Pattern Interrupt » consciousness

Make Decisions the Way Mother Goose Taught You

Lira — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:18:29 +0000

Sometimes its hard to make the right decision. You’re afraid to take a step forward and make a big mistake. You don’t want to waste the time and effort trudging down the wrong path. You search and search for the RIGHT answer but you end up with more indecision than you started with. Plus, the situation keeps changing. The path you were 75% sure of three days ago has completely changed and now you’re back to a 50/50 chance of picking the right way. Or worse. You find yourself in an endless circle of doubt….

“Ring Around the Rosies
Pockets Full of Posies
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.” -Mother Goose

The truth is that many people get seriously stuck when making a decision. And when they finally do decide, they end up picking something based on emotion and then trying to rationalize the decision with logic.

So how can you circumvent the desire for instant gratification and still make the right decision?

Ask Mother Goose.

READY-AIM-FIRE

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the Kings Horses and all the King’s Men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again” -Mother Goose

WHAT IS IT?

READY-AIM-FIRE is one of the most prevalent methods for making decisions. You prepare yourself with information, aim at your intended target or goal, and then send all your efforts and actions towards the goal in a “perfect” arc. Unfortunately, there is usually a huge disconnect between AIM and FIRE.

How will you know if you’ve aimed at the exact right spot? You don’t. You can’t. Its called the future because it hasn’t happened yet. So a lot of people end up tweaking their aim, over and over and over again. Sitting on the wall, keeping all of their options open, until eventually the opportunity has passed them by. Analysis paralysis is a real problem and it afflicts millions of hard working people across the world. It’s a great way to end up shooting yourself in the foot instead of advancing towards your goal. Or finding yourself scattered in a million pieces because you waited too long to choose one way or the other.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

Instead of READY-AIM-FIRE, use the READY-FIRE-AIM approach. This is akin to the Hypothesis-Test method. You describe a hypothesis for what you want, and then test your hypothesis to see if its true. After you review the results, you modify the hypothesis and test again.

Remember, its called trial and error because you’re supposed to make a few mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with mistakes. In fact, they are one of the best ways to learn. If you believe that mistakes and failure are bad, then visit www.RecreateYourLife.com and change your limiting beliefs. They are only holding you back.

Brainstorm-> Organize-> Prioritize-> Execute-> Improve

“One, two, buckly my shoe
Three, four, knock at the door
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight” -Mother Goose

WHAT IS IT?

BOPEI is a popular decision technique across businesses and cubicles. It’s sometimes referred to as the trap of Continuous Improvement because each step “seamlessly” flows from one to the next. The process is designed to prove you’ve made the correct choice before you act and many people swear by it. Unfortunately, it’s not that straightforward. It usually takes a lot more time and effort that you anticipated and generally ends up causing serious data overload for everyone involved.

However, I actually like this method. In fact, I studied it for many years under the guise of Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and other quality Buzzwords. (Okay, you can all yell BS BINGO now. Done? Good. Lets move forward.) The problem isn’t the process, it’s the intention to create an impossible flawless result. At each step you may find yourself asking, ”Have I Brainstormed enough options/solutions/causes? Am I using the most efficient Organization technique? Is there enough data to Prioritize everything? Did I Execute it correctly? What else can I Improve?

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

To reduce all this complexity, place limits on perfection. For example, limit your Bubble Brainstorming session time to 1 hour. Only implement the most important 2 or 3 actions. Execute with what you know, right now, instead of what you hope you’ll know in the future. Your final answer will never be perfect, but you can always revisit it later.

The 60 Second Rule

“Inny, Minny, Miny Mo
Catch a Tiger By His Toes
If he hollers, let him go
Inny, Minny, Miny Mo” -Mother Goose

WHAT IS IT?

The 60 Second Rule is the absolute opposite of the first two decision making methods. Basically, you give yourself 60 seconds to make the decision and take the first choice that comes to mind. This tactic is great for small decisions or, big decisions with small consequences.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

Initially it feels really scary to JUST PICK ONE. But, over time, it becomes liberating to make a choice quickly and then use your energy to work toward your goal, instead of wasting it on an idealized solution.

It’s also easier to change your mind. Unlike the first two approaches, once you recognize a mistake, you can quickly select a new destination or intention and focus you energy on that. No overwhelming data stream can stop you from acting. And action is the only way you can reach your goal.

Trust Your Voice

“Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might.
Have the wish, I wish tonight.” -Mother Goose

WHAT IS IT?

Listening to your own internal Voice is the most effective method of them all. Simply ask the question and listen closely for your answer. Ignore your desire for instant gratification and the clamor of other people’s opinions that bombard you. Remember, your internal Voice is very different from your immediate desires. It isn’t fleeting or fickle. It’s the direct gateway to your Meaning and your Life Purpose. Your Voice is the knowledge of Truth coupled with the power of Choice. It holds the secrets of your deepest hopes and provides immediate access to your Consciousness.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

To activate the Voice when faced with a decision, ask yourself:

Is this me?
Does this choice feel like me?
Does it feel like The Truth? (as compared to a truth)
Can I accept responsibility for this choice?
Will I grow closer to my Life Purpose and Goals?
Can I feel it strengthening the deeper Meaning of my life?

Besides strengthening the belief in yourself and your decisions, listening to your Voice forces you to acknowledge responsibility for your actions. This is a phenomenal side effect that the other three decision methods do not inherently include. By using your Voice and making a conscious choice, you regain the Power you used to give away. Too often we let others make choices for us and then blame them for the consequences. Don’t do this. Accept the Power of Choice that is already yours and let your Voice guide the way.

Don’t Wait, Choose Today

In the end, it’s critical to realize that NOT making a decision is still making a decision. The world is constantly changing, which means that the “right” choice will transform into something completely different while you gather data and wait and wait and wait.

“The Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the spout again!” -Mother Goose

You will climb higher and learn faster by committing to your choices. Accept that you cannot know the exact future, that you will make mistakes, and grow from those mistakes.

By acting on a Conscious Choice you become an active participant in the creation of your life, your reality, and your future.

BREAK

What’s you decision making process? How do you ensure you take action after making important decisions? Share your ideas in the comment section!

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Express True Love

Lira — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:46:01 +0000

“Whatever you are doing, love yourself for doing it” — Thaddeus Golas

Love

It’s elusive, awe inspiring, and in the context of creativity, absolutely essential to the true expression of your art. In the creative form, love exposes the artist to the world. Your fears, your joys, and even your sanity are on display. You cannot hide. But love also gives back to you, the artist, with a deeper sense of acceptance. You may find acceptance from your friends or family, lovers or strangers, but only with True Love can you find acceptance of yourself.

A Garden Path

So how can you ensure that each word you write, each picture you paint, each act you perform contains that essential seed of True Love? You cultivate it. The journey of creativity lies in viewing the aspects of the inner self, good and bad, accepting what exists there, and using that fertile ground as the basis of personal expression and growth.

Once you involve your inner self you have every aspect of consciousness at your disposal; the creative Muse, the analytical Daemon, the truthful Observer, the loving Heart, and the choice of Free Will. Powerful tools. And the more you use them, the stronger they become.

Unfortunately, simply having these powerful tools won’t write the story, paint the picture, or perform the play for you. You must act. And creative action implies challenges. Every artist faces different challenges, but many have the same emotional roots. Judgment. Anger. Sadness. Apathy. Fear.

Here’s the catch, you must work through your personal challenges to reach your creative form of love…But you’ll need True Love to work through each challenge. That’s why True Love, as a form of creativity, is a nonlinear process.

Take Action

Just like any other worthwhile journey, to step on the creative path requires a leap of faith. To reach True Love, you must believe in it. You can do this. Simply choose True Love. Ask yourself if you want unconditional love, in your life, in your art, in your creative expression, and in every action you take. To choose True Love, is to choose transformation, change, growth.

“To see your drama clearly is to be liberated from it.” –Ken Keyes Jr, Handbook to Higher Consciousness

Then, go out and discover True Love by discovering yourself. Who are you? What do you believe? What are your likes and dislikes? What are your goals, your aspirations? What are your fears, your boundaries? What are your good and bad habits? What do you want to change? Tell the truth. Search until you have a clear picture of yourself in this moment. Write everything down in a journal so you have a snapshot in time.

Next, fall in True Love with yourself. Go on coffee dates, take long walks along the ocean, watch the sun set, meditate on gratitude. And take the time to accept exactly who you are and appreciate your true self. This is not the time to judge or promise you’ll change. This is the Honeymoon.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Now, simply take whatever step calls to you.

Perhaps you discovered something you wish to change. By choosing love, you choose to face the challenge presented to you. True Love grows from the courage to face challenges whatever the outcome.

Or perhaps you want to review how you’ve changed. Rediscover True Love by revisiting your journal, reassessing fears and boundaries, or redefining your goals and dreams. Write it all down and compare it to who you used to be. Celebrate who you are now.

Or, stay in the Honeymoon state, finding a deeper and deeper acceptance of your true self by experiencing life through the lense of True Love.

The Creative Spirit

“Love alone can unite living beings so as to complete and fulfill them… for it alone joins them by what is deepest is themselves.

All we need is to image our ability to love developing until it embraces the totality of men and of the earth.” — Teilhard De Chardin

With each pass through this process, your True Love will grow. As will your ability to express and share True Love in the creative form. Exercising this power can strengthen your entire consciousness.

Remember, your expression of art may be about any subject, but it requires True Love to provide the key element…. You.

BREAK

What does True Love feel like? How do you creatively express True Love? Share your ideas in the comment section!

If you enjoyed the article, please subscribe to LiraVaughan.com and share it with your friends using the Share & Enjoy social bookmarking sites. Thank you for your support!