Shifting From Pros and Cons to Knowing

When one of the women I mentor started debating her pros and cons list related to a significant career decision, I suggested she tune into what she knew versus what she thought, something I often hear in the Akashic Records.  Reflecting on this I realized I dropped my own once beloved pros and cons lists years ago and noticed how much more confident I feel without them.  While pros and cons lists might help when making more minor choices, they often undermine bigger, life-altering decisions.

Why shift from pros and cons lists to knowing?

• Investing time and energy in the list suggests you don’t know what you want.  Somewhere inside you your knowing awaits and can surface once the external noise and internal chatter subside.  Rather than make a list, get quiet, grounded, and still.  The answer shall come.  If waiting feels uncomfortable, focus lightly on what you know, not on what you don’t know.
• Collectively we’ve fallen under the spell of the right answer and the associated deep fear of getting it wrong.  Pros and cons focus our mind energy on finding the “right” answer but don’t always lead us where our souls long to head.  Plus as you tally pros and cons you might bias it to get the outcome you think you “should” or inadvertently overemphasize something of lesser importance to you and thereby bypass your own knowing while trusting a tool outside of yourself to compute the answer.
• Linear pros and cons don’t access heart and soul well, plus they tend to distance you from how the options feel.  Beware when thinking morphs into overthinking, when you end up questioning what you thought you knew, leaving you even more unsure.  In contrast, knowing feels easy and aligned.

For those interested in Jin Shin Jyutsu® (JSJ) acupressure self-helps, many support decision-making. Some options include Safety Energy Lock (SEL) 2 to address indecision, gallbladder and liver organ self-helps to harmonize the fear of dissatisfaction, or the powerful combination of placing your thumb on your SEL 18 (be still) with your fingers on your SEL 17 (intuition) for calm clarity. JSJ Safety Energy Locks  JSJ Organ Function Self-Helps 

When do you find pros and cons lists helpful and when don’t you?  Does giving up pros and cons lists seem scary?  How about a what feels aligned and what doesn’t list?