Focus
Désirée Wariaro
TUG OF WAR




Buss or bike? Heels or flats? Study maths or study Chaucer? Oh, I can’t decide! How do I chose what colour Mutewatch I want if I can’t even make up my mind on what to have for breakfast? My friends make fun of my indecisiveness.You could argue that I should lower my expectations and condition myself to either trust my gut or make an informed decision. But the mind is more complex than that — it tricks us into requesting a smörgåsbord of choices.
Jonah Lehrer: Overcoming a Fear of Uncertainty by FORAtv

In the case of the Mutewatch I can’t create a mashup (multicoloured, yay!) of my choices like the pop science author Jonah Lehrer does — by buying his three favourite cereals and combining them — but I can make it easier for myself by categorising things like my breakfast quandary into a certain type of decision.

Before I learn more about decision-making by reading Lehrer’s book ‘How We Decide’ I am going to take advantage of my ignorance (‘lacking expertise can be an asset’-Lehrer) and decide on what colour Mutewatch I want. (And accept my smörgåsbord-like inclination.)


Focus
DON’T FORGET YOUR MANTRA

If you feel strongly about healing the world you need to start by being kind to yourself. Health research suggests we aren’t giving ourselves enough time to feel as good as possible. The next time you feel disappointed in yourself, make an effort to pat yourself on the back and remember that those feelings of inadequacy are shared by most people.

I’m a self-critical person who habitually denies herself good food by going on weird diets. I need to invest more time in being kind to myself and repeating mantras in my head along the lines of “Go easy on yourself” or ”Kindness starts from within”.



Taking care of your mind and body ought to be at the top of your list of daily priorities. Spend time getting to know yourself and implementing your findings. So what if you discover you need to eat lots of grilled cheese to feel good! Although I’d probably start running and make an appointment to have my cholesterol levels checked if I were you.

Balance is key, if you have an idée fixe for reading “all” the news try reserving no more than ten minutes for checking sites like The Huffington Post daily. Your desire to feel more informed will manifest itself in an increased reading speed (not such a bad obsession after all, is it?!). Be your own best friend, and don’t forget to hang out with all those other people you adore.