“Truly successful decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.” Malcolm Gladwell

I read a great article this week about decision fatigue and I thought I would share it with you. See the link below. It certainly struck a chord with me because I’ve had to make so many decisions lately and it has seemed to be getting harder and harder to make those decisions. We’re remodeling our house which requires many details, we’re upgrading many things at LifePath, we’re creating our new Repassionate Retreats, etc., etc.
The article, by John Tierney, states, “Decision fatigue helps explain why ordinarily sensible people get angry at colleagues and families, splurge on clothes, buy junk food at the supermarket and can’t resist the dealer’s offer to rustproof their new car. No matter how rational and high-minded you try to be, you can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price.” The researchers have found that, “The more choices you make throughout the day, the harder each one becomes for your brain, and eventually it looks for shortcuts, usually in either of two very different ways. One shortcut is to become reckless: to act impulsively instead of expending the energy to first think through the consequences. (Sure, tweet that photo! What could go wrong?) The other shortcut is the ultimate energy saver: do nothing. Decision fatigue is related to a phenomenon called ego depletion, a term coined by the social psychologist, Roy F. Baumeister, and a phenomenon that has been researched extensively. These experiments demonstrated that there is a finite store of mental energy for exerting self-control. I can relate!!!
It’s an important concept to remember because we are living in a world that seems to be “speeding up” and we are also constantly inundated with digital information. So, what do we do? I’m choosing to slow down, meditate more often, take a break from the digital world and breathe. I’ll let you know how that works! And, that being said, I’m taking a couple weeks break from this newsletter and will be back January 8th! I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season and I wish you happiness as you continue your journey.
Just a reminder that I’m co-facilitating the Hero’s Journey Retreat with Mitch Ditkoff in a 3 day retreat in February, 2017! Don’t miss this special opportunity at a very special price. I’d love to have you join me. http://lifepathretreats.com/the-heros-journey-retreat