Emotions Aren’t Your Enemy
It’s easy to think of emotions as the enemy of good decision-making.
After all, when we’re feeling emotional, we’re not thinking clearly. We’re not being rational. We’re not in control.
But the truth is, emotions aren’t the enemy of good decision-making. In fact, they can be our allies.
Think about it this way: when we’re making a decision, we’re trying to choose the best option from a set of alternatives. And to do that, we need to weigh many different factors. We need to think about what we want, what we don’t want, what’s possible, what’s not possible, what’s likely, what’s not likely. We need to consider the short-term and the long-term. We need to think about the risks and the rewards.
It’s a lot to think about. And our emotions can help us.
When we’re feeling emotional, we’re more likely to pay attention to our gut instinct. And our gut instinct is often a very good guide. It’s based on our past experiences, values, and beliefs. It can help us to quickly and easily identify the best option from a set of alternatives.
Of course, our emotions can also lead us astray. We can let our fears get the best of us and make decisions that are based on anxiety or insecurity. We can let our anger cloud our judgment and make decisions that are based on revenge or retribution. We can let our happiness blind us to potential problems and make decisions that are based on optimism or wishful thinking.
But even when our emotions lead us astray, they’re not the enemy of good decision-making. They’re just a part of the process.
The key is to be aware of our emotions and to use them as information, not as directives. We must pay attention to what our emotions tell us and use that information to make the best decision possible.
