There is a myth pervading the decisions I take. The myth is that I can only choose the left or the right, choice A or choice B. In my experience, decision making is a lot like sailing. One attempts to what is at hand, current and wind, to move forward. One strives to tell the truth, protect the feelings of those around you, hold onto one’s integrity, while acting with care and kindness.
With far too many gray hairs and scars from taking poor decisions, Life continues to remind me of the following lessons and insights.
Wrestling with the truth as best you can see it, is always better than creating a mythology that one thing s/he wants to see. At times, one does not know the answer because everything is muddy, confusing, and conflicting. In these moments, applying the core values one has written on the heart, love, care, kindness, compassion, and community, is the best one can do. Apply and learn from the outcome with an open heart and mind.
There are many ways to take a decision. If a decision is stressful, one could be using the wrong decision process. In advance, learning to make decisions with a variety of styles and methods will give you more options to explore in the head of the moment. While decisions can be difficult, it will be a different type of stress and challenge.
Embrace truth and wisdom wherever you find it. With binary choices, seek out trusted relationships for her/his views. The starting point is that there are always three or more options to a decision. In the quest to find the third in a binary choice, start with Divinity and trusted relationships. When I started my quests, it was often hard to find the alternatives. With time and repeated pursuits, I found the illustrations which guide and instruct all around me. It was an echo of the psalm talking of how Divinity leaves her mark, “He spreads snow like a white fleece, he scatters frost like ashes,” (Psalm 147.16).
Decisions are more than binary.
