How do you know when you are making the right choice? What criteria do you use?
Here are the three most common methods that most people use from my experience:
Method One: External Logic
You take all of the so-called “facts” from the world and lay them out. You weigh pros and cons. You look at advantages and disadvantages. At some point, the facts lead you to some decision.
Method Two: Internal Intuition
You look for guidance beyond the external world of facts. You check in with your body. You use methods such as muscle testing, pendulums, runes, tarot readings, etc. to tap into internal wisdom that comes from beyond you. At some point, something “feels” right and that is your decision.
Method Three: Blending Logic and Intuition
Here you use a blending of the two methods above. You check to see what logic and facts tell you….and you seek guidance from within or beyond. The different proportion of logic vs intuition employed depends upon your personal belief as to which is more valuable.
These methods are obviously useful. I tend to use the last method the most…..if logic and my gut don’t agree, something “doesn’t feel right”, then I generally wait. When both are in alignment, then the decision is easy.
Pitfalls
We can make decisions as described above and still come to a decision that is less than optimal. There are a number of reasons for this, but the 2 biggest pitfalls in my experience are:
Blindness to our Personal Bias — When we weigh pros and cons and facts, we tend to choose which facts are important and which ones are not. What we include in our data set to be analyzed is determined in large part by our beliefs. Our worldviews, our prejudices, our natural tendencies and habits all guide what we choose to gauge as relevant and play a role in our “logical analysis”. We continuously need to question whether or not what we convinced ourselves was a fair weighing of the facts really and truly was.
Manipulation of the Intuitive Guidance — We can invisibly direct the guidance we receive. When I listen within, I can be open to any guidance or I can selectively choose what I want to perceive. When I use methods such as muscle testing, I can “trick” the system to give me what I secretly want. In fact, many people who value logic so much sometimes have a hard time trusting any intuitive guidance because they don’t know that they didn’t just “make it up”. There is a subtle but distinct difference between true intuitive guidance and “faked/controlled” guidance. With practice, you can begin to feel the difference.
Introducing a Different Criterion
So how can we ultimately know if we are making the best decision? I like the guidance that mystic Ernest Holmes gave us. Many years ago he wrote:
“The criterion for any man as to what is right or wrong for him is not to be found in some other man’s judgment. The criterion is: Does the thing I wish to do express more life, more happiness, more peace to myself, and at the same time harm no one? If it does, it is right. It is not selfish. But if it is done at the expense of anyone, then in such degree we are making a wrong use of the Law.”
(Note that by “Law”, he means spiritual laws or the power of our consciousness to create our world.)
Let’s break this down….as we consider any decision…..yes, definitely weight the logical facts and check in with intuition….but also ask these questions for each option:
Does it express more life?
Does it express more happiness?
Does it bring more peace?
Does it harm no one?
The fact is we are spiritual beings moving through a human experience. When we realize this at the essence of our being, we begin to release our beliefs in personal limitations that we are not good enough or don’t have enough, we release our attachments to what others think or believing that we are in competition with them….and instead we move to a place of knowing that we are here on Earth to live the highest and greatest life possible for ourselves and to be in service to the growth and evolution of everyone. When we look at life this way, then these questions can serve to guide us towards our best life….and one that works for the benefit of others as well.
I encourage you to use these questions as you consider the choices with which you are faced.
In an upcoming article, we will consider these questions against some real world examples.
Blessings,
Mark Gilbert
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Check out all of Mark Gilbert’s books—available at Amazon. Click here to visit his Author Page. This includes his very latest one Becoming a Spiritual Change Agent. Check it out!
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