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	<title>Studio Notes by Shai Coggins&#187; Psychology + Development</title>
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	<link>http://www.shaicoggins.com</link>
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		<title>What&#8217;s your type?</title>
		<link>http://www.shaicoggins.com/whats-your-type/</link>
		<comments>http://www.shaicoggins.com/whats-your-type/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:50:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shai Coggins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Psychology + Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jung typology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MBTI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Myers Briggs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Myers Briggs Type Indicator]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personality types]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psychology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.shaicoggins.com/?p=2135</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[During a conversation with a few Twitter buddies, the topic of Myers-Briggs type came up. It was an interesting chat about who has similar typology, and we even ended up starting a Myers-Briggs Type spreadsheet for Tweeps in Adelaide. There were discussions about why people appear to be more of a certain type to others, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>During a conversation with a few Twitter buddies, the topic of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator" title="Myers-Briggs Type">Myers-Briggs type</a> came up. It was an interesting chat about who has similar typology, and we even ended up starting a <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmfiOHHYt2ZBdGFvTW5zYzdtMEoyRmh0WENzYXJaNUE#gid=0">Myers-Briggs Type spreadsheet for Tweeps in Adelaide</a>. </p>
<p>There were discussions about why people appear to be more of a certain type to others, but reported a different type. And, if it was possible for people&#8217;s types to change over the years. Or, shift, depending on circumstances. </p>
<p>And, for those who might want to know, I&#8217;ve always tested as <a href="http://www.personalitypage.com/INFJ.html" title="INFJ">INFJ</a>. </p>
<p>What about you? What type are you?</p>
<p>If you don&#8217;t know your Myers Briggs type yet, you can try this simple online version of <a href="http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp" title="Jung Typology / Myers- Briggs Typology">Jung Typology/Myers Briggs Type Indicator</a>. However, if you want the official test, you can go <a href="http://www.capt.org/take-mbti-assessment/mbti.htm" title="Myers-Briggs Type Assessment">here to take the Myers Briggs Type Assessment</a> instead (you might need to pay for the results).</p>
<p>You can also read up about <a href="http://www.personalitypage.com/html/high-level.html">the 16 personality types here</a>.</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">You Might Also Like To Read...</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/women_psychologists/" title="Women Psychologists">Women Psychologists</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<title>This Strange Thing Called Gut</title>
		<link>http://www.shaicoggins.com/this-strange-thing-called-gut/</link>
		<comments>http://www.shaicoggins.com/this-strange-thing-called-gut/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:58:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shai Coggins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Psychology + Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decision-making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decision-making skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decisions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gut]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[instincts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.shaicoggins.com/?p=2123</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You have to master not only the art of listening to your head, you must also master listening to your heart and listening to your gut. &#8211; Carly Fiorina Some people recently expressed their concern about my tendency to make judgements based on &#8220;gut&#8221;. It&#8217;s inexact, someone said. You can&#8217;t make your decisions based on [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p><em><strong>You have to master not only the art of listening to your head, you must also master listening to your heart and listening to your gut.</strong> &#8211; Carly Fiorina</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Some people recently expressed their concern about my tendency to make judgements based on &#8220;gut&#8221;. </p>
<p><em>It&#8217;s inexact</em>, someone said.</p>
<p><em>You can&#8217;t make your decisions based on something you can&#8217;t quantify or qualify</em>, another said. </p>
<p><em>Everything else pulls together and looks right, all that&#8217;s stopping this whole thing is something that you can&#8217;t even put your finger on. How can you do that?</em> Someone questioned.</p>
<p><em>It&#8217;s not right to decide against something that you can&#8217;t explain clearly,</em> they argue.</p>
<p><strong>Yet, every time I made decisions that went against my own instincts, I see things begin to unravel bit by bit, until it all falls apart. </strong></p>
<p>Like the time I agreed to hiring some people that I wasn&#8217;t 100% sure with &#8211; and most of them ending up with different degrees and classifications of issues. </p>
<p>Or saying yes to a job that I felt wasn&#8217;t quite right, but circumstances and external voices said I should do it &#8211; so, I did. In the end, encountering so many unnecessary heartaches and headaches. </p>
<p>Or trusting the word of a guy that I liked even though every ounce of my inner being was screaming out not to. Again, unnecessary heartaches and headaches followed. </p>
<p><strong>Each moment that I end up trusting my own judgements, whether I&#8217;m able to articulate the rationale behind each one or not, I end up with fewer regrets. </strong></p>
<p>Like when I applied to a job that provided a number of great opportunities for me, even though at that time, I wasn&#8217;t looking for work and I had other plans. </p>
<p>Or, when I applied to study in a university almost last minute, just because something inside me told me I should. That whole experience became instrumental in my life in a number of ways. </p>
<p>Or, when I said yes to marrying my husband, even though we barely knew each other at the time and some people expressed grave warnings and all. Yet, the overwhelming direction I felt was that it was the right thing to do that time. No matter what happens, it was a choice that I could stand by. Now, almost 12 years later, we&#8217;re still together. And, it has been quite a dozen years! </p>
<p>Or when my husband and I decided to pull out our son from a school even though he was only 2 weeks in to starting there. When we felt something was wrong, we bit the bullet and left the said school. A couple of years later, an acquaintance of ours from that school told me that there were a lot of things wrong happening there and we were lucky we managed to get our son out when we did. </p>
<p><strong>Still, I end up with naysayers and unbelievers of <em>The Power of Listening to Your Gut.</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p><em><strong>&#8220;Trust your gut instinct over spreadsheets. There are too many variables in the real world that you simply can&#8217;t put into a spreadsheet. Spreadsheets spit out results from your inexact assumptions and give you a false sense of security. In most cases, your heart and gut are still your best guide.&#8221; </strong>- Naveen Jain</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Yes, I can&#8217;t always explain why I do what I do.</p>
<p>Why I quit jobs that seem okay from the outside, but are all wrong from the inside. Why I ended up with a whirlwind wedding. Why I left the U.S. to go back to Manila. Why I ended certain friendships. Why I expressed doubts over certain possible business partners, colleagues, or collaborators. </p>
<p>That&#8217;s why even though I know that the reasoning of &#8220;Because my gut tells me so!&#8221; will never be enough for most people, I can&#8217;t help but listen to what my own instinct tells me. </p>
<p>If someone else doesn&#8217;t agree with me, then that&#8217;s okay. If it&#8217;s a decision that I can&#8217;t make on my own, I am willing to trust other people&#8217;s judgements too. Just as long as they know what I thought and if I was able to express my misgivings. If they decide to override my feelings, then we just need to have an understanding on how to deal with the results of that decision, without having to play &#8220;the blame game&#8221;. </p>
<p><strong>How about you? How much do you trust your gut? Do you make decisions based on your instincts?</strong></p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">You Might Also Like To Read...</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/decisions-decisions-decisions/" title="Decisions, Decisions, Decisions">Decisions, Decisions, Decisions</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Finding The Bigger Yes</title>
		<link>http://www.shaicoggins.com/finding-the-bigger-yes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.shaicoggins.com/finding-the-bigger-yes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:17:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shai Coggins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Psychology + Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Serious Work + Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ambitions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[priorities]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.shaicoggins.com/?p=2030</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage &#8212; pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically &#8212; to say &#8216;no&#8217; to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger &#8216;yes&#8217; burning inside.&#8221; ~ Stephen Covey I&#8217;d like to think that I&#8217;m a fairly driven, passionate person. My ultimate dilemma [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage &#8212; pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically &#8212; to say &#8216;no&#8217; to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger &#8216;yes&#8217; burning inside.&#8221;<br />
~  Stephen Covey</em></p></blockquote>
<p><img src="http://shaicoggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/stock-photo-16837771-yes.jpg" alt="The Bigger Yes" align="right" />I&#8217;d like to think that I&#8217;m a fairly driven, passionate person. My ultimate dilemma is not the lack of fire in the things that I do and the way I live life &#8211; but the knowledge of where my fire would burn best and brightest. Not just for myself, but for those around me. Especially for those that I care about the most.</p>
<p>Recently, I&#8217;ve been confronted by the questions: </p>
<p><em>&#8220;So, what do you really want to do?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Now, what are your plans from here?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What is it exactly that would make you happier?&#8221;</em></p>
<p>When you&#8217;re doing what you love, in a place where you want to be, with people you like, I realise that those questions are pretty tough. Especially because life isn&#8217;t always clear cut. Nothing&#8217;s ever perfect, though I feel lucky enough to have days that are as near to perfect as they could get. Both in life and at work. </p>
<p>The trouble is, when I&#8217;m happy and doing well, I tend to just say yes. Yes to more work. Yes to other challenges. Yes to opportunities. Yes to changes. Yes to doing other things. </p>
<p>And then I begin to wonder, if I am really happy, then why am I beginning to feel worn out? </p>
<p>Why do I feel like I have ordered a large tub of triple chocolate ice cream that I want to finish, but am having trouble swallowing every spoonful that I try to eat?</p>
<p><strong>Find that Bigger &#8216;Yes&#8217;&#8230; </strong></p>
<p><em>No one can do it all, even if it means doing all that you like to do. </em></p>
<p>Learning to say no to some things that I like would be easier, if I know that by doing so, I can say YES to things that I like <em>more</em>.</p>
<p>So yeah, saying no to big tubs of triple chocolate ice cream might be a good idea, if it means I can make room for&#8230; Wait. Hang on a minute. What other edible delight can I want more than triple chocolate ice cream anyway?  </p>
<p>How about you? Do you know what&#8217;s your bigger &#8216;yes&#8217;?         </p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">You Might Also Like To Read...</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/because-you-can-cook-masterchef/" title="Just because you can cook, it doesn&#8217;t mean you should go on MasterChef.">Just because you can cook, it doesn&#8217;t mean you should go on MasterChef.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/10-ways-to-kick-start-work-in-the-new-year/" title="10 Ways to Kick-Start Work in the New Year">10 Ways to Kick-Start Work in the New Year</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/5-quotes-on-how-to-motivate-people/" title="5 Quotes on How to Motivate People">5 Quotes on How to Motivate People</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/if-island-dream-and-more-about-memes/" title="IF: Island Dream (and more about memes)">IF: Island Dream (and more about memes)</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/447/" title="<3 in Lights"><3 in Lights</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>On Being Erica and Life&#8217;s Regrets</title>
		<link>http://www.shaicoggins.com/on-being-erica-and-lifes-regrets/</link>
		<comments>http://www.shaicoggins.com/on-being-erica-and-lifes-regrets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:20:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shai Coggins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment | Music | Celebrities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Psychology + Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[being erica]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[erin karpluk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[quotations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[quote]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[quotes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[So, I just spent approximately 10 out of the last 24 hours of my life watching the first 13 episodes of this Canadian TV show called &#8220;Being Erica&#8221; (Season 1) on DVD. In a nutshell, it&#8217;s about a 30-something single woman called Erica Strange (Erin Karpluk) who had everything going for her &#8212; except, her [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://shaicoggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/being-erica-season1.jpg" width="200" height="281" alt="being-erica-season1.jpg" title="being-erica-season1.jpg" align="right" />So, I just spent approximately 10 out of the last 24 hours of my life watching the first 13 episodes of this Canadian TV show called <i>&#8220;Being Erica&#8221;</i> (Season 1) on DVD.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, it&#8217;s about a 30-something single woman called Erica Strange (Erin Karpluk) who had everything going for her &#8212; except, her life hasn&#8217;t turned out to be quite like what she hoped. Unable to keep even a dead-end job, even unable to maintain a good relationship, and with a lot of other baggage, she ended up meeting a mysterious, quote-loving, philosophical &#8220;Dr Tom&#8221; (Michael Riley). In her therapy sessions, Dr Tom gave her a chance to face up to her regrets &#8211; and several opportunities to &#8220;do her life over&#8221;. But, revisiting the past and &#8220;doing things over&#8221; can&#8217;t ever be simple. And, she has to learn valuable lessons, including the realisation that it&#8217;s not about changing the past, but learning how to deal with it that will make all the difference.</p>
<p>Now, I&#8217;ve never heard of <i>&#8220;Being Erica&#8221;</i> before I came across the DVD series in my local library. Although I saw somewhere that it may have been shown some time last year here in Australia via ABC2. In any case, even though I wasn&#8217;t familiar with the series, I&#8217;m glad I stumbled upon it. I really enjoyed watching the series, and I can&#8217;t wait to get a hold of Season 2 (it&#8217;s apparently been shown in Canada already, and there&#8217;s a possibility of Season 3).</p>
<p>Sure, the concept is a bit bizarre, what with the time travel thing and all that. But, being a fan of fantasy, that sort of thing never rattles me. But yeah, there are some odd stuff around the whole thing that did make me raise my eyebrow a few times. But, I loved it anyway. Seeing the 80s and the 90s again&#8230; Even the introspection, the philosophical ideas, and the quotations (not to mention the soundtrack!) all worked for me. Yes, including the lead actor, Tyron Leitso (he played the character Ethan Wakefield, Erica&#8217;s best guy friend since University) &#8212; really cute. <img src='http://shaicoggins.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' />  I even enjoyed seeing bits and pieces of Toronto on the screen, as it reminds me of <a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/trip-recaps-and-highlights-part-2/">my visit there</a> <i>(waves to my Canadian friends!)</i>.</p>
<p>The only thing that really bugged me about it is that the main actress (Erin Karpluk) &#8211; especially in character &#8211; reminded me too much of someone who brings up unpleasant memories in my life <i>(think along the lines of Julienne, Erica&#8217;s boss in the publishing company, during the Ice Queen b*tch stage&#8230;)</i>. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Anyway&#8230; one thing that I can&#8217;t help doing when I watched this series is ask questions like: &#8220;What&#8217;s my Regrets List really like?&#8221; and &#8220;If I had the chance to do things over, what will I change?&#8221; and &#8220;Which part of my life would I like to revisit?&#8221;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>I mean, sure, I&#8217;ve thought about regrets like most people. And, I&#8217;ve wondered about re-doing things. But, I wonder, if I sat down and actually listed my regrets like Erica did in this series, what would my list look like? What would I regret the most?</p>
<p>Honestly, I&#8217;m not quite sure, as I haven&#8217;t really taken the time to write down those past mistakes and difficulties. As someone who does a lot of introspection, I find that fact very strange. I guess, writing down one&#8217;s regrets can be really confronting. Maybe one of these days, I&#8217;ll face up to the task.</p>
<p>How about you? Have you ever thought about your own regrets in life? Have you ever listed them down? If there&#8217;s something you can revisit in your past, what would it be? What would you change?</p>
<p>Oh, and here are some of my favourite quotes from Season 1:</p>
<p><i>&#8220;Learn to be what you are, and learn to resign with good grace all that you are not.&#8221; ~ Henry Frederick Emile<br /></i></p>
<p><i>&#8220;In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.&#8221; ~ Albert Einstein<br /></i></p>
<p><i>&#8220;The life which is unexamined is not worth living.&#8221; ~ Plato</i></p>
<p><i>&#8220;We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way.&#8221; ~ John Halt<br /></i></p>
<p><i>&#8220;Those that fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.&#8221; ~ Winston Churchill<br /></i></p>
<p><i>&#8220;The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.&#8221; ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh</i></p>
<p>and one of my favourite quotes of all time&#8230;</p>
<p><i>&#8220;It takes a lot of courage to grow up and be who you really are.&#8221; ~ e.e. cummings</i></p>
<p>{ <b><a href="http://www.fishpond.com.au/product_info.php?ref=212&amp;id=9397810176997&amp;affiliate_banner_id=1">Buy &#8220;Being Erica&#8221; (Season 1) from Fishpond</a></b> }</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">You Might Also Like To Read...</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/a-quick-note/" title="A Quick Note&#8230;">A Quick Note&#8230;</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/5-quotes-on-how-to-motivate-people/" title="5 Quotes on How to Motivate People">5 Quotes on How to Motivate People</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/how-do-you-take-charge-of-your-situation/" title="How Do You Take Charge of Your Situation?">How Do You Take Charge of Your Situation?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/sometimes-saying-nothing-is-better-than-saying-a-whole-lot-that-doesnt-mean-anything/" title="Sometimes, saying nothing is better than saying a whole lot that doesn&#8217;t mean anything.">Sometimes, saying nothing is better than saying a whole lot that doesn&#8217;t mean anything.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/fortune-fun/" title="Fortune Fun">Fortune Fun</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>10 Ways to Get Out of a Rut</title>
		<link>http://www.shaicoggins.com/10-ways-to-get-out-of-a-rut/</link>
		<comments>http://www.shaicoggins.com/10-ways-to-get-out-of-a-rut/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:31:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shai Coggins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Psychology + Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renaissance souls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rut]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-improvement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.shaicoggins.com/10-ways-to-get-out-of-a-rut/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you ever find yourself feeling stuck in a rut sometimes? I know I do. Even though I may have gazillion ideas and projects going at any given time, there are days when I feel like I&#8217;m just stuck. Like I go in circles in spite the inspiration. I end up going nowhere, in spite [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://shaicoggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/out-of-the-rut.gif" width="300" height="300" alt="out-of-the-rut" title="out-of-the-rut" align="right" />Do you ever find yourself feeling stuck in a rut sometimes? I know I do.</p>
<p>Even though I may have gazillion ideas and projects going at any given time, there are days when I feel like I&#8217;m just stuck. Like I go in circles in spite the inspiration. I end up going nowhere, in spite the drive and the passion.</p>
<p>When such things happen, these are some* things that I try to do to get out of that rut &#8212; <i>pronto!</i></p>
<p>1. <b>Do something completely different.</b> If I&#8217;m obsessing about writing, I paint or draw or doodle. If I&#8217;m anxious about crafting, I journal or play music or cook. If I&#8217;m stressed about Uni stuff, I read or bake or dance. It doesn&#8217;t matter what I do, as long as it&#8217;s different from what I&#8217;m way too pre-occupied with.</p>
<p>2. <b>Start something new.</b> It doesn&#8217;t matter if I&#8217;m going to finish or not. I just want to start something for the sake of it. Sometimes, just being able to recapture that feeling of newness, the excitement of beginnings&#8230; may be enough to spur me on.</p>
<p>3. <b>Join a class or a workshop.</b> Sometimes, getting input from other people&#8230; or getting some kind of feedback&#8230; helps me to absorb new concepts. Or, try out old ones in a different way. Sometimes, it doesn&#8217;t even matter what I try to learn&#8230; I&#8217;ve attended all sorts of art classes (watercolours, oils, drawing, figure drawing, etc), writing classes (children&#8217;s writing, romance writing, etc), and dance classes (flamenco, pole dancing, jazz, African, etc). I&#8217;ve even attended a DJ (radio personality) course, a Neuro Linguistic Programming course, Pilates classes, and now, Zumba.</p>
<p>4. <b>Be more physical.</b> I&#8217;m no fitness freak, as some of you might already know. But, I do feel that rush whenever I do something more physical &#8211; like when I go walking or dancing, or if I do some exercise&#8230; even doing chores or gardening might even work for me at times.</p>
<p>5. <b>Create a list.</b> Yes, I&#8217;m a listoholic. And, there are all sorts of lists to break out of ruts. There are Gratitude lists, Things To Do lists, Dreams lists, Inspiration lists, and even Prayer lists (if you&#8217;re so inclined). Creating such lists sometimes gives me enough reason to move, or to hope, or to feel more excited.</p>
<p>6. <b>Practice Mindfulness (and/or Prayer).</b> This mindfulness thing is really just a &#8220;new thing&#8221; for me (sort of&#8230;). And, even though I&#8217;m not a real heavy &#8220;mindfulness&#8221; practitioner, I do find it a very useful thing to practice as much possible. It has healed me in all sorts of ways &#8211; from physical and emotional ailments to all sorts of work and personal pains. I&#8217;m really and truly amazed.</p>
<p>7. <b>Journal It Out!</b> I&#8217;m not the sort of person who sorts out issues by calling a best mate. No matter how close I am with my friends, no matter how much I care about them, I&#8217;m never the kind who go crying to them whenever I have something I need to sort out. Instead, I turn to writing. Journal writing in particular. That&#8217;s why I have all sorts of journals all over the place &#8211; my paper journals, my art journal, my desktop electronic journal, my private web journal, my blogs&#8230; I access them whenever the need arises. In fact, I notice that the more issues I&#8217;m trying to work out, the more I tend to write in my journals (especially the non-public ones). I mean, for example, when I hit a massive snag when writing my novel, I tend to journal the problems, and before I know it, I&#8217;ve got something to work with. I just love it whenever I have those <i>Eureka!</i> moments whilst journal writing myself out of a rut.</p>
<p>8. <b>Allow myself to be inspired by others.</b> Be it through reading books, watching films (or TV shows), looking at art, visiting blogs, flipping through magazines, listening to music&#8230; or simply letting people tell their stories to me. I like finding inspiration in what others have done&#8230; or are doing. It&#8217;s amazing to see creative products and creative people at work.</p>
<p>9. <b>Do something crazy or scary.</b> If it&#8217;s something I&#8217;ve been thinking of doing but never dared before due to fear of failing or some other anxiety&#8230; Sometimes, I just go for it when I&#8217;m in a rut. Or if I want to avoid getting there in the first place. It doesn&#8217;t have to be anything big like skydiving or mountain climbing. It can be just simple things&#8230; like recording your singing or speaking voice&#8230; or saying hello to someone new.</p>
<p>10. <b>Decide to keep things simple.</b> One of the things that gets me stuck at times is this feeling of wanting to do something nice, great, amazing&#8230; I want to write blog posts that will blow your socks off. I want to take photos that will inspire. I want to write novels that will amaze. I want to make art that will make your jaw drop. That&#8217;s why in the past, I end up with no new blog posts for days (and even weeks) on end. Or that I don&#8217;t pick the camera, or write novels, or make art&#8230; When I over-think (which I do A LOT!), I under-do. So, when I&#8217;m feeling stuck in a rut, I try to make a conscious decision to find ways to simplify it&#8230; Like, don&#8217;t worry about singing Whitney Houston songs in public, just think about singing lullabies and children&#8217;s songs to my kids (at home and in school)&#8230; Don&#8217;t think about playing lead guitar of amazing songs just yet, just enjoy playing a couple of chords in the back-up tracks of pre-recorded band music&#8230; Don&#8217;t create a 2-hour feature film at first go, just consider making a 5-minute educational film for class first&#8230; Yes, just simplify, simplify, simplify&#8230;</p>
<p>How about you? What are YOUR tips and practices for getting out of a rut?</p>
<p><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><i>NOTES:</i></span></b></p>
<ul>
<li><i>* some &#8211; I have other things that I do, but I thought I&#8217;d share the first 10 that came to mind&#8230;</i></li>
<li><i>Image &#8211; Yes, it&#8217;s a doodle I made using my old Wacom tablet. I&#8217;ve been in art-making/doodling/illustrating rut for a while now, so I thought I&#8217;d take on the challenge and play with my Wacom again since I haven&#8217;t used it in a while. Just to practice what I preach, so to speak. <img src='http://shaicoggins.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif' alt=';-)' class='wp-smiley' /> </i></li>
</ul>
<h3  class="related_post_title">You Might Also Like To Read...</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/5-quotes-on-how-to-motivate-people/" title="5 Quotes on How to Motivate People">5 Quotes on How to Motivate People</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/how-do-you-take-charge-of-your-situation/" title="How Do You Take Charge of Your Situation?">How Do You Take Charge of Your Situation?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/debbie-ridpath-ohi-inspirational-people-series/" title="Debbie Ridpath Ohi: Inspirational People Series">Debbie Ridpath Ohi: Inspirational People Series</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/shepherd-boy-or-how-to-make-a-shepherd-costume/" title="Shepherd Boy {or How to Make a Shepherd Costume}">Shepherd Boy {or How to Make a Shepherd Costume}</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/how-to-make-a-bucket-hat-creativity-weekend/" title="How to Make a Bucket Hat {Creativity Weekend}">How to Make a Bucket Hat {Creativity Weekend}</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Inspiration Café: Interview with Chynna Laird, Author and Special Needs Advocate</title>
		<link>http://www.shaicoggins.com/inspiration-cafe-interview-with-chynna-laird-author-and-special-needs-advocate/</link>
		<comments>http://www.shaicoggins.com/inspiration-cafe-interview-with-chynna-laird-author-and-special-needs-advocate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shai Coggins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Psychology + Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing + Literature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chynna laird]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration cafe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspirational people]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspirational women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sensory processing disorder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[special needs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wow blog tours]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.shaicoggins.com/inspiration-cafe-interview-with-chynna-laird-author-and-special-needs-advocate/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What can be more inspiring than getting to know people who live passionate lives that are dedicated to helping to make our world a better place? That&#8217;s why when I came across Chynna Laird through the WOW! Blog Tours, mother of four, psych student, and author of the children&#8217;s book, &#8220;I&#8217;m not weird, I have [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.shaicoggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/inspiration-cafe.jpg" width="248" height="186" alt="inspiration-cafe.jpg" title="inspiration-cafe.jpg" align="right" />What can be more inspiring than getting to know people who live passionate lives that are dedicated to helping to make our world a better place?</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why when I came across Chynna Laird through the WOW! Blog Tours, mother of four, psych student, and author of the children&#8217;s book, <em><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1432714724?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=indigoinn&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1432714724">&#8220;I&#8217;m not weird, I have SPD&#8221;</a> <span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">-</span></span></strong></em> I knew that I had to chat with her and get to know her better.</p>
<p>And, I&#8217;m really happy to have been able to interview Chynna and share our online conversation with you -</p>
<p><strong>In our current microblogging trend, can you please share with us a short bio/description of yourself in 140 characters or less?</strong></p>
<p><em>I’m a freelance writer and author living in Edmonton, Alberta. My passion is helping children and families living with Sensory Processing Disorder and other special needs.</em></p>
<p><img src="http://www.shaicoggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/chynna-laird.jpg" width="197" height="231" alt="chynna laird" title="Chynna Laird" align="left" /><strong>Where can we find more about your work?</strong></p>
<p><em>My work can be found in many online and in-print parenting, inspirational, Christian and writing publications in Canada, United States, Australia, and Britain. I’m most proud of my children’s picture book, I’m Not Weird, I Have SPD, which I wrote for Jaimie. My memoir Not Just Spirited: Living With Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) comes out in late August 2009. I’ll also have a reference book about the Sensory Diet coming out some time in 2010.</em></p>
<p><strong>Can you tell us about your book, <em>&#8220;I&#8217;m not weird, I have SID/SPD&#8221;</em>? What is it about it? Who is it for?</strong></p>
<p><em>The book is about a four-year-old girl, named Alexandra, who struggles with something but doesn’t understand what it is or how to explain it to others. She describes how the world around her makes her feel and how hard it is to interact with people and objects around her. She doesn’t know how to tell people that she’s interested in them but something about them makes her body feel scary—so she screams. Finally someone helps Alexandra learn the right tools to cope in her world and she finds the words to tell people, “I’m not weird. I’m Alexandra and I have SPD.”</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1432714724?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=indigoinn&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1432714724"><img src="http://www.shaicoggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/chynna-laird-book.jpg" width="236" height="230" alt="chynna-laird-book.jpg" title="chynna-laird-book.jpg" align="right" /></a><strong>What/who inspired you to write your book?</strong></p>
<p><em>I wrote the book after a bad experience we had at the park when a small group of children Jaimie’s age made fun of her reactions to them and other things going on around her. I didn’t blame them, honestly. Their behavior stemmed from not understanding Jaimie or what she was going through. So I wrote it to validate Jaimie’s feelings and to, hopefully, give her the words to tell others how she feels inside. What’s funny is that I never intended it to be a book for the world—just Jaimie, our family and close friends so they too could understand. Then I met other families going through the same struggles and offered the book as a tool… it sort of snowballed from there.</em></p>
<p><em>Now it’s in several libraries, local SPD therapy centers and community intervention clinics…even in Jaimie’s school library. Jaimie definitely inspired me to write the story as well as to get it out to other families.</em></p>
<p><strong>Can you help explain SID/SPD a bit more to our readers?</strong></p>
<p><em>Absolutely! Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)—also known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID)—is considered a neurological disorder because it can interfere with the brain’s ability to process the sensory information taken in from the sensory organs. Essentially, the sensory messages are taken in and sent to the brain but for some reason these messages get “scrambled” along the way. Since the brain can’t read these messages, it isn’t able to tell the body how to properly react to sensory stimulation and this can result in either an overreation or underreaction to the stimuli. Jaimie swings between both but more often she is sensory defensive, which means she feels things about 100x more than the rest of us do.</em></p>
<p><em>What a lot of people don’t understand is that it isn’t just about what these kids see, hear, smell, taste or feel, it’s also affects their balance, coordination and even how they gauge themselves in relation to objects and people in their environment. It can be a scary and even debilitating disorder—imagine how scary it would be to never know how your body will react to something it may come in contact with! But the good news is that with the proper ongoing treatment, these children can learn the tools to help them function in the world around them and enjoy just being a kid.</em></p>
<div class="simplePullQuote">"... knowledge is a very powerful thing. If we arm ourselves with knowledge it breeds understanding and that’s all I want for Jaimie and children like her."</div>
<p><strong>What&#8217;s the one most important message that you wish to share in your writing?</strong></p>
<p><em>I think that if there’s one message I’d like to leave readers with it’s that knowledge is a very powerful thing. If we arm ourselves with knowledge it breeds understanding and that’s all I want for Jaimie and children like her.</em></p>
<p><strong>Can you share with us a bit more about yourself? Your personal interests? Your family?</strong></p>
<p><em>I’d love to! Let’s see… I live in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada with my partner, Steve and our four children: three girls Jaimie (six ½), Jordhan (4 ½ ), and baby Sophie (1) and our gorgeous boy Xander (2 ½). Aside from freelance writing, I’m finishing up a BA in Psychology. Eventually, I’d like to go to graduate school to become a Developmental Neuropsychologist so I can study the brains of children with SPD, Autism and other neurological disorders in order to help with diagnosis and treatment options. I think I’ll wait on that until my kids are bigger though—it’s tough studying at home with young ones.</em></p>
<p><em>In my “free time,” I like to read, listen to music and craft with my kiddos. I also play the piano but haven’t had a piano in the house for quite some time. I miss it.</em></p>
<p><em><strong>How long have you been writing and how did you get started?</strong></em></p>
<p><em><em>I’ve always kept diaries and loved writing letters/notes to my friends. I think what got me really interested in writing was when in Grade Four a publisher came to our school and taught us about how books come to be. We got to create our own stories—complete with illustrations—then the publisher helped us bind them, laminate them and “publish” them. (My book was called, “The Adventures of Super Bug” where our hero narrowly escaped the fate of someone’s shoe.) Okay so the books were only distributed to the school library but it was still cool! About ten years later, my younger sister came home from school one day with a book she’d taken out of the library: my book from Grade Four! I guessed they’d forgotten to take the book off the shelf but I took it as a sign it was what I was supposed to do.</em></em></p>
<p><em>I’d written many stories—mostly narratives and nonfiction article-type pieces—but never sent them out. Then I entered a contest in a writing magazine and won first prize. The editor of the magazine told me to “Get out there and get this story published!” That winning story was accepted by Angels On Earth magazine and it sort of snowballed from there.</em></p>
<p><em>Being an author was never one of my goals but… here I am! I’m very blessed.</em></p>
<p><strong>Do you have any advice for anyone who might have a similar message to share? How can you encourage them to share their message?</strong></p>
<p><em>I think anyone with something to say should be brave enough to speak out. All of us have experiences unique to us and, maybe, those experiences would help someone else in a similar situation. I remember once when I’d gone through an upsetting experience where a psychiatrist “strongly suggested” we put Jaimie on medication—she was only three! That psychiatrist continued to “strongly suggest” the medication and we kept strong refusing. When I shared our story with the Founder of SPD Canada, she told me to share my story with the Head of the governmental department in charge of community early intervention services. I was scared—I didn’t want to rock the boat, you know?</em></p>
<p><em>So she said, “So many parents out there may be going through what you and Steve did but aren’t as informed as you. They may think, wrongly, that medication is the only way to treat SPD. By sharing your story, you can help make the department Head realize that therapists need to be taught about different ways to treat SPD holistically so that parents can make informed decisions for their children. Your knowledge and experience can help others.”</em></p>
<p><em>In the end, I decided to talk to the Head and the point has now been raised that therapists need to be more empathetic to parents with sensory issues and all options for treatment must be raised. I guess what I’m saying is that never be scared or intimidated to stand up and speak for those who can’t or are scared to. Someone will listen and you may be helping.</em></p>
<p><em>The greatest expression I’ve heard lately says it all: “We all feel like islands in the middle of nowhere wondering if there’s anyone out there going through what we are or who even understands. By reaching out and speaking out, we’re building bridges among those islands. We aren’t alone any longer.”</em></p>
<p><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=indigoinn&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=as1&amp;asins=1432714724&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" align="left"></iframe></p>
<p><strong>Anything else you wish to share?</strong></p>
<p><em>Well, I have a memoir coming out at the end of August 2009 called, “Not Just Spirited: Living With Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).” It’s our personal experience from knowing something was wrong with Jaimie to getting the help she needed to thrive. It took a long time and there were many hurdles but we’re there. I hope it helps other parents to tell their own stories.</em></p>
<p><em>I have also just signed on with Sunrise River Press to write a reference book about The Sensory Diet, which is the holistic approach to treating SPD through nutrition, exercise and specialized activities based on the child’s specific needs and abilities.</em></p>
<p><em>Your readers are more than welcome to check out my website at <a href="http://www.lilywolfwords.ca">www.lilywolfwords.ca</a> if they’d like to learn more about me or SPD. I have information, resources and a wonderful newsletter. I also have a blog and would love contributions/comments/suggestions: <a href="http://lilywolfwords.blogspot.com">http://lilywolfwords.blogspot.com</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>Other than that, I continue to write articles and have a couple of fiction pieces I’m working on but it may be awhile before I can give those my 100% attention.</em></p>
<p><strong>Thank you very much for this wonderful interview, Chynna. It&#8217;s always very inspiring to get to know people like you. And, I wish you all the best with your work and your family.</strong></p>
<p><em>Thank you, Shai (and I love your name, by the way…) for having me on your blog.</em></p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">You Might Also Like To Read...</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/inspiration-cafe-ann-whitford-paul-author-of-writing-picture-books/" title="Inspiration Café: Ann Whitford Paul, author of &#8220;Writing Picture Books&#8221;">Inspiration Café: Ann Whitford Paul, author of &#8220;Writing Picture Books&#8221;</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/debbie-ridpath-ohi-inspirational-people-series/" title="Debbie Ridpath Ohi: Inspirational People Series">Debbie Ridpath Ohi: Inspirational People Series</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/on-telling-your-story-an-interview-with-sue-silverman-inspiration-cafe/" title="On Telling Your Story: An Interview with Sue Silverman {Inspiration Café}">On Telling Your Story: An Interview with Sue Silverman {Inspiration Café}</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/rediscovering-the-beauty-of-the-philippines-in-bacolod/" title="Rediscovering the Beauty of the Philippines in Bacolod">Rediscovering the Beauty of the Philippines in Bacolod</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/5-happy-things-of-the-moment/" title="5 Happy Things of the Moment">5 Happy Things of the Moment</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>52WoC #42: Reconnection</title>
		<link>http://www.shaicoggins.com/52woc-42-reconnection/</link>
		<comments>http://www.shaicoggins.com/52woc-42-reconnection/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 11:02:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shai Coggins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging & Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Psychology + Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[52WoC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friendships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationships]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.shaicoggins.com/52woc-42-reconnection/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s time to do another 52 Weeks of Blog Community task. This time, I would like to encourage everyone to find a way to reconnect with something or someone, as a way to enrich our blogging (and personal!) life. This was partly inspired by my recent wanderings on the web, where I ended up reconnecting [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/scoggins/blog-community.jpg" alt="52 Weeks of Blog Community" align="right" />It&#8217;s time to do another <strong><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/highlights/community/52woc-central/">52 Weeks of Blog Community</a></strong> task. This time, I would like to encourage everyone to <strong>find a way to reconnect with something or someone, as a way to enrich our blogging (and personal!) life</strong>.</p>
<p>This was partly inspired by my recent wanderings on the web, where I ended up reconnecting with a few people in my past that played a special role in my life. Reconnecting with them made me see a few things in my present world in a much different light. It helped me to appreciate some things a lot better. Reconnecting with self-portraiture and a couple of other interests had also been really good for me lately.</p>
<p>So, I thought, perhaps, this might be a great way for 52WoCers to experience the power of reconnecting too.</p>
<p>So yeah &#8211; It&#8217;s up to you who or what you wish to do with your reconnection task. You can reconnect with an old friend, a lost item, or a neglected hobby/interest. It&#8217;s up to you as well whether you want to tell us the story behind your reconnection or not.</p>
<p>All you need to do for this task is to commit to finding time to reconnect with something/someone in the next few weeks. Then, make this commitment by leaving a comment in this post.</p>
<p>What do you say?</p>
<p>In any case, here are the wonderful folks who took part in our <strong><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/52woc-41-your-top-10-blog-faves/">52WoC#41: Your Top 10 List</a></strong> -</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://flamehair.blogspot.com/">Melissa W</a></li>
<li><a href="http://rachelcotterill.blogspot.com/">Rachel Cotterill</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.lifecandy.net/">Nenette</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wifelysteps.com/">Toni</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks again, everyone. I loved reading each one&#8217;s list. Lots of stuff to look in to.</p>
<p>And by the way, I haven&#8217;t forgotten about our 52WoC parties. I&#8217;m definitely hoping to get one going again one of these days. So, stay tuned! <img src='http://shaicoggins.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">You Might Also Like To Read...</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/5-thoughts-on-friendship/" title="5 Thoughts on Friendship">5 Thoughts on Friendship</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/52woc-virtual-party-10-the-final-celebration-part-1-entree/" title="52WoC Virtual Party #10: The Final Celebration (Part 1 &#8211; Entree)">52WoC Virtual Party #10: The Final Celebration (Part 1 &#8211; Entree)</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/52woc-52-the-final-hurrah/" title="52WoC #52: The Final Hurrah!">52WoC #52: The Final Hurrah!</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/52woc-51-future-community-project-ideas/" title="52WoC #51: Future Community Project Ideas">52WoC #51: Future Community Project Ideas</a></li><li><a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/52woc50-by-special-request/" title="52WoC#50: By Special Request">52WoC#50: By Special Request</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>22</slash:comments>
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		<title>Decisions, Decisions, Decisions</title>
		<link>http://www.shaicoggins.com/decisions-decisions-decisions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.shaicoggins.com/decisions-decisions-decisions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:32:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shai Coggins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Psychology + Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decision-making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decision-making skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decisions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[process]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thinking skills]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[&#60; Or, How to Make Life Choices &#62; To move to a new house or not to move? To pursue an existing career path &#8211; or to explore a career change? To apply to a certain job or not? To change son&#8217;s school or not to change? To leave a job or to wait for [...]]]></description>
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  <strong>&lt; Or, How to Make Life Choices &gt;</strong><br />
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<p>To move to a new house or not to move? To pursue an existing career path &#8211; or to explore a career change? To apply to a certain job or not? To change son&#8217;s school or not to change? To leave a job or to wait for a miracle to happen? To accept an opportunity or to find another one? To fight or to move on? To study again &#8211; and if yes, which stream? To give an idea a go or to keep things at bay?</p>
<p>These are some of the questions and decisions that I&#8217;ve been facing over the last month or so. In some situations, the decisions were made for me. In others, I had to agonise over the choices.</p>
<p>Decision-making is never easy. Especially if the choices have life-altering consequences. Choosing what to eat for dinner may be a challenge on some evenings. But, it certainly can&#8217;t compare to say choosing where to send your child to school &#8211; or how to go about a career change.</p>
<p>Since I had to face a few significant decisions lately, I had to use more than just my whim to make my choices. Here are some of the things that I&#8217;ve been doing and using to weigh my options:</p>
<p>1. <strong>Talk, talk, talk.</strong> My initial instinct when it comes to decision-making is to internalise. Just think things through. This time, however, I made a conscious effort to reach out to people. To seek advise and to ask for guidance. And, I found that at this stage of my life, being able to talk through my thought processes had been really helpful for me.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Use various decision-making tools and strategies.</strong> One decision making tool that I&#8217;ve recently tried is <a href="http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_TED.htm">MindTools&#8217; Decision Making Tools and Techniques</a> resource. It employs strategies like Starbursting, PMI, Grid Analysis, and Stepladder Technique among other things. Even when I thought I&#8217;d know the answer before I started the process, I often end up surprised when I use the tools.</p>
<p>3. <strong>Journal writing.</strong> As I said earlier, I tend to internalise. I like thinking through things by writing them down. As in, using good old fashioned pen and notebook. And, as always, I find that my journal is a really great tool to have during decision-making. Not only does it help me to clarify my thoughts, it also helps me to record my process.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Taking surveys and tests.</strong> Other than the Q&amp;As and surveys I responded to using books like <a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com/what-next-a-book-review/">What Next?</a>, I also revisited some favourite tools like the <a href="http://www.keirsey.com/">Keirsey Temperament Sorter</a>. Understanding oneself better, I believe, helps a lot when it comes to making decisions.</p>
<p>5. <strong>Read and research.</strong> To make informed choices, it&#8217;s good to make use of the wisdom and experience of different people. So, I&#8217;ve been reading a lot&#8230; doing a lot of research on various aspects of things that I&#8217;m interested in. For example, when making a choice about studying again, I looked at various options that I have. I read books on the subject, researched various universities and schools, looked at classified ads for various careers, and created Google alerts on topics of interest. It seems like a lot, but I found it all quite useful.</p>
<p>6. <strong>Coaching service.</strong> I found that getting some external input when it comes to understanding certain aspects of my decision making and goal setting really helped a lot. So, I carefully considered hiring a counsellor or a coach this time around. After some consideration, I decided to sign up for a coaching programme and it really helped me to get on track about a few things at the moment.</p>
<p>7. <strong>Prayer.</strong> Admittedly, praying has become something that doesn&#8217;t come as naturally as I&#8217;d like it to. But, I&#8217;m grateful that I&#8217;m now remembering why it is something that I want to happen in my life more and more again.</p>
<p>8. <strong>Gut instinct.</strong> Even through all the logical, rational ways that I use to make decisions, I find that learning to listen to my own gut more is still a very valid way to find the right path. When something&#8217;s amiss, your gut will tell you. When something&#8217;s absolutely right, your instincts will let you know too.</p>
<p>What about you? How do you go about making decisions in your life? How do you weigh options and make choices? Do you have any favourite decision-making tools and techniques?</p>
<p><em>Image source: svilen mushkatov (via sxc.hu)</em></p>
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