Would it be fair to say that life can get confusing at times?
With all the noise, all the go go go, all the now now now… does it sometimes become hard to tell which end is up? The result is confusion and we need a simple cure.
But, how do we even know what to do next?
Okay, I’ll admit I’m exaggerating the problem, but I don’t think I’m too far over the line.
Last week I was given a cure for confusion…
Yes, a cure!… maybe not all confusion, but most confusion.
Seriously, I was listening to Donald Miller’s “Business Made Simple,” daily video blog. Stay with me, I know I just said business, but this is life simplifying stuff I’m about to share.
What if I said, “Life skills are business skills?” Would you agree? It goes the other way too… in so many ways business skills can easily become life skills.
So here goes, the simple trick that cures confusion… Donald came up with it through a conversation with a friend of his who said,
Don’t choose to be confused about something that isn’t confusing.”
—Doug Keim, Senior VP, Cox Automotive
In his video, Donald provided one super-simple, fill-in-the-blank sentence that will give you extreme clarity about most any decision or situation you’re struggling with.
“The unfortunate truth about the situation is _______, therefore the right action to take is _______.”
There you have it, an over-the-counter cure for confusion. You can’t get any more straightforward than that. What’s more, it won’t cost you a cent… just a few moments of careful thought.
Let’s try it on for size…
- “The unfortunate truth about the situation is I’m not saving enough money, therefore the right action to take is to wait until I’ve improved my finances before I buy that car.“
- “The unfortunate truth about the situation is I’m spending more time than I have now on outside commitments, therefore the right action to take is to say no to the invitation to help with the membership drive.“
- “The unfortunate truth about the situation is I haven’t had a vacation in two years, therefore the right action to take is to recognize they can get along without me for a week and schedule some time off now.“
See how that works?
It may not point us to an easy answer, but it will be a clear answer.
And you won’t be confused about what to do about something that isn’t really confusing.
This simple trick will help you navigate yourself around the hard choices and confusion inducing thoughts like…
- I don’t want to X
- I want them to be happy
- I want them to like me
- I want the best for them
- I deserve that
- I don’t deserve that
- I shouldn’t have to Y
You get the idea; the cool thing is it really works. With a little practice you’ll have a whole lot less confusion in your life. And that’s a good thing.
Be untucked.
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See Donald Miller’s un-confusing video here.
Other LifeUntucked posts you may enjoy…
Contradictions, New Ideas, Changing Your Mind… And How You Can Get There from Here
Filtering Information Overload — How Much Are You Letting In?
“Does it bring you joy?” is a better question than you may think.
Copyright © 2019 Jeff Meister
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