A Second Rule of Engagement – About Choices and Decisions

Rules of engagement have to do with what your energy is available for and what it is not available for. They are about what you are willing to engage your energy in. Have you given thought to a foundational rule of engagement that you have for your private and work life?  You probably have one that overlights the choices and decisions that you make.

You may have awareness of your worldview and recognize that this is the lens through which you view your world and all that happens in it. Currently in the USA there is a worldview called Democrat and another called Republican, and a few others such as Constitutionalist or Libertarian. This worldview affects your choices and decisions because it filters for you the information coming in to you to consider.  It is not, however, your conscious choice of your rules of engagement of where you will engage your energy and where you will not engage your energy. It is helpful to bring your rules of engagement into your awareness, otherwise they are operating outside of your awareness. When you bring your rules of engagement into your awareness, you can sift through them to sort out which ones are useful for your well being and what guides you in leading a fulfilling life.

I want to share an example of a rule of engagement that I have that affects how I make my choices and decisions. It is super useful to me and actually makes it easier to make choices and decisions. This foundational rule of engagement is ‘my energy is available for whatever is life nurturing. My energy is not available for whatever is life depleting’. I realize that I am the one to make a decision on whether something is life nurturing or life depleting, and yet this is a much easier filtering system that making a choice about what is ‘good’ or ‘best’ in the moment.

If this particular rule of engagement appeals to you, I encourage you to give it a try for yourself. And then pay attention to how much easier your choices and decisions are made by you. Okay, let me summarize this:

1. I choose a rule of engagement that my energy can be available for whatever is life nurturing and my energy is not available for whatever is life depleting.
2. As I make my choices and decisions, I am guided by this rule of engagement.
3. I pay attention to whether making choices and decisions flows more easily for me with this rule of engagement overlighting my choices.

Would you like your choice and decision making to flow more easily for you? Have you found this tip helpful?

Photo by Katarzyna Kos on Unsplash