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What a 16th-century mystic can teach us about making good decisions
Making Decisions
People usually make impulsive decisions and take shortcuts while stressed out. A 16th-century Catholic mystic, Ignatius, provides us with some methods of discernment and decision-making, which are still relevant today.
- Relying on Reason and Feelings: It’s important to use your logic and reasoning while also factoring in the feelings(head and heart both).
- Imaginative Reflection: Taking on a problem with different imaginative twists, like what would we do if we were dying, or if we were conversing with God or someone we trust, leads to clarity and perspective.
- Check Our Emotions: If the decision provides us with peace, freedom, joy, love or compassion, then it is the right one.
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Key Idea
Making Decisions
People usually make impulsive decisions and take shortcuts while stressed out. A 16th-century Catholic mystic, Ignatius, provides us with some methods of discernment and decision-making, which are still relevant today.
- Relying on Reason and Feelings: It’s important to use your logic and reasoning while also factoring in the feelings(head and heart both).
- Imaginative Reflection: Taking on a problem with different imaginative twists, like what would we do if we were dying, or if we were conversing with God or someone we trust, leads to clarity and perspective.
- Check Our Emotions: If the decision provides us with peace, freedom, joy, love or compassion, then it is the right one.
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Not Making Good Decisions
- We are quick to jump to conclusions because we fail to search for information that might disprove our thoughts.
The Four Villains of Decision Making
- Narrow framing: The tendency to define our choices in binary terms. We ask, "should I, or shouldn't I?" instead of “What are the ways I could...?”
- Confirmation bias: People tend to select the information that supports their preexisting attitudes, beliefs, and actions.
- Short-term emotion: When we’ve got a difficult decision to make, our feelings occupy our minds. And this doesn't add any new information that could benefit us.
- Overconfidence: People often think they know more than they actually do about how the future will unfold.
Defeating Decision-Making Villains
- Counter narrow framing by widening your options. Expand your set of choices.
- Confirmation bias leads you to gather self-serving information. Analyze and test your assumptions to overcome the bias.
- Short-term emotion will tempt you to make the wrong choice. So distance yourself before deciding.
- Prepare to be wrong. Don't be overconfident about how the future will unfold.
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Our emotions are short-term biased
Our emotions are obsessed with the present moment because it’s difficult to look past our immediate fears and anxieties. And this prevents good decision-making. The sweet s...
“Risky” behavior for long-term results
- Propose “moonshot” ideas, knowing that 90% of them will get shot down, but that if one of them gets accepted it will be a huge boost to your career.
- Be excessively bold in your dating life, stating exactly who and what you want.
- Buy a bunch of difficult books expecting that most of them won’t be useful or comprehensible to you, but also that, occasionally, one will completely change your life.
- Say yes to every invitation knowing that most of the events/people will be kind of dull and you’ll just go home early, but that occasionally you’ll meet someone really important or interesting.
Optimizing life for fewer regrets
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A checklist for faster, better decisions
- Write down 3 existing company goals impacted by the decision;
- Write down at least 3 realistic alternatives;
- Write down the most important information you...