Written By: Andrea Cornell
“What should I do?” When it comes to difficult decisions, it’s a common question that many of us ask both ourselves and others. Whether it’s ending a relationship, starting a new job, signing a new lease, deciding to get married, have a baby, or make an investment – the question can be filled with doubt, fear, and uncertainty. What’s the best way to approach that 4 word question that often feels so loaded and brimming with uncertainty?
Learn to Listen to your Gut
So often we hear others tell us to trust our gut when feeling doubtful. But it’s often difficult to decipher between your gut, your head, and your heart. The best way to hear the inner voice of intuition speak is to learn to silence your mind. Meditation is a helpful tool in doing that. When we learn to become still and hear what the voice in our head is telling us, we can learn to explore what feeling the message is based in: Is it fear of the unknown? Self-doubt? Fear of making a wrong choice? As we begin to learn to listen to all of the contradicting messages our mind sends, we can begin to sift through the feelings attached to each and learn to hear what our deepest truth might be.
Connect with Others
While there’s a danger in asking too many people for their opinions, it can be helpful to find friends and relatives that have been in similar situations and hear their experiences in order to learn from the lessons (be it blessings or mistakes) from others. Oftentimes, when people are offering advice, it can be coming from a place of their own fears, worries and insecurities. The key is to talk to those who have shared the same experience or problem in order to explore different options and get an idea of what each choice may bring.
Sit with the Uncertainty
Uncertainty is a natural part of the decision-making process. With doubt comes the exploration of the stressful and difficult aspects of a choice. To allow yourself to feel doubt, you are allowing yourself the room and space to explore your feelings – thus allowing you to explore all facets of the decision-making process. Sometimes, a pro/con chart can be useful in doing this as well. List out all of the positives and negatives to both facets of a choice and see what your lists reveal.
