Conscious Choices: A Guide to Self-Directed Learning Chapter Two Choices: Critical Thinking
The Moment of Choice The moment of choice is always NOW. It is the instance where we consciously participate in the outcome of some event. You can choose how you respond. Respond with awareness instead of habitual reactions.
Internal Situation How thoughts and emotions interpret an event External Situation Actions, interactions, and behaviors in an event
Can you choose your thoughts and feelings?
Choice is Opportunity Choices are made for you by default unless you take the opportunity to choose for yourself Unconscious choices are decisions you make without an awareness of consequences You can create different results by making different choices
Choice is Opportunity Most choices are habitual or automatic responses To create learning or change, you move against the grain of repetitive thoughts and reactions Every opportunity to choose is a chance to change
The Process of Self-Change Choice to Change Awareness of the need to change Plan to Change Choice to Change Choice to Change GOAL Effort to change Errors & relapses Choice to Change
Choice Makes You Responsible The sense of personal responsibility connected to making choices can be overwhelming or empowering. Clarity about your goals and values will be a source of inner guidance to your decision-making process.
Influenced Choices Unexamined assumptions Beliefs based on hearsay or unsubstantiated opinions Decisions based on the credibility of other people’s opinions or beliefs Accepting unwarranted assertions as factual
Informed Choices Assumptions based on reliable and proven authorities Being aware of the source of your beliefs and opinions Decisions made by questioning, analyzing, and evaluating to distinguish between fact and opinion
Choices and Democracy Researching the credibility of authorities is an ongoing personal responsibility and a necessary task to support a democracy.
What is Intuition? A way of knowing without thought Physiological or emotional cues in a decision-making process (gut feeling) Insight without information Inner guidance A wordless sense of something being correct or incorrect
Ambiguity Clarity Uncertainty Realizing that you cannot know what is true or correct Clarity Seeing the big picture Understanding the inter-relationship of many perspectives all at once
Integrated Choices Combines critical thinking (informed choices) with intuition Balances the head with the heart Choices made with self-awareness and self-responsibility Considers how the choice will impact others as well as yourself