Pinball Choices and Decisions

example

Pinball machine going ding, ding, ding … shiny metallic ball bouncing off the walls and blinking lights. Imagine each time the ball hits something, it bounces off and off it goes to another possibly unknown spot in the machine. But eventually, it will come to rest at its final destination.

Can’t help but think of its similarities about how we make our decisions about our lives that each decision we have made and each action we have taken based on those decisions or choices had eventually shaped us to where we are.

Where we are today is the result of the many decisions and actions we have taken over the years and moments of our lives past.

Shouldn’t we be more ‘careful’ with how we make decisions then?

Growing up, I have often heard that when I’m in a hard place where I’m not sure whether I should follow my heart or my head, that I should follow my head as emotions tend to cloud my judgment and I’ll end up regretting those decisions. Looking back, there are some decisions and actions, despite using my head to lead then, have not made me feel happy or satisfied with those decisions.

Why is it that some things we do following our head because it’s right, feels so wrong but some things we do following our heart although it seemed wrong, feels so right?

So why should any of us choose only either our head or our heart to make decisions – whether big, complex or simple ones? Let’s use both our head and heart to make decisions and choices. Consider reasons and consequences from both dimensions. In essence, that’s what emotional intelligence is … a fusion of both logical and emotive considerations.