We want to be present. To think on our feet while remaining calm and thoughtful. That calls for thinking fast but responding slow.
When Pressure Comes
When there’s no pressure, it’s easy to stay calm and think clearly. But, thinking clearly, remaining calm, and staying present under pressure is different.
Responding appropriately under pressure demands both head and heart. That is, we pair our logical self with our sensing self to function well when the stakes are high.
Fast-Slow Defined
What are aspects of thinking fast but responding slow?
Thinking fast is required in time-bound, high-pressure situations.
Whereas, responding slow means giving ourself slack to think through options. Here, slack isn’t a house-on-fire situation. Instead it’s where we have hours or days to create a response.
A Simple Response
Thinking fast involves discernment, experiential insight, and sense making.
1). We discern what’s in front of us. What we’re feeling. Discernment informs us of the unseen – motives, deception or honesty, and what would be an equitable response given the circumstances. So, discernment tells what’s right and what’s wrong. We listen with our heart, but don’t stop there.
2). We pause to let our head (logic) catch up with our heart (feeling). We draw from prior experiences. Those experiential insights inform our reasoning. Also, wise counsel says here’s-what-I’ve-learned-in-similar-cases.
3). Drawing from these inputs, we make sense of what’s happening. We don’t have complete information, but we formulate a response by connecting the dots. That’s sensemaking in practice.
Regardless, we’re positioned to think clearly, while following our heart, with an abundance mindset. We believe there’s a way forward. And, we trust ourself to do it in a way that’s just and equitable. That’s not arrogance or over-confidence. Instead, it’s working from the overflow of an impactful life.
A Familiar Story
In First Kings Chapter 3 Solomon asks God for discernment to listen with his heart so he can function effectively as king. In response, God promised to make Solomon wise.
Ok, but how does “make wise” happen? Keep reading! Later, two women come to Solomon asking for resolution of a dispute involving two infants – one alive and one dead.
His answer? Split the baby. Why? To force an emotional response from the real mother. He discerned the credibility of who was before him. He drew from past experience by pushing for the truth. The real mother’s response produced sensemaking.
So what? The “So what” in this situation was great influence for Solomon.
Apply This Today!
Thinking fast but responding slow enables us to combine deep thoughtfulness with calm reasoning, producing decisiveness.
Influence is one outcome of fast-slow reasoning.
Do we always make the “right” choice? No! But, we improve our success rate if we learn from life experiences then apply that learning to new situations.
Pattern recognition comes from sensemaking as informed by experiential insight. We stumble in the dark if we don’t make those connections. Worse yet, we don’t see what we stumble over!
A Question to Consider
What life skills enable to you connect the dots, thus make sense of, a chain of life events?
I’m Dale Young. My posts share the balanced life to build wise character and guide wise behavior.
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