Our life is a reflection of the decisions we make. After all, who among us has not felt challenged or unsure of ourselves when facing a difficult decision?
How can we feel more confident to make the big, bold, better decisions we want to make to lead the fulfilling lives we came here to live?
Apple or Banana
We make approximately 70 conscious decisions a day. Apple or banana? Car or subway? Stay late or leave early? These are the decisions we are aware of.
95%-97% of our decision-making is subconscious. Unlocking our subconscious decision-making can take us to the next level of success and fulfillment. Understanding how to do that is the focus of this article.
Our cognitive patterns—our decision-making processes—are largely a subconscious phenomena. Understanding this is critical to our success. The way we think shapes our reactions and decisions. Equally important is when we gain awareness of our thinking patterns, we can influence our perspectives and the way we perceive and interpret the world around us. In turn, this enables us to make decisions more confidently and with less stress.
To build anything, we need tools. What tools are you using to become aware of your thinking, and your subconscious biases including those about yourself? If you are not using any practice or tools to become aware of your subconscious think you have the answer to why you have not been able to get where you want to go. No worries. Now you know.
Understanding Your Thinking
It is helpful to know that when we reach our edge—the limit of what we know—we have two options: Repeat what we have done before, or do something new. It is also helpful to know that doing something new, especially when the stakes feel high, can stop us in our tracks. This is where leadership comes into play. We need to know how to lead ourselves forward. To do this we need to become aware of, and understand, our thinking.
Different centers in our brain house different types of thinking. Our frontal cortex helps us imagine and make decisions. Our amygdala hosts our primary emotions such as fear and anger. To make good decisions, we need these two centers to work together. Of course, not unlike any relationship, if we get into a power play, with one side wanting to control instead of connecting and collaborating, we can quickly find ourselves in trouble. We need our emotions to inform our decision-making, and we need our logic to help us process our emotions.
Unlocking our thinking helps us make decisions, find success, and shows us what is holding us back. We developed The StillPoint Experience to make this easy for you.
Two Steps to Better Decision-Making
Here are the two easy steps you can take to get unstuck:
1. Become aware of your thinking. You have to believe in a new reality to live in one. Understand that the inner workings of your thinking create your worldview, which may be based on an outdated mindset or an inaccurate reality. The StillPoint Experience will help you do this.
2. Change your thinking. Science shows us how unwilling most people are to accept new ways of thinking. Additionally, changing your point of view can be hard because you may have a lot invested in that point of view. Allowing yourself to change your point of view is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It’s one of the best steps to achieve success. It’s brave, it’s liberating, and allows you to grow.
Becoming aware of and challenging our thinking is a decision we can make that can transform our lives and the lives of others. It’s not easy, but it will pay off.
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