As a leader, there are a myriad of decisions one has to make every day.  Both personally and professionally, there are priorities to set, choices to make, dilemmas to resolve. The ease by which you make these decisions has a huge impact on your day. More important than that, micro choices add up and set the direction you are headed long term.

In the Enneagram system of personality and development, there are three centers of intelligence: mind, body and heart. Your dominant center is generally what leads in your decision making:

• Head types 5, 6, 7 tend to value logic.
• Body types 8, 9, 1 rely on their gut.
• Heart types 2, 3, 4 use their emotions.

The problem is, when you over-rely on one center, your information is skewed. You aren’t considering all the ramifications of your choice. A strict analysis from the head won’t consider how the decision will affect people, and just going by emotions doesn’t give the full picture of the financial impact. Shooting from the hip with a gut reaction can be a hit or miss.

To complicate matters, types 3, 6, 9, the primary type for each center separate from or don’t have clear access to their own center. 3’s shut down feelings and rely on logic. 6’s don’t trust inner guidance and let emotions direct their actions. 9’s cut off their gut feelings to avoid inner conflict and go along with what others want. All types have their own way of over or under using each center of intelligence. 

Watch this quick video to learn a practice to use mind, body and heart in every decision:

Decisions made solely on analysis, gut knowing or feelings about something are lopsided. It takes all three to know that you are making the right decision. To do this, you need to pause and consciously ask your heart what it feels, tune into sensations when you ask your body what it knows and listen to your mind as it tells you what it thinks.

When you seek guidance from all parts of yourself, and have buy-in from mind, body and heart, there is congruence. You can trust that you’ve made the right choice. Then, no matter what the outcome, you know you gave it full consideration and made the best decision you could make. That’s how, whatever happens, you sleep well at night. That is priceless.