Our love affair with logic may be coming to an end …
Stop. Take a look around you. Now ponder this: your life in this moment is a reflection of all of the decisions that you have ever made.
Sure, you have sometimes been confronted with events that appear out of your control but it is ultimately your decisions – trivial, significant, easy, agonising, instantaneous, or meticulously planned – that have shaped you, guided you, and delivered you to the present moment.
Over the past 300 years, since the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment, most people have been encouraged to use logic, rationale, and reason when making decisions. Our minds have been considered to be infallible computers and it has been assumed that, with the right data, intellectual prowess, and step-by-step logic, we can always “think” our way to the best outcome.
However, in recent years, researchers have started to unravel the truth behind our choices and have confirmed that unconscious factors often influence the decisions you make, without you being aware. This is concerning for a number of reasons, particularly for those who rely purely on intellect and logic to make life’s important decisions.
Firstly, it is understood that your subconscious mind is positively teeming with thoughts (estimated at up to 11 billion pieces of information per second) and yet you will only ever be aware of a tiny fraction of this mental chatter (40 -50 bits per second).
Secondly, it is believed that between 90-96% of your thoughts today are the same thoughts you had yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that … Effectively, your subconscious mind is a broken record, stuck on a loop created in your early childhood.
What this means is that, no matter how hard you resist, most of your decisions are subject to a huge array of invisible factors such as others’ actions and suggestions, unconscious prejudices and biases, old emotional patterns, and the ingrained expectations of how your life should look. Even your most rational, logical, and well-planned choices can be unconsciously driving you to repeat the past, fulfill others’ expectations, or manifest a deep-set belief about yourself.
This is obviously not a problem for those who have been blessed with positive self-chatter and uplifting subconscious programming (“I’m a success. I draw abundance to me. I am capable of anything”). However, for most of us, it is negative self-talk and limiting thought patterns that underpin each and every decision we make.
How do I make more empowered decisions?
Recently, modern science has confirmed that logic is truly only helpful when faced with simple decisions; when it comes to complex choices, it is our instinctive, gut-driven decisions that often prove to be most effective.
This makes sense when you take into account recent, irrefutable evidence of a powerful unconscious force within you; a natural mental aptitude that, if utilised, can help you make wiser and more empowered decisions.
Over the past century, researchers have revealed that we are all intuitively connected to the world around us and even, according to some experiments, to possible future events. It is exciting to note that when we draw upon this intuitive connection, we can bypass the limiting thought patterns, prejudices, and self-sabotaging beliefs that dwell in the shadows of our personal subconscious.
Instead, we approach decisions from a truly empowered position; one where we are instinctively aware of the intentions of others, the probable consequences of our decisions, and, importantly, the true depth of our own talents, purpose, and strength.
By balancing logical thought with our inner GPS, we are able to make decisions that lead us away from the patterns of the past, and into a life of new possibilities.
Learning to move beyond logic and ‘hear’ your inner GPS can take time and practice but, thankfully, there are evidence-based tools and practices that can help you train your intuitive connection. Check out my self-paced online course if you’re keen to learn more.
2024 is the Year of Living Deeper — a year where we make space and time for our inner GPS to guide us and inform our most important decisions.
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