So…how did it go yesterday? How many times did you automatically reach for the object you chose, expecting to find it in its old location? (For those of you who are going HUH?…please read over yesterday’s blog.) Have you already moved it back to where it was originally and re-assigned it to its old function? How many times did you notice or think about the object when it was in its new place and doing its new job? How did you feel about having something “misplaced” in your immediate environment? Did you find out that the new location and function worked for you? What else did you experience?
Why am I asking so many questions?
Because the way you responded to this small change will give us some clues about how you respond to change. What you choose and how you respond to change have a direct relationship. And being willing to try new things is tied to creativity and possibility.
How so? We humans, for the most part, are creatures of habit. Once we decide what something is, we remove our attention from it and let it be. This allows us to be organized and efficient and, well, predictable.
But, let’s look at this from another angle. Every time we decide something is a coffee cup, we also decide what it is not (i.e. a plant holder) When we get into habitual patterns of thinking (about things, people, events, etc.), we often decide what they are without really taking a look at them…sort of like deciding on autopilot. We also call this deciding by default.
When you make a decision by default, you are still making a decision.< It’s just that you are unconsciously making the same decision – over and over again out of habit - rather than choosing consciously.
When you decide by default, you are making a decision based on history – what worked, what got you what you wanted, what was most comfortable at that time. When you make a conscious decision, you are taking into consideration your history and what feels right and best and possible for you right now.
As you go through your day today, when you are faced with decisions, check in with yourself to see if you are deciding by default or deciding based on who you are now and what you want now. Just by being aware that you are making choices and that you have choice, you will become more conscious of your decisions. Cool. Huh?
How we make decisions is just as important as the decisions we make..because how we make decisions creates or eliminates possibilities.
Just Imagine That!
“When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.”
- Tuli Kupferberg
