Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

How to Make Good Choices: A System for Decision Making

83 snips

Nov 18, 2024

Making big life choices can be daunting, but there are ways to simplify the process. The discussion highlights a system that balances intuition and analysis, focusing on personal values. Listeners explore five decision-making styles and common pitfalls like rigidity and excessive certainty. Real-life demonstrations provide insights on navigating career and romantic decisions. Emphasizing self-awareness and a positive mindset, the conversation encourages embracing emotional and rational factors for more fulfilling choices.

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ADVICE

Balance Head and Gut

Balance analytical thinking with gut feelings when making big decisions.
Gather information from both rational and intuitive channels.

INSIGHT

Agency's Double Bind

Having agency, while stressful, signifies freedom and the ability to affect circumstances.
Improve decision-making and make the process more enjoyable.

ADVICE

Focus on the Essence/ the Why

Focus on the essence of what you want, not just the form.
Clarify your "why" and don't mistake activities for results.

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We all have to make big choices in life, but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when facing major decisions about careers, relationships, or personal growth. In this episode, Forrest and Rick Hanson explore how to develop a reliable system for making choices that align with your values and goals. They break down balancing analysis with intuition, the five key decision-making styles, and common obstacles that lead to poor choices. The episode also includes two live demonstrations of working through a big decision, which includes learning how to identify what you want and pursue it from a values-oriented perspective.

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

3:50: Analysis vs. intuition, and activities vs. results

10:45: Effort, values, and the environments you put yourself in

17:05: The five decision-making styles

28:50: Motives and attachment

33:30: Rigidity, excessive certainty, and other common pitfalls

42:10: Demo #1 - Reverse-engineering a career decision (or Rick with a legal pad)

1:04:55: Demo #2 - Deciding whether to invest deeply in a romantic relationship

1:18:00: Recap

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