Education

Does Your Inner Voice Have the Answer?

When you choose based on intuition every shred of intelligence you’ve ever accumulated is brought to bear

Published

2 years ago

August 8, 2021

Jeff Davidson

With so many options bombarding us in our over-information society, we often waste time analyzing decisions when our intuition can usually pinpoint the most effective and useful choice.

The most effective decisions made often are the decisions that are made the quickest. The fastest way to make decisions involves using your instincts, or intuition. You’re already pretty good at this, if for no other reason than you’ve come this far in life.

Increase Your Powers

If you want to develop your powers of choosing based on to a finer edge, start a log. Write down your intuitive choice before making any final decision. Then, when enough time has passed to see the results of your more analytical decision, write them down and compare them to the results from your intuitive choice.

Logging choices enables you to track the accuracy of your intuition without forsaking your traditional decision-making procedure. As time passes, you’ll begin to notice how frequently your intuitive choices were good ones, and find yourself relying on your intuition more easily and more often.

Once you get cooking, you can bypass the realms of data and information that previously impeded your ability to choose. You can call upon your still, quiet, faithful, internal guidance system.

Intuition in Action

Do you have a dentist? Sure. How did you select your dentist? Did you visit the internet or open up a phone book and collect the names of twelve dentists near to you, then call each of them, and based on the call decide to visit five to seven, and in visiting their offices, discuss with them their billing procedures, background and expertise, staff competency, office hours, prices, and overall philosophy?

Then, did you whittle down the list to maybe two or three, perhaps call them back or visit on another occasion, do some background checking as to the reputation of the doctor, his or her longevity in the community, and professional standing? Then, and only then, did you decide on dentist A? Or did you choose a dentist based on who your parents or friends see, or where some referral service sent you, or simply the clever ad you saw in the phone book?

You probably used the latter method. You didn’t stop and analyze which dentist would be best for you: You picked a dentist by hook or by crook, and if that particular dentist didn’t work out, you switched once or twice. In short, you used a combination of references and intuitive processes to come up with your dentist. Why then, do you over-complicate so many decisions at work and in the rest of your life?

No Let Up

New information will hit you faster and faster as your life proceeds. You’re only going to be able to absorb and use a fraction of which you’re exposed. Suppose you want to get information on a particular type of product. You’re not going to find five or ten articles. Chances are you can identify dozens of articles or more — more information than you can manage. You’re going to have to trust your instincts.

Suppose you want to make a decision about moving to either town A or town B. What are the factors that you would logically consider?

* housing prices
* taxes, population, and population demographics
* schools
* crime
* community groups

* resources
* lakes, streams, trails, mountains
* the business community
* density
* nearby colleges
* churches, synagogues, mosques

* nearby beaches
* road systems
* shopping
* traffic patterns
* deviant groups!

You guessed it. There are dozens and dozens of factors that you could analyze and compare. In the end, your decision will probably be based on some combination of data (though not too much) and intuition (probably a lot).

Blasting Through Procrastination

When faced with too many decisions, your natural inclination is to procrastinate. Don’t beat yourself up; lots of people face this today. Decisions that would normally roll off your back become more involved when there’s too much on your plate. Here’s a list of ways to creatively break through the procrastination that stops you from effective decision making:

* Face Procrastination Head-On – What is blocking you? What is the real reason you don’t want to choose? Write it down or record it. This exercise alone may dislodge something and help you to decide.

* Choose to Easily Begin – Make a positive affirmation: “I can easily make this decision.” This powerful affirmation is often enough. You can easily maintain a list of daily affirmations that help you make decisions you might otherwise have delayed.

* Find the Easy Entry Points – Ask yourself, “What are three to five things I could do to progress toward the final decision, without actually tackling it head-on?” Then initiate these “easy entry” activities. Often, they are enough to get you fully involved.

* Set Up Your Desk for a Decision – Set up your desk or office to enable you to focus on the decision at hand, and ignore other less important matters. This might involve neatly arranging papers, file folders, reports and other items, while working at a clear desk, with only the issue at hand in front of you.

Move Forward Intuitively

When you choose based on intuition every cell in your body and every shred of intelligence you’ve ever accumulated is summoned and applied to the solutions you develop. Pay attention to your small voice; it will support you, if you listen to it.

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Jeff Davidson

Jeff Davidson is the world's only holder of the title "The Work-Life Balance Expert®" as awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is the premier thought leader on work-life balance, integration, and harmony. Jeff speaks to organizations that seek to enhance their overall productivity by improving the effectiveness of their people. He is the author of Breathing Space, Simpler Living, Dial it Down, and Everyday Project Management. Visit www.BreathingSpace.com for more information on Jeff's keynote speeches and seminars, including: Managing the Pace with Grace® * Achieving Work-Life Balance™ * Managing Information and Communication Overload®

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Education

Eight Dysphemisms to Start Your Week

A dysphemism is a word or phrase that is more offensive than the words it is replacing

Published

1 day ago

March 20, 2023

Jeff Davidson

A “euphemism” is the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that might suggest something more bluntly or offend others, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. To say, for example, “He doesn’t have all his marbles,” is regarded as gentler than saying “He is stark raving insane.”

The Mighty Dysphemism

The opposite of a euphemism is a “dysphemism.” A dysphemism is a word or phrase that is more offensive, blunt, or harsh than the word or phrase which it is replacing. For example, instead of stating that the Manhattan District Attorney is “cognitively challenged,” you refer to him instead as a “total partisan whack job.”

For your amusement, at the least, here are eight dysphemism followed by the kinder, gentler, or at least more definitive terminology of what is being said:

“Biting off more than you can chew” – Orally extracting an amount of edible matter that exceeds what one is comfortably able to masticate.

“That’s a load of B.S.” – Your assertion reminds one of bovine excretion.

“Sh__faced” – Bearing an expression that one normally associates with the act of removing solid waste from the body.

“Can’t tell your ass from your elbow” – Unable to differentiate between your dorsal side orifice and the joint connecting your forearm and upper arm.

“Stepping in a pile of crap” – A pedestrian venture into an accumulation of animal or human waste.

“Go F-yourself” – Engage in the act of physical consummation with yourself.

“Up to your eyeballs in crap” – Finding yourself surrounded at the visual level by unpleasantly aromatic organic waste.

“Carnal knowledge” – Having a close encounter with another, free of garments and other impediments, leading to direct tactile stimulation.

A True Time Saver

Thank goodness for dysphemisms. In a most fundamental way, they are true time-savers. Without them, we’d be groping for tedious phrasing all day long. “Up your nose with a rubber hose,” if you don’t “catch my drift.”

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Education

On Listening Carefully for the Sake of Your Children

The decades long lack of African-American academic achievement is a do-it-to-yourself proposition

Published

6 days ago

March 16, 2023

Jeff Davidson

I attended a two briefings at East Chapel Hill High School (ECHHS) for the parents of rising 9th graders. All parents of eighth graders received the same invitation. The first session focused on what courses students would need to graduate from high school and to be prepared for University studies, technical college, or direct participation in the work force.

I listened closely. I found the information presented to be so vital, that had I not attended I would be unprepared to assist my daughter in course selection in any meaningful way throughout her time at ECHHS.

At the first meeting, the nearly 200 parents in attendance listened with rapt attention as well s evidenced by the many questions. Graduating from ECHHS with the new requirements would not be a cakewalk. The demands were rigorous.

The eighth grade children of many parents, however, did not attend these crucial meetings. Only one African-American parent was in attendance at the first meeting although the African American student population was more than 12%. At the second meeting where parents had a chance to meet and listen to school counselors, department heads, and teachers, about 275 parents attended, three of which were African-American.

All of the above occurred in 2004. Such poor attendance is another disheartening aspect of our society that bodes well for no one. To me, this spelled the future of America. In 2023 – today – the 13- and 14-year-olds represented by the parents that night are now 32 and 33, out of college and graduate school if they attended, car owners, possibly home owners, heads of families, and hopefully participants in the economic mainstream.

Those students whose parents didn’t listen in 2004 were the most likely to be unprepared at age 13 and 14 and all throughout high school, and the most likely today to be unprepared to be a part of the economic mainstream. Yet, someone will say that education Chapel Hill is unfair or sets students to fail, and that it rewards only certain groups and deprives others.

They will be among the first to rail on about some vague notion of “social justice.” They’ll say the teachers are biased or that the educational system favors whites and Asians. This is simply not the case.

The decades long lack of African-American academic achievement is a do-it-to-yourself proposition. It has nothing to do with CRT, biased teachers, or a dozen other lame excuses. In another 19 years – in 2042 – I wonder if anything, at all, will be any different. I wonder if greater numbers of African-American parents will take the time to listen to school administrators, teachers, and counselors who hold vital keys to the quality of their children’s lives.

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