Your Brain is a LIAR

If you follow me on IG (@kathleenkelleycoaching) you know I just finished a series of workshops at a local rehabilitation hospital (if you don’t follow me on IG: WHY NOT??? HELLO? I’m funny).

Here are a few things I learned from the gracious staff:

• Everyone on the ENTIRE planet is short staffed 😊
• PRESSURE comes in many form: late afternoon admits, unhappy family members, difficult patients
• LEADERSHIP feels  fatigue in THE BRAIN from constant decision making

Listen, I have NO PLANS to fix the US HealthCare system. #Sorrynotsorry. Not my circus. HOWEVER, I do have BIG PLANS to empower the men and women who work within this system. HOW? You get to design your life and your day. That design comes from YOUR BRAIN, YOUR THOUGHTS.  You are creating drama for yourself.  Healthcare in the US is not simple or easy, or filled with rainbows and daisies. HOWEVER, sometimes, you make it harder for yourself.

One reason your job is harder than it needs to be: DECISION FATIGUE.

Here’s how decisions go: There is talking. MORE talking. Meetings. MORE meetings. Then…..LET’S MAKE A COMMITTEE.

HARD NO on the committee work for me people 😊

I have a better idea: DECIDE

Here are the LIES your brain offers to bar your way from decision-making:

1. I MUST make the RIGHT decision- or I will be fired
2. I’m NOT SURE, so, I MUST RESEARCH and INVESTIGATE
3. I need to keep my OPTIONS OPEN

What to do, what to do….

Tell your brain:

1. I MUST make the RIGHT Decision

ALL decisions are NEUTRAL. There is no “right” decision or “best” decision. There is commitment to action. A decision can’t be WRONG until you have a thought. We get to decide “what” a decision is (good/bad/right/wrong) with our thoughts.

Think about a time when you were SURE you made the EXACT right decision….until it wasn’t. (I’m talking to all you big hair 80s gals and EVERYONE who had a mullet in High School).

And on the flip side, a decision you were not so sure of and BAM, turned out amazing.

Problem?  When you DON’T decide you CAN’T know. Decide. Decide to think it’s good. Move on.

2. I’m NOT SURE

My brain LOVES this one. You know why? I’m an analytical, Type A kinda girl. This thought allows me to  …(drumroll please)….RESEARCH. That’s right. Research. I get to go on YouTube, and IG and whatever. If I’m old I get to use Index Medicus and the microfiche and the newspaper (if you know, you know). I get to read, and watch. I get to CONSUME information, which means, I DON’T  DECIDE. Seriously, the amount of time you wasted researching your last car saved you $25.00.  Was it worth it? How long did you go WITHOUT the car you wanted because you were “researching.”  

You ARE SURE. Decide. It’s OK. You are a smart cookie.

3. I NEED to keep my OPTIONS OPEN

Really? How many guys are you dating at once 😊. This one is a form of FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. I need to keep my options open so I don’t miss out. Listen, genius, making a decision IS A FORM of MISSING OUT. When you choose chocolate, you miss out on vanilla and strawberry and rocky road. That is the NATURE of deciding, we constrain so we can CHOOSE and ENJOY the fruits of the decision. Consider this: If you NEVER decide what to eat for dinner you WILL STARVE. Accept that once you decide you do MISS OUT. PERIOD. FACT. NECESSARY. And, what if it’s not, “missing out.” It’s choosing your favorite at that time and, if you decide that you really didn’t like chocolate (who doesn’t like chocolate?), you get to choose something different the next time.

So, my friends, DECIDE. Move on. Decide again. Trust yourself.

If you want to know more about decision making fatigue, check out my YouTube video on Decision Making:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRV8Mbkv_AA&t=223s

Better yet, book a call, DECIDE RIGHT NOW to BOOK it…then we can  mull over all those “bad decisions” you made and give your brain some peace 😊 (I personally never had a mullet but I did have some BIG HAIR).

The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity … out of discord, harmony … and out of difficulty, opportunity – Albert Einstein