3 Tips to Faster, Better Decisions! (By Not Making Them)

3 Tips to Faster, Better Decisions!

(By Not Making Them)

By Lisa Puzo Strickland

     We’ve all been in situations demanding a fast answer. Or sat in long, laborious brain-storming sessions expected to find the perfect solution to a boggling issue. But, a quick yes, no, or maybe-so isn’t always possible. More times than not, brilliant conclusions don’t come when we want them, but later when we let them. 

     A nifty thing happens inside of our brain when we’re trying to force a decision or solution. Microtubules line up in an organized sequence, like tiny soldiers all facing forward. This process is called neural synchrony, and it’s what allows us to selectively pay attention to one thing at a time. Without neural synchrony, we’d spend our whole day confronted with mass amounts of outer stimuli all at once, resulting in a cerebral experience similar to the 'white noise' static we hear when a tuner is caught between two radio stations.  

"More times than not, brilliant conclusions 

don't come when we want them,

but later when we let them."

     Although we need this micro-merging to survive and surmise, there are times when it can get in the way of good old-fashioned inspiration. Strong focus on one thing can cause us to miss those quieter, often-fabulous thoughts that are trying so desperately to catch our mind's eye. Over-focus can also lead to indecisiveness and wrong decisions. But, by purposefully de-focusing, we can unhinge those neural soldiers, thus allowing our deeper intelligence to arise and our magnificence to shine. 

     These 3 tips are designed to grant our brain the breathing room needed for ingenuity and intuition to work their best magic. They help us shift from beating our head against a locked front door to hearing the answer call out from an open side door.

Get Distracted . . .

     Shift gears away from the decision making. Take a 5-minute walk outside and imagine your next vacation. Or, change the group discussion to something simple and happy, like what each person would do if they won the lottery. Grab some coffee. Pick up a guitar. Any kind of break from focus will encourage those microtubules to chill out and get our minds wandering towards fresher, more innovative solutions. 

Get Crazy . . . 

     Many times, a counterintuitive decision is later proven to be the best decision. We can test this theory by boldly asking, “What if?” followed by a completely offbeat idea, like bacon ice cream or peppermint pizza. Crazy, after all, can be profitable. Should the company hire instead of fire? Increase rather than cut? Maybe painting the entire room purple or taking that job across the country aren't such nutty ideas after all! At the least, the mere act of considering the opposite of obvious will exponentially expand your vision and realm of possibilities. 

Get High . . .

     Both prayer and meditation not only heighten our spiritual senses, but are known to have many cognitive benefits as well. A relaxed and appreciative state of mind calms the body and sparks the marvelous. Clearer, more creative thoughts become free to float to the conscious level when we connect to both our higher selves and Higher Source.  

For more, visit Lisa at Facebook.com/IntuitionEvolution.