Yes, I understand that the making of a movie, revolves around a “plot”. The roller coaster emotions, decisions and actions keep the audience entertained. The funny thing is, it’s not limited to the cinema; the very same thing happens in real life!
Looking back at your life, have there been moments which would have inspired a movie? I can recall a few. Some are funny(embarrassing!) and the rest.. awfully painful (no doubt, a recipe for a successful movie!)
May be you also created your own “plot” unknowingly…. giving away to emotions that shaped you to be where you are today.
Drag Us Down Or Shape Our Destiny?
Our minds perform a series of information processing in order to form strategies needed to live our daily lives (in other words, decisions are made!). We often have different preferences as to our preferred approach, varying between thinking and feeling. Ideally, everyone has a different "make-up" that influences how they take decisions. I invite you to take a look at the last 5 (serious!) decisions you had to make. How did the following emotions influence that decision?
1. Fear
Of the future
Of change
Of failure
Of rejection
..............
Regardless of who you are or what you have achieved in your life, you have no doubt been confronted by fear in some capacity. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by our own experiences, by what someone has told us, by what we've read in the papers, watch on television etc.
Many of us don't pay attention to how fear is impacting our life, and we have grown to accept the “fear talk” as the norm. We believe what fear tells us, and sometimes we give a fair weight-age to a decision based on this emotion.
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually fear that you will make one." ~ Ellen Hubbard2. Love
Who among us have not made hasty/crazy decisions because of love!
3. Lust
Desire, longing, craving, yearning.... for sex, power, wealth, possessions, success etc. Take a newspaper and browse through it; you will find many examples!
4. Anger
Anger is a great destroyer. Research has proven that anger biases people towards impulsiveness and risk-taking.
5. Pride
Pride based on personal excellence is encouraged. However, too much pride can easily tip the balance toward vanity, haughtiness and self-love.
Note: I know that this subject is much more complex than I reflect here. Indeed, it makes an interesting study for neuroscience and psychology. My intention was to ponder on how the regulation of emotions, influence our decision making. One might argue that we base a decision beyond the emotions mentioned here. I agree. I didn’t detail all because the emotions listed here, form the “basis” on which other emotions are built.
When making a decision, "parking my emotions at the door" has always been a challenge for me. How about you?
