What better way to make sure that your choices, decisions and actions have substance and soul than to include all of yourself? Your resources lie in all that you are, not only in parts of you. Many of us have mistaken objectivity with leaving our feelings behind, proactivity with throwing ourselves into action without reflection. If you really think about it, your best decisions and smartest moves were informed by your reactions, emotions, values and intuiton. Your feelings and motivations were present and clear, guided by correct thinking and catapulted by concrete action!
Make sure you see the whole picture by using the think-feel-act cycle:
THINK!
Don’t take anything for granted. Allow for reflection and rethink your premises and motivations when possible. Even on-the-go a brief pause can go a long way. Think together with other people if possible. Run it by them so they can help you see how your thinking is evolving. You don’t need to mull over every little thing, but taking a bit of time to think about it will, at the very least, inform your future decisions. Mindlessness is not a good way to go about life. Ask yourself the why’s, the how come’s the what if’s you need before, during and after taking steps in any direction. Thinking more will make your thinking better, so if for no other reason, do it to gain mastery of the way your wonderful mind works!
FEEL!
Your feelings are not the enemy. Feeling something might not work is your way of dealing with fears and insecurities, or real danger. Ignore it and it will come back to haunt you later in the form of implementation problems, regret or half-hearted efforts to justify your decision. Asume that your feelings are telling you something. Is it really dangerous? How can we prepare for possible pitfalls? Is it my fears talking? How can I learn to overcome them? You don’t have to over-analize your feelings. Just be with them for a while and see what they add to your exploration. I often choose between two options- when the rational has been explored thoroughly – by taking myself to feel how I sit with each of the scenarios. Often, an illuminating exercise that makes values evident! And what about positive feelings: excitement, joy, drive? They lead you in the way of your passion, your interests and values!
ACT!
Of course, it is our deeds that make a difference. No sense just thinking and feeling if we are not doing. As our expression in the world, there is really no “not doing”, as even staying still is an action of sorts. Move to action and be prepared to correct course by staying aware and on top of things as you act. Even acting on impulse will work out for you if you keep thinking and feeling in the process. Enjoy your power to do things and embrace what it sets forth. You are a moving target, so each action is only a part of who you are. Remembering that will help to bring your reflection into what you are doing every day.
I would love to hear your comments on these musings.
Do you think-feel-act on a daily basis?
Where is your biggest challenge?
Which of the three do you most frequently forget to include?
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That was wonderful Monica!
Here is what I think ( in addition to what you said above
)
At the level of thinking – Be wise. Don’t let your ego affect your judgments. We ought to let the rational as well as personal ideas enter the sphere of our analysis.
At the level of feeling – Be calm. Doubts and fears have to go.
At the level of action – Be alive.
Great post Monica!
Thinking- Sometimes getting too caught up in the details will cause a delayed action or even inaction. Think, Feel, Act!
Feeling- Analyze the facts and stay positive. What are your instincts saying?
Action- Make life happen!
Hi,
In reflecting briefly about the article, it seems to me that one help in the “think, feel, act” process has been what I might term “the stop factor.”
In other words, in noticing that I may need to reflect more before I act because of how I may be feeling, I make the simple decision to stop…
Long enough to think,
Check to see how the feelings are doing,
And act as it seems right to do so at the moment.
Not surprisingly, this process is often connected to what may be a dominate value of the moment that I may be focusing on.
By way of an example, noticing that I may be taking things a bit to fast — or how I am feeling in the moment — I may simply go through a process like this on the inside (having a nice conversation with myself, lol!):
“Okay, now stop.
Can you take just a moment and do _____?
Answer: of course!
Then just do it — it is what you value.”
In this case, the reflection is present, the feeling is noticed and the action taken based on the value highlighted by the moment…
Having all taken place because of what I am calling my “stop factor.”
Not sure this made sense but I would hope so (a bit on the tired side of life right now).
At any rate, I enjoyed the post. Thanks for sharing.
Lee