How 50 Cent Can Help You Make Better Decisions

Known—tonight is a comedy night. We need a laugh.

Unknown—Guardians of the Galaxy 2 or Hunt for the Wilderpeople? (Both fabulous movies.)

My Recreation director (AKA my boyfriend) and I can’t decide. 

Rec director says let’s let 50 Cent decide for us. (This means let’s toss a coin.)

He gets up and comes back with a coin that he ceremoniously tosses and then promptly drops between the couch cushions. It takes him so long to find it we think we may have to make a decision on our own.

He eventually finds the coin, and throws it again *much* *more* carefully. 

Heads. Wilderpeople. 

And then, the moment of truth. I ask him, “When you saw what the answer was, how did you feel?” 

“I was a bit disappointed,” he said. 

“Then we have our answer! We watch Guardians!” I proclaim.

“But it said we watch Wilderpeople!” he said. (He’s a bit of a rule follower.) 

“Ah, no,” I said in my best Miyagi voice.”That’s the beauty of the coin toss. You don’t go with what it SAYS. You go with how you FEEL the very instant you see the answer.”

Embodied Lesson #1: Screw what 50 Cent says. Go with the immediate response in your body to what 50 Cent says. *That* tells you your answer.

~

I highly recommend this as a decision making technique when there are two things that seem equally weighted in your estimation—whether it’s something small like what to order for lunch, something medium like what paint color to pick for your living room, or something big like which job to take. 

The beauty of this method is that it appeals to the part of us who just wants to be told what to do—the coin will make the decision for me! But in fact elicits the part of us who in fact knows or has a preference. 

In case you missed it, here’s how it works: 
Pick heads or tails for your two things and toss the coin. The moment you see what your answer is, see what your initial reaction is. (It's ok if it's subtle.)

Do not go with your reaction 2 or more seconds after the coin lands! This is your mind getting back into the debate of why you should or shouldn’t agree with the coin. Go with the moment right after you see the coin land—see what happens in your body in this moment. If you notice a pang of sadness or longing in your gut, or a shrug of disappointment, or the heat of anger then you know “the answer” isn’t youranswer.

If you feel a little leap of excitement in your chest or notice you want to pump your fist with a Yes! then you and 50 Cent agree. Either way, you get your answer.

Give it a shot! Start letting what you know in your body guide you. Just watch out for dropping the coin between the couch cushions!

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