One of the more routine but difficult situations we face is when we come up against a difficult choice that must be made. Sometimes these are choices that have been creeping up on us for a while and we have been able to avoid it, until now. Other times, they are choices that come out of the blue and demand our attention and we know the consequences of ignoring them are far worse than any choice we may have. These choices may be the result of new circumstances or previous choices we have made. They may present themselves as life-changing or merely inconvenient. Regardless of their origin, their suddenness, or their impact, they can make us miserable and steal away our love and trust, joy and hope.
In the next few weeks I will be exploring ways that these difficult choices can affect our body-mind-soul. I will not be offering ways to discern the best answer to your conundrum or resolve the issues at hand. Every circumstance is far too complex. But I hope to be able to give you some insights into how you can protect yourself from the damage that the process of making these choices can have on your spiritual life.
When we are striving to discern the best option in making a difficult choice, we may use one or two of several processes. We may use a Cost-Benefit Analysis where we weigh the negatives and positives and choose the one with the most positives. We could Throw the Dice and leave the choice up to luck. We could Do Nothing and trust that fate will intervene. Sometimes we try and rope someone else into making the decision for us while reserving the right to complain about the results. And sometimes we just turn it over to someone else and pretend it never existed.
Choosing the process will effect your ability to maintain your spiritual health as the process plays out. Therefore, I want to begin the series with some tips on choosing the process that will best serve your needs.
In the next few weeks I will be exploring ways that these difficult choices can affect our body-mind-soul. I will not be offering ways to discern the best answer to your conundrum or resolve the issues at hand. Every circumstance is far too complex. But I hope to be able to give you some insights into how you can protect yourself from the damage that the process of making these choices can have on your spiritual life.
When we are striving to discern the best option in making a difficult choice, we may use one or two of several processes. We may use a Cost-Benefit Analysis where we weigh the negatives and positives and choose the one with the most positives. We could Throw the Dice and leave the choice up to luck. We could Do Nothing and trust that fate will intervene. Sometimes we try and rope someone else into making the decision for us while reserving the right to complain about the results. And sometimes we just turn it over to someone else and pretend it never existed.
Choosing the process will effect your ability to maintain your spiritual health as the process plays out. Therefore, I want to begin the series with some tips on choosing the process that will best serve your needs.
TIPS - Be Realistic About Your Choices
When choosing a way to make your choice you may want to consider these ideas.
Listen to your spirit, body-mind-soul. You know what is right. Your body-mind-soul is leading you. Let your best self lead you.
- Do not make more of the problem than is what is really in play. Very few decisions are life-changing. Many are inconvenient, and some are only in our head.
- Be gentle with yourself and allow yourself the opportunity to be right or wrong, in part or completely.
- Step back from your ego. Your value and worth as a human being does not depend on being right. Give yourself room to be you.
- Avoid catastrophizing a bad result. Some situations can and will have negative consequences. You cannot always prevent these and those that cause real and lasting devastation are actually rather rare.
- Avoid overemphasizing the positives of the choices. Rose-colored glasses and unwarranted optimism can lead you to choose a process that will likely lead to a poor result.
Listen to your spirit, body-mind-soul. You know what is right. Your body-mind-soul is leading you. Let your best self lead you.
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