Stop Wrestling With Decisions

Are you currently wrestling with a decision in some area of your life?

If so, I'm inviting you to consider a (potentially) outlandish idea:

Your mind is not designed to make decisions for you.

For some, this may sound ridiculous, while others will be open to the idea (to a certain degree). They may have experienced the accuracy of their own intuition or the benefits of following their "heart's desire" or "gut response". There's a lot more current research supporting the idea we have three "brains"; head, heart, and gut.

But what would it be like to consistently trust your body's intelligence?

To be clear, it's not that the mind doesn't have anything to do with our decisions. It does, but let's explore the mind's actual role.

The mind is excellent at SEE-ing

The mind collects info and experiences, evaluates options, contemplates perspectives, and articulates ideas. Analyze, weigh, measure, etc.

The mind is a pro at drumming up the ol' pro/con list.

The problem? The mind is designed to argue with itself.

This is why we can rationalize behavior that doesn't ultimately support our well-being. We can see both sides and the more we think, the easier it becomes to convince ourselves of either one!

Therefore, making decisions with the mind leads to a higher potential for regret.

We only regret a decision because we can imagine an alternative scenario playing out. The mind is designed to carry at least a sliver of regret because it was always aware of the possibility of a "better" outcome.

The body is excellent at BE-ing

So, how do we make decisions with the body?

Here are a few examples of ways we might experience a correct decision through our body/emotions:

• A gut/core response that says "Yes" or "No." This could range from a very subtle sensation to a more obvious expansion/contraction.
• Emotional clarity over time, where eventually we come to a place of neutrality without feeling anxious or excited. In case you're interested in more about what emotional clarity looks like, check out my article on The Power of Waiting to Decide.
• An intuitive flash. A "sixth" sense to do something (or not) that is spontaneous and without apparent reason.
• A surge of increased will/commitment that isn't fleeting.

The important thing to remember when making decisions from below the head is that if it's not a YES, it's a NO. In other words, if the decision is unclear, it's a NO.

The beautiful part about releasing the mind from the burden of making important decisions is that they become much more easeful. What's to worry about if we can rely on the answer to be presented naturally through our body in correct timing?

Imagine the amount of peace that comes from not having to figure anything out.

At the very least, isn't it worth experimenting with making decisions from outside the mind?

How to run your experiment

My favorite tools and practices for learning to trust our body's natural intelligence are meditation, yoga, personal coaching, and Human Design.

Human Design is an extraordinary tool that can give us specific insight into what "part" of our body we can rely on to make personal decisions. To find your unique strategy and authority, I recommend creating a free chart at mybodygraph.com.

While Human Design can point us in the right direction, we ultimately must learn to distance ourselves from the thoughts and emotions that easily cloud our natural intelligence. We can do this by training our attention in meditation, strengthening and relaxing our body in movement, and dissolving our limiting beliefs through personal coaching.

In my experience, the most useful tools and practices are the ones that point us inward toward that which we inherently know is correct for us - not what we need to explain.

Chase Ruzek is a Professional Certified Coach and certified Living Your Design Guide who has worked with 200+ clients seeking fulfillment in work and life. He's passionate about helping creatives and open-minded intellectuals master their mind, build self-trust and make a living doing what they love.