Positive Uncertainty - Be practical and magical
Tips on how to be practical and magical about career decision-making?
- Become aware of your own decision strategies.
- Explore alternative strategies to determine the best approach for each decision.
- Use both your head and your heart.
Here is an activity to help you think through the practical and magical aspects of your decisions:
Think of a decision you made recently. What decision-making methods did you use to help you make the decision?
Fatalistic: I left it up to fate to decide
Compliant: I let someone else decide
Gut Feeling: I chose what my inner voice told me, what felt right
Spiritually Guided: Utilize prayer, solitude and retreat
Data Driven: Look for data to make an “informed decision”
List Approach: Pros and cons for each option
Play it safe: I chose the alternative with the least risk
Take a risk: I chose what would lead to the best outcome, regardless of the risk
Escape catastrophe: I chose what was most likely to avoid the worst possible outcome
Impulsive: Jump to make a choice right away
Procrastinate: Avoid deciding as long as possible
Collective reasoning: Ask for the opinions of people close to me
Why did you decide this way?
What do you believe is the correct way to decide?
What is your most common way to decide?
What have you learned about your decision-making habits?
Do you tend to use a rational or intuitional approach for decision-making?
How do you think you could be practical and magical in your next decision?
Changing one’s mind will be an essential decision-making skill in the future. Keeping the mind open will be another. Positive uncertainty helps clients deal with ambiguity, accept inconsistency, and utilize the intuitive side of choosing.
- H B Gelatt in 1989 *