Learn How To Intuitively Make Decisions

One day I got an email from my sister asking me to visit her for the weekend in San Diego (I live in LA.) Like all brothers and sisters, we’ve had our ups and downs and I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to go. And yet, thoughts came like, “Come on, she’s your sister, go visit her!” And so, naturally, I felt conflicted. Not knowing what to do, I found myself spontaneously getting quiet and turning within.

As my mind quieted down, I began to FEEL into the question: “Do I see myself driving to my sister’s place this weekend?” I didn’t so much think about the question with the idea of wanting an immediate answer, as much as I simply meditated on it. Soon, I began to get this very clear feeling that my heart wasn’t into going. And in fact, I realized that to go would not only be out of alignment with how I genuinely felt, but who wants to be around someone when they are doing something out of a feeling of obligation rather than because they truly want to?

And so, I found myself emailing her back saying that I wouldn’t be coming to see her the following weekend, but we would get together another time. And as soon as I sent it, I couldn’t help noticing that not only did I feel good about my decision, but there were no feelings of guilt whatsoever… none.

This came as quite a surprise as often the desire in me to please others was so strong, that my mind would immediately begin to second guess itself, even calling the decision selfish (even though IT was the one that made it… oh, the irony!) But this time there was only peace. Why? Because it was just so clear to me that I wasn’t meant to be there that weekend… and that’s all it meant! (And in fact she ended up coming here for Christmas Eve and we had a great time.)

Once I stumbled onto this Intuitive Decision Making process, I started using it more and more, even for little decisions. For example, I remember opening my refrigerator and seeing an apple and a chocolate chip cookie on the top shelf.  Part of me wanted to eat healthy and part of me wanted that cookie! So, I asked my body what it wanted, got quiet and “felt” into it. Pretty soon it became obvious that, in that moment, my body wanted the cookie. And so, because I took the time to check in with how I truly felt (versus what I thought,) I was able to not only enjoy the cookie, but do so 100% guilt free.

Note that had my body wanted the apple, that would have been completely fine too. What you will discover is that following your authentic intuition in the moment is actually more important than the action itself, contrary to what the rational mind may think!

THE IDM formula: is the FEELING a Red Light, a Green Light, or Mixed?

At my Santa Monica Eckhart Tolle meetup, whenever I would share about this Intuitive Decision Making formula, I found myself using a simple traffic light as an analogy. Specifically, if the FEELING (again, it’s intuitive, not thought based) I got was a “NO,” that felt like a clear red light meaning STOP, do not proceed. On the other hand, if the feeling I got was a “YES,” that felt like a clear green light, meaning GO, or proceed.

However, what happens when you get a feeling that is mixed? In other words, where a part of you feels “Yes, I would like to do this,” and another part of you feels some hesitation, a “No, I don’t want to do” this or “I am not sure.” What do you do when this happens? The answer is nothing. You didn’t get a full green light telling you to do it, but you also didn’t get a full red light not to do it. Since you didn’t get a clear answer either way, you do nothing.

Now, most of us find it extremely challenging “to do nothing.” And the reason is that the mind’s knee-jerk reaction is to do something! Anything!! This is why we sometimes do things that are not in our own best interest. Because we become anxious and so we take action not because it’s the wisest thing to do, but simply to alleviate the tension we feel of NOT taking action. Simply put, the mind often believes that any action is better than no action, but this simply isn’t true.

So, to review:

An “all red FEELING” means pass. Whatever it is, my heart’s NOT in it, so I don’t do it.

100% Red = Congruency = NO

An “all green FEELING” means do it. Whatever it is, my heart feels good about it, so I go for it.

100% Green = Congruency = YES

And lastly, a FEELING of some red and green together tells me I am simply not yet clear (at THIS moment… note that it can change 5 minutes later. It’s all about being authentic in the moment with how you truly feel.)

If I were to give this feeling a color, it’s a mixture of some red and some green.

Red + Green mixed = Incongruent (Confused) = Do Nothing

I should mention that if you have a deadline approaching and still aren’t sure what to do, just watch your body… you will find yourself responding authentically, in real time, as the moment unfolds. The key is not to panic, but to trust LIFE to guide you. My experience is that it always does… and beautifully so!

FINAL THOUGHTS
Intuition comes from a place of pure not knowing. An open heart, silent listening, and trust in LIFE itself all pay huge dividends. And, like any skill, the more you practice IDM, the easier and more natural it becomes as you learn to make decisions from your heart, rather than from your head.

Collective-Evolution

Learn How To Intuitively Make Decisions

Learn How To Intuitively Make Decisions

One day I got an email from my sister asking me to visit her for the weekend in San Diego (I live in LA.) Like all brothers and sisters, we’ve had our ups and downs and I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to go. And yet, thoughts came like, “Come on, she’s your sister, go visit her!” And so, naturally, I felt conflicted. Not knowing what to do, I found myself spontaneously getting quiet and turning within.

As my mind quieted down, I began to FEEL into the question: “Do I see myself driving to my sister’s place this weekend?” I didn’t so much think about the question with the idea of wanting an immediate answer, as much as I simply meditated on it. Soon, I began to get this very clear feeling that my heart wasn’t into going. And in fact, I realized that to go would not only be out of alignment with how I genuinely felt, but who wants to be around someone when they are doing something out of a feeling of obligation rather than because they truly want to?

And so, I found myself emailing her back saying that I wouldn’t be coming to see her the following weekend, but we would get together another time. And as soon as I sent it, I couldn’t help noticing that not only did I feel good about my decision, but there were no feelings of guilt whatsoever… none.

This came as quite a surprise as often the desire in me to please others was so strong, that my mind would immediately begin to second guess itself, even calling the decision selfish (even though IT was the one that made it… oh, the irony!) But this time there was only peace. Why? Because it was just so clear to me that I wasn’t meant to be there that weekend… and that’s all it meant! (And in fact she ended up coming here for Christmas Eve and we had a great time.)

Once I stumbled onto this Intuitive Decision Making process, I started using it more and more, even for little decisions. For example, I remember opening my refrigerator and seeing an apple and a chocolate chip cookie on the top shelf.  Part of me wanted to eat healthy and part of me wanted that cookie! So, I asked my body what it wanted, got quiet and “felt” into it. Pretty soon it became obvious that, in that moment, my body wanted the cookie. And so, because I took the time to check in with how I truly felt (versus what I thought,) I was able to not only enjoy the cookie, but do so 100% guilt free.

Note that had my body wanted the apple, that would have been completely fine too. What you will discover is that following your authentic intuition in the moment is actually more important than the action itself, contrary to what the rational mind may think!

THE IDM formula: is the FEELING a Red Light, a Green Light, or Mixed?

At my Santa Monica Eckhart Tolle meetup, whenever I would share about this Intuitive Decision Making formula, I found myself using a simple traffic light as an analogy. Specifically, if the FEELING (again, it’s intuitive, not thought based) I got was a “NO,” that felt like a clear red light meaning STOP, do not proceed. On the other hand, if the feeling I got was a “YES,” that felt like a clear green light, meaning GO, or proceed.

However, what happens when you get a feeling that is mixed? In other words, where a part of you feels “Yes, I would like to do this,” and another part of you feels some hesitation, a “No, I don’t want to do” this or “I am not sure.” What do you do when this happens? The answer is nothing. You didn’t get a full green light telling you to do it, but you also didn’t get a full red light not to do it. Since you didn’t get a clear answer either way, you do nothing.

Now, most of us find it extremely challenging “to do nothing.” And the reason is that the mind’s knee-jerk reaction is to do something! Anything!! This is why we sometimes do things that are not in our own best interest. Because we become anxious and so we take action not because it’s the wisest thing to do, but simply to alleviate the tension we feel of NOT taking action. Simply put, the mind often believes that any action is better than no action, but this simply isn’t true.

So, to review:

An “all red FEELING” means pass. Whatever it is, my heart’s NOT in it, so I don’t do it.

100% Red = Congruency = NO

An “all green FEELING” means do it. Whatever it is, my heart feels good about it, so I go for it.

100% Green = Congruency = YES

And lastly, a FEELING of some red and green together tells me I am simply not yet clear (at THIS moment… note that it can change 5 minutes later. It’s all about being authentic in the moment with how you truly feel.)

If I were to give this feeling a color, it’s a mixture of some red and some green.

Red + Green mixed = Incongruent (Confused) = Do Nothing

I should mention that if you have a deadline approaching and still aren’t sure what to do, just watch your body… you will find yourself responding authentically, in real time, as the moment unfolds. The key is not to panic, but to trust LIFE to guide you. My experience is that it always does… and beautifully so!

FINAL THOUGHTS
Intuition comes from a place of pure not knowing. An open heart, silent listening, and trust in LIFE itself all pay huge dividends. And, like any skill, the more you practice IDM, the easier and more natural it becomes as you learn to make decisions from your heart, rather than from your head.

Collective-Evolution

Learn How To Intuitively Make Decisions

Drones to Make "Kill" Decisions on Their Own...

Scientists, engineers and policymakers are all figuring out ways drones can be used better and more smartly, more precise and less damaging to civilians, with longer range and better staying power. One method under development is by increasing autonomy on the drone itself.

Eventually, drones may have the technical ability to make even lethal decisions autonomously: to respond to a programmed set of inputs, select a target and fire their weapons without a human reviewing or checking the result. Yet the idea of the U.S. military deploying a lethal autonomous robot, or LAR, is sparking controversy. Though autonomy might address some of the current downsides of how drones are used, they introduce new downsides policymakers are only just learning to grapple with.

The basic conceit behind a LAR is that it can outperform and outthink a human operator. “If a drone’s system is sophisticated enough, it could be less emotional, more selective and able to provide force in a way that achieves a tactical objective with the least harm,” said Purdue University Professor Samuel Liles. “A lethal autonomous robot can aim better, target better, select better, and in general be a better asset with the linked ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] packages it can run.”

Though the pace for drone strikes has slowed down — only 21 have struck Pakistan in 2013, versus 122 in 2010 according to the New America Foundation — unmanned vehicles remain a staple of the American counterinsurgency toolkit. But drones have built-in vulnerabilities that military planners still have not yet grappled with. Last year, for example, an aerospace engineer told the House Homeland Security Committee that with some inexpensive equipment he could hack into a drone and hijack it to perform some rogue purpose.

Drones have been hackable for years. In 2009, defense officials told reporters that Iranian-backed militias used $ 26 of off-the-shelf software to intercept the video feeds of drones flying over Iraq. And in 2011, it was reported that a virus had infected some drone control systems at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, leading to security concerns about the security of unmanned aircraft.

It may be that the only way to make a drone truly secure is to allow it to make its own decisions without a human controller: if it receives no outside commands, then it cannot be hacked (at least as easily). And that’s where LARs, might be the most attractive.

Though they do not yet exist, and are not possible with current technology, LARs are the subject of fierce debate in academia, the military and policy circles. Still, many treat their development as inevitability. But how practical would LARs be on the battlefield?

Heather Roff, a visiting professor at the University of Denver, said many conflicts, such as the civil war in Syria, are too complex for LARs. “It’s one thing to use them in a conventional conflict,” where large militaries fight away from cities, “but we tend to fight asymmetric battles. And interventions are only military campaigns — the civilian effects matter.”

Roff says that because LARs are not sophisticated enough to meaningfully distinguish between civilians and militants in a complex, urban environment, they probably would not be effective at achieving a constructive military end– if only because of how a civilian population would likely react to self-governing machines firing weapons at their city. “The idea that you could solve that crisis with a robotic weapon is naïve and dangerous,” she said.

Any autonomous weapons system is unlikely to be used by the military, except in extraordinary circumstances, argued Will McCants, a fellow at the Brookings Saban Center and director of its project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World. “You could imagine a scenario,” he says, “in which LAR planes hunted surface-to-air missiles as part of a campaign to destroy Syria’s air defenses.” It would remove the risk to U.S. pilots while exclusively targeting war equipment that has no civilian purpose.

But such a campaign is unlikely to ever happen. “Ultimately, the national security staff,” he said, referring to personnel that make up the officials and advisers of the National Security Council, “does not want to give up control of the conflict.” The politics of the decision to deploy any kind of autonomous weaponry matters as much as the capability of the technology itself. “With an autonomous system, the consequences of failure are worse in the public’s mind. There’s something about human error that makes people more comfortable with collateral damage if a person does it,” McCants said.

That’s not to say anyone is truly comfortable with collateral damage. “They’d rather own these kinds of decisions themselves and be able to chalk it up to human error,” McCants said. Political issues aside, B.J. Strawser, assistant professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, says that LARs simply could not be used effectively in a place like Syria. “You’d need exceedingly careful and restrictive ROEs [rules of engagement], and I worry that anyone could carry that out effective, autonomous weapon or not,” he said.

“I don’t think any actor, human or not, is capable of carrying out the refined, precise ROEs that would enable an armed intervention to be helpful in Syria.”

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Drones to Make "Kill" Decisions on Their Own...

When to strike: Tense decisions for Obama on Syria

Farmers face tough decisions from delayed planting

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It’s decision time for many Midwest farmers stuck in one of the wettest springs ever: Plant or replant corn in muddy, puddled fields or collect crop insurance.

The USDA says 91 percent of the nation’s corn is planted; normal for this time of year is 95 percent.

The water-logged states of Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and North Dakota are all behind, but Wisconsin is the worst with just 74 percent planted.

Farmers still hope for a large harvest, which is possible if the weather cooperates. That would keep food and beverage prices steady.

A major worry is that the drought, which began last year in June, will return.

Corn and soybeans planted in wet soil do not develop deep roots. If it gets too dry too quick, it will spell disaster.

Associated Press

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Farmers face tough decisions from delayed planting