it ride. You deserve the best, and your emotions are the wise friend telling you so.