Using the wise mind to guide decisions
I want to be wise, do you want to be wise? We tend to make better decisions for ourselves and for the course of our lives when we are using the wise mind. The wise mind is where our logic and emotion intersect, as you can see in the image above. Ultimately, we want to be using our logic, and our emotions to help guide us because both provide good information.
The problem is that most of us tend to rely more heavily on either our logic or our emotions. If you act purely out of emotions, you become a slave to your emotions, doomed to continue acting on your attachment to pleasure or aversion towards pain. You may find one day, that you’ve created a life in which you feel emotionally insecure, and/or dependent. On the other hand, if you act only out of logic, you may wake up one day and find you’ve created a life that leaves you emotionally unfulfilled and drained.
When making decisions, try to take into consideration how you feel when you think about each option, or how you feel when you’re experiencing each option. Then, utilize logic to explore pros and cons of each possible decision. Try to incorporate both the information from your logical brain and your emotional brain to come to a decision.
And, remember, it’s ok to make mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn, and we are not perfect. All we can do is take the information available in the moment and do our best to make the right decision. Ultimately, if we feel like we’ve made the wrong decision, there’s always time to course correct so try not to place too much pressure on yourself and utilize self-compassion when needed.