Use your Body as a Pendulum to make Better Decisions
Written by: Dez Stephens, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Making decisions in your business can either be easy or challenging. It’s easy when you “know” what to do, and it’s challenging when you feel fuzzy on what to do.
Being an effective decision-maker is considered a coveted skill in business, but we don’t always feel sure about our decisions.
Inherently, you are the absolute best person to decide on something in your business because your business is a literal reflection of you. Who else is better suited to making decisions in your business than you?
Sure, we get advice from business consultants and advisors. We seek guidance from our colleagues and sometimes even from our family and friends. This can distract us. What they would do or suggest is not necessarily what you should do.
Our physical bodies can intuitively serve us well when making decisions. Our bodies are always giving us information. Fatigue reminds us to slow down. Hyperactivity reminds us to drink less coffee. A stomachache reminds us to eat better. A sore back reminds us to use better posture.
It’s easy to go to the body for information. Your physical body knows things. All the things. Your emotions and thoughts are not as helpful when making decisions because these are fleeting. One moment you’re feeling this way, and another moment, you’re feeling something entirely different. Thoughts come and go quickly, making it hard for us to grab onto them.
Instead, using our body as a pendulum is highly effective for making “yes” or “no” decisions. This somatic exercise is easy to learn and easy to implement. First, stand or sit upright with your eyes closed. Relax and find what feels like your center.
Then, ask your body to give you a “yes” while leaning forward just a bit. In other words, you’re telling your body what a “yes” feels like. Then do this for a “no” by leaning your body back a bit, training your body that this is a “no” for you.
Now test it. With your eyes closed, ask a question in your head (or out loud) like, “My name is Dez,” and see which way your body leans. [Use your first name instead.] If your body leans forward, even as a micro-lean, then you know that you can now ask your body a “no” question to confirm it. Try using someone else’s name like, “My name is Fred,” and notice which way your body leans.
Once you determine a solid “yes or no” system, you can now ask your body anything that can be answered with a “yes” or “no” statement.
“Should I do business with so-and-so?”
“It is the right time to bring on another team member?”
“Is Tuesday the best day for this meeting?”
“Is it time to sell my shares?”
You can even use this technique in your personal life.
“Is this vitamin what my body needs right now?”
“Is it time to end this romantic relationship?”
“Will I benefit from having a child this year?”
This somatic technique is effective because you are asking YOU questions. Your physical body is an amalgamated version of your spiritual, mental, and emotional bodies. There is a deep knowing in your body. Your cells know exactly who you are and what is best for you. Trust your body.
Next thing you know, you’ll be doing this at the grocery store, deciding what to make for dinner!
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Dez Stephens, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dez Stephens is the Founder + CEO of Radiant Coaches Academy, a social enterprise and prominent international coach training school that certifies individuals to create vibrant, professional, private practices as holistic life coaches, wellness coaches, and business coaches. She is a certified + credentialed coach, master trainer, and marketing strategist. Dez is a social justice entrepreneur, a people's advocate, and planetary activist. She is a co-executive producer of the documentary film "End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock," highlighting Native women fighting to keep clean water on their Native lands in North Dakota and beyond. She is both passionate and sincere in helping people live more meaningful lives as a dedicated global humanitarian and social entrepreneur.
