making decision

Beyondlogic Focusing is a procedure for turning intuitions, hunches (such as those described in the book "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell) or feelings into creative outcomes by accessing both the right and left brain processes at the same time. Focusing enables you to systematically generate reliable hunches by blending logic and data with intuition. Focusing is a whole brain process. We do this, literally, by paying attention to how we hold the "whole" of something in our bodies and we resonate between left brain symbolising and logic and right brain intuition and big picture. we are able to do this by ourselves but it works best when we have someone listen for us and reflect back the essence of what we are saying. What comes out of this process is a paradigm shift. You have all experienced paradigm shifts yourselves and seen them in the classroom; it usually comes with deeply expressive comment like:


A-haaa Oh yeah I just got it I get it now Yep, that's it exactly

Take a moment, now, to go back to a time when you used among those phrases. How did it feel? Can you recall how it felt in your body? My guess is that you are able to get back in touch with that memory as movements that encompass a paradigm shift, or creative move are usually processed in both our brains and our bodies simultaneously.

I am trying out beyondlogic focusing with decision making. Below I have written the instructions as if you are doing this as your own listener and writing your response. It may flow differently with a listener.



CALMER Decisions

How a lot of decisions do you make a day, in an hour in your personal life or work? How a lot of do you feel good about? How a lot of do you feel align with your your values or the values of the company/organization? How a lot of in reality draw on the depth of your experience...the experience that comes as a "just knowing all about something" - beyond just the data, rules or procedures in front of you or the theory of how it ought to be? How a lot of decisions can you make and so let them go because you know they're sound and somehow synchronized with the whole environment in which they're made?



STEP 1: CLEARING

Choose a decision you'd like to work with

Set it out in options: (thanks attend Ann Weiser Cornell for these set-up questions)

Shall I............................................ or

Shall I............................................ or

Shall I............................................ etc

Put off the desire to make the decision just now. You may need to just acknowledge this desire and place it to one side.

Notice how you feel about having to make a decision. Something in you may not prefer to make the decisions, or you might be worried about making the wrong choice, you might be overwhelmed by too a lot information, or you may feel frustrated by or fed up making decisions.

As each reaction or feeling comes up; acknowledge it or say hello to it and put it to one side - you might find somewhere, metaphorically, to place it where either it feels ok &/or you feel ok.

Note the quality of the clearer space as each concern is both acknowledged and put somewhere just right for you and it.



STEP 2: ATTENDING

Noticing what we know and what we do not know:

embark on with the sentence: "I do not know............................... and so complete it with "but this a lot I do know...................." (thanks again to Ann Weiser Cornell).

Keep repeating this sentence until you feel lighter or a sense of ease in your body. If you think you have reached the end but something is not quite comfortable or complete - wait- rest there at that fuzzy, unclear, uncertain edge. Stop searching a moment and see what comes next. Allow it to come to you. Ask the question and wait for the answer without effort or looking for. You may like to make notes at this point...just briefly jotting down the crux of the "somethings" that come...being scrupulous to avoid getting caught up in the desire to move to planning or strategies.

Repeat this process for each option.

Take a moment now to notice if any impatience about getting the decision made is advent up for you; or perhaps a part that feels guilty for not knowing the exact answer; or perhaps a part that believes that there is no answer. Acknowledge these in a friendly manner, accepting their role as your "inner risk management committee or solution-makers" and place them to one side for the moment. If any of these committee members finds it hard to be placed to one side ask them "what does it want for you or the decision right now?" and allow it to answer. You do not need to argue with the answer or justify anything; just acknowledge its point of view and ask it step aside for the moment.



STEP 3: Listening and resonating

Go back to your most significant words or images and circle them in your notes; these are words that seem to hold the most energy or connection for you. Ask, within, if there is something more, wait for what comes after the first round of words or images and note down what "more" comes. This may add to or modify your original "circled" words.

check out each among them...let them resonate in your body for fit. When you get a good "fit" you will experience a shift or slight alteration in how your body is holding all about this decision or situation. A knot in your belly may loosen, you may shrug your shoulders instinctively letting them soften, you may smile or even laugh. As you experience your felt shift the words may alteration or your sense of the decision may move.

You may like to note which words, images, metaphors, feelings etc imparted the felt shift.



STEP 4: Moving beyondlogic & Expressing

Sense into these significant words or images and see if they have a sentence that express them in their own unique manner. If, as you write the sentence you hear a little voice say "no, that's not it" or a sensation of tension comes (even if it's vague) pay attention there and wait for it to let you know the sentence that does express it.

Note down what comes; even linguistically incorrect or strange sentences hold a richness of creativity that cannot be captured by clichés or standard phrases. Be prepared to write a "rough" sentence.

Underline the key word or crux of the sentence.

Repeat this with any other decision options you identified at the beginning of the exercise.

With each sentence write down one instance all about this sentence - when it happened or what you noticed or what seems right about it. Repeat with any other decision options you identified at the beginning of the exercise. Notice if there are any relationships between the facets or examples you have given. Notice if there are any relationships or patterns that were not seen in the first sentences. Write down the new information that has come from crossing all the facets and the cruxes of the sentences.



STEP 5: Receiving

Receive anything more that comes from this process and until your decision comes to you....for that is the quality CALMER decisions ...they resolve naturally...you do not need to make them...they make themselves. Receive this decision allowing the whole of it to settle into your mind-body - not rushing to implement or strategy - taking time to thank and appreciate.



Have fun making decisions you are able to live with, that are in alignment with your values and you LOVE!