When the Little Decisions Get Harder, it's a Good Sign that Something's Wrong

First published on March 21, 2018

When the little decisions get harder, it's a good sign that something's wrong.

When I'm in good form, I'm a dynamic decision maker. I love sending out emails fast, having decision making meetings, facing challenges, being in the moment. 

At the other end of the spectrum, when I am at my lowest, I can't make any decisions. They just don't come. I slip into a paralysed trap. 

With my coach recently, I've been playing with my compass. I have basically followed this compass since I was starting to think about changing careers - the path that in the end led me here. I used it first as a way to start breaking the paralysis: there are so many ways I could choose to go now, it's basically impossible. How do I choose? Pros and cons won't work because there's no way I can get my rational mind around a decision this complex. So, instead, trust a feeling, a very particular one, and see where it leads - take a step in that direction. If I get more of the feeling from the next step, take another. Then another. If I don't, stop and go back to the last time I had it. Then take a different step from there.

But it's harder to feel that feeling, to follow that compass, in some situations. It's harder to hear when you're lost in the gremlins and the voices in your head. It's harder to follow when your sense of self worth is lower.

What I've noticed, is the times when you most need your intuition to guide you, are often when your intuition shuts down. When we're anxious, or depressed. When we are low on money.

So what do you do? Stop all together? That doesn't seem quite right. 

Leap with no guidance system? That doesn't feel quite right. 

Some people would tell you - sometimes me - just take action. Then the inspiration will be let in. 

But the truth is, sometimes inspiration can't get in. Sometimes we are too ill, too poor, too depressed, too anxious.

Then our job is to get through the day. Wait out the storm. Hunker down for winter. 

Because Spring will come again.