Decision Making

[sranganayaki]

Our decisions regarding what we want to accomplish is strongly influenced by what we believe we can accomplish and what we are ready to commit our energies to seriously pursue. Our decisions are successful, when they fulfill all the essential conditions.

There are four types of decisions:

1. Decisions that are directly fulfilled.
2. Decisions that get off to a good start, but ultimately fail to achieve.
3. Decisions that are difficult to begin acting upon, but are ultimately accomplished.
4. Decisions that are a failure from start to finish.

Let us take the example of climbing Mount Everest and see how the decisions are affected by the different quadrants.

Quadrant I: This quadrant applies to instances in which all the essential requirements for fulfillment of the decision are met. These requirements consist of external conditions as well as inner psychological conditions. If you decide to climb Mt. Everest, learning the essential skills of mountain-climbing is an external requirement. Having the inner courage, fortitude and determination to face the challenge and persevere are internal requirements. Where both inner and outer conditions are fulfilled, success is assured and it will come readily.

Quadrant II: This quadrant applies to instances in which all the essential inner requirements are met, but the outer requirements are lacking. Such decisions get off to a slow start, encounter many obstacles on the way, but ultimately end in success. This is in consonance with the teaching of The Secret that psychological conditions are of paramount importance, not external realities. When you choose a goal for which you are not outwardly prepared and qualified, it takes time for the inner aspiration to bring about the necessary conditions.

Quadrant III: This quadrant applies to instances in which all the essential external requirements are met, but the inner requirements are lacking. Such decisions usually get off to a good start, but ultimately end in failure. A person with sufficient knowledge, skill and experience in mountain-climbing, connections with people who organize treks and sufficient funds to outfit themselves properly may find it relatively easy to commence preparations for the conquest of Mt. Everest. But if they do not also fulfill the inner conditions – if they lack the emotional fortitude, the self-confidence, the faith in other people, the patience to wait for suitable conditions, etc. – their enterprise is likely to stall even in the formative stage and even the attempt may never be made.

Quadrant IV: This quadrant applies to instances in which both the essential inner and outer requirements are lacking. There are situations where neither the outer nor the inner is ready. It is like the longing of one for a house who is intimidated inwardly by that suggestion and outwardly can never complete all the requirements.

When The Secret says that anyone can achieve anything, it only means that wherever a person’s decision falls in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th quadrants, following the methodology of The Secret will enable the person to move into the first quadrant, where failure is unknown. Mental concentration on the goal, releasing one’s emotional energy to achieve it, attuning oneself to the external environment, feeling cheerful, having faith and expressing gratitude are powerful methods for advancing from any of the lower quadrants by moving inwardly to make life respond.

Decision making matrix - Human Science - a Wikia wiki

[Hilary]

That's an interesting article, thank you. I was thinking recently on ways people use the I Ching in decision making, and this provided good food for thought. The default approach is to ask about external factors: what would happen / how would so-and-so react if I did this? Changing the approach to, 'What would it mean for me to do this?' tends to yield more useful readings - the kind that engage directly with the querent's heart and mind.