Monday, May 17, 2010

To be, or not to be, that is the question - William Shakespeare

Photo by Eileen Beniest


Random Questions:

Q. Is it better to act on intuition rather than on purpose? Are you impulsive or a procrastinator? How can you change things around?


I think we are all born with that extra, and sometimes elusive, sense called Intuition but whether we should rely on it totally in our every day lives is questionable. I also think that we all have the capacity to live a life with purpose, however, it does take a disciplined mind and much determination to remain focused. To be impulsive just means that you act without thinking just as by thinking too much and not taking action makes you a procrastinator.

With Intuition, first Impressions may be deceptive and can therefore give an incorrect reading of a person, situation or circumstance. This way of thinking is not as developed as the purpose driven thinking so mistakes can be made. In an emergency or being in a situation which demands immediate attention, one has to rely on instinct as there is usually no time to think things out. The downside of acting on intuition is that because there is no discipline as with a purpose driven thinker, one has the tendency to act impulsively and possibly lose control of a situation. With purpose driven thinking the reasoning process takes over. Thoughts slow down and one has time to weigh the options, rationalize and approach the subject matter in a more practical manner. The question posed was how can one change things around? It seems natural to assume that Purpose and Procrastination would go together as with the pairing of Intuition and Impulsiveness. Purpose driven people can be excused for procrastinating a little as one would expect the delay of a task or goal due to careful and calculated planning or reasoning. Impulsive people may rely on their intuition to attain something and operate purely by gut feel. This behavior, however, is unpredictable and end results are not guaranteed. One can again ask the question.... How can one change things around? Switch the pairs? Perhaps an ideal situation would be for purpose driven people to be a little more watchful and perceptive about how they live their lives and people who rely solely on intuition could afford to introduce more purpose driven thinking into their lives.


There is no right or wrong with all these behaviors as the challenge is really to achieve a happy medium. For me personally, I think I was more prone to impulsive behavior in my youth and took more risks but then again I had a lot less to lose back then. Today it is a different story as I have so much more invested in my life; be it material, spiritual and/or emotional. My behavior pattern has changed and as I have grown older, I have a tendency to be more purpose driven, setting myself goals and tasks within realistic time frames, both short and long term.


Purpose
Intentional, Purpose driven, Calculated
Procrastination
Delay, Prolong, Hesitate
Intuition
Instinct, Gut feel, Perceptive
Impulsiveness
Immediate, Hasty, Reckless

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