Some of our most difficult times are when we’re arguing with ourselves about something we need to decide. For example, one voice is saying ‘cut your hair – you look shabby!’ The other is saying, ‘I don’t want to!’ This may be one of the easier arguments to resolve, but, inwardly, arguments like these create a pattern that show up in indecision, lack of confidence, and confusion. So how do we learn how to make decisions? We’re trained from an early age to trust our left-brain, logical mind. And it certainly is a wonderful tool: Our left brain speaks clearly to us: cut your hair because that way you’ll look more professional at work, or more appealing on a date, or it’ll be easier to take care of. Those are sensible arguments. On the other hand, your intuition may be saying things like ‘but I like it longer’ or ‘I’d rather putter in the yard today’ or ‘I need to find a different barber.’ Your intuition resides in the realm of feeling. Try paying attention to it instead of shrugging it off or squashing it down. You might be surprised by what shows up—a memory of a horrible barber cutting your hair when you were four years old, for example. A lot of inward freedom occurs simply by your acknowledgment of your feelings. They emerge as calm, loving, reassurances of a very real part of yourself. What’s so great is that you’ll find it’s easier actually to make a decision, not more difficult, if you allow your feelings to be part of the discussion. Really listen to both: Your intelligence and your intuition are partners, not enemies. They both earnestly want to help you to make the very best decision you can. So involve both of them, equally. More often than not, they’re saying the same thing, in different ways.
