Contents
- 1. Is it more difficult for young people to make decisions or is it independent of age?
- 2. Why do we separate “head” and “heart” at all?
- 3. What happens if you listen only to your head all the time?
- 4. What will happen if you always listen only to your heart?
- 5. Do decisions from the heart make us happier in the long run?
- 6. Does the heart protect against burnout?
- 7. Why is it so difficult and tiring to make decisions with your head, and then execute them?
- 8. Why is the choice of heart often disapproved of by others?
- 9. In what areas of life is it necessary to listen only to the heart or only to the mind?
What is the best way to go about making a decision? When is it worth using a cold mind, and when to follow the call of the heart? Or is it not necessary to choose between the first and second and you can find some kind of «golden mean»?
“Different forces are at work in us: the mind wants a meaningful, rational decision. Feelings, on the one hand, are controlled by fear, on the other hand, they “see” our potential and are ready to throw, like puppies, into the maelstrom of new opportunities,” says Natalie Marchinkowski, psychologist and author of The Guide to Happiness.
And yet what should we listen to — the call of the heart or the voice of reason? Natalie Machinkowski answers 9 key questions and explains what ultimately leads to joy and development.
1. Is it more difficult for young people to make decisions or is it independent of age?
Huge opportunities require a more conscious attitude towards yourself and your desires. You need a special flair to choose the right one from the many options. Therefore, it is more difficult for the young than for the older generation. Our parents just had to adapt to a life that proceeded within a clear framework along a route known in advance.
2. Why do we separate “head” and “heart” at all?
When making decisions with our “head”, we often rely on rational arguments based on past, mostly negative, experience. And the “heart” leads us into the future, it is a compass that points to opportunities. It is the heart that continually strives to pull us out of the notorious comfort zone into which the mind pulls.
By listening to the heart, we can overcome the “brave zone” and the “panic zone”. And just behind them opens the very potential that our heart sees from afar. In order to cope well with all areas and reach potential, the head and heart must definitely work together.
The heart determines direction and purpose. The head “looks” around, deciding which step towards the new goal will be optimal. Both centers — head and heart — must constantly stop, evaluate risks, look at fears and, possibly, adjust goals.
3. What happens if you listen only to your head all the time?
When we allow it to constantly gain the upper hand, we run the risk of moving away from ourselves and staying in place. We do not move forward internally because we get stuck in assessing past experience and risk analysis. We may even climb the corporate ladder, but we don’t feel satisfied because our heart doesn’t participate and doesn’t resonate.
But there is an advantage: we move in maximum safety. We have the credible reliability, control and predictability.
4. What will happen if you always listen only to your heart?
We can find ourselves in a situation that at first emotionally overwhelms us, scares us, causes uncertainty. But we will develop, change for the better, become who we really are. Become authentic. And in the end, the choice of the heart will bring us joy.
5. Do decisions from the heart make us happier in the long run?
Yes. If we decide with our hearts, then we find ourselves in the flow, and the doors open in front of us absolutely automatically. A single decision can cause many different events that will pleasantly surprise you: new useful acquaintances, support from unexpected sources.
6. Does the heart protect against burnout?
Our health depends on whether we listen to both the head and the heart at the same time. If we are ignorant, if we do not want to accept both, the body will definitely report this and “slow down” us.
7. Why is it so difficult and tiring to make decisions with your head, and then execute them?
If we only listen to the head, we are not in the flow. Each of us has a natural desire to move forward, to develop. And it is quite logical that when we swim against our inner current, we get tired. When the forces run out, feelings take over and the decisions of the heart are obtained «to rupture the aorta.» Therefore, it is always important to listen to ourselves and clarify what we really want.
8. Why is the choice of heart often disapproved of by others?
For many, it is important to first achieve stability and gain control over the situation so that emotional decisions do not then unbalance for a long time. Decisions of the heart are not made by those who feel badly about their desires.
9. In what areas of life is it necessary to listen only to the heart or only to the mind?
In all areas of life, you need to make a decision with your heart in order to become happy in the future. This does not mean that the head should be completely turned off. For example, we do not leave a highly paid position and do not leave for freelance artists without a financial «airbag».
The head helps us stay honest with ourselves and open to further possibilities. And the best thing about these days is that we can always find a new way for ourselves.