There's no such thing as a purely "logical" decision
The Daily Drip
Sometimes we let frustration and emotions get in the way.
It's part of being a human. We're not taught this in school, but we feel how we feel first, and then we decide what to do.
That's the just order of operations in our brains.
Amygdala > Anterior Cingulate Cortex > Prefrontal Cortex
Or put more simply:
Feelings > Signal distribution center > Conscious thought
The trouble is when we believe that our decisions are purely logical--that's impossible unless you have part of your brain missing.
Understanding and accepting this is a healthy way to look forward at future decisions and set ourselves up for success.
The goal isn't to eliminate our emotions, our goal is to experience them and regulate them so that we can reach our high-performance potential.
This week is intense for many of us in the US. There's a lot at stake.
The worst thing we can do is act out of our emotions.
It's our job to experience them, regulate them, and then use our conscious brain to understand why we are experiencing them.
The decision to rant on Facebook or retweet people comes from an impulsive reaction. Since the "share" button is so easy to press, it's easy to let our reactions out of the cage before we've had a chance to evaluate what we think about them.
This week, I urge you to snatch up your reactions and hold them. Look at them closely and ask where they come from.
The more we can respond thoughtfully (instead of just reacting carelessly) the more we'll be able to bring empathy and love.