NO / YES / IF ...

This collection of things is mounted to the side of a work truck that parked in my local area recently. The clock really ticks.
(And further up towards the front of the truck a “Works Zone” sign indicates that work happens between 7am and 5pm, with an arrow pointing towards the driver’s seat).

It’s a kind of mini travelling art installation, and I get the feeling it’s probably meant to be commenting about how keenly the driver/worker/artist is looking forward to knock-off time.

But there’s another message in here for me.
One about decisions.
It’s the “NO / YES / IF” factor that really got me thinking…

So how do you generally make your decisions? The big ones, that is.
Is it a case of listing all the pros and cons? Mapping out all the possibilities.
Or do you consult your gut on the big things?
Or talk them over with friends or family?
Do you follow some parts of what it seems society might expect?
Or maybe you follow your intuition, or something altogether different (like this discarded pizza box suggests).


And what about the ticking clock?
Do you find you often tend to have to make your decisions under pressure?
Does that help sharpen your focus?
Or would you rather a little more time on your side to weigh everything up?

How about the “quitting time” part? How might you know when it’s quitting time for something that’s not working in your life? What are the signs that might help your decision making process about that?
And, on another level, how do you know when it’s time to quit making your decision, and time to just get on with implementing it?
(Do you find yourself often lingering around your decisions, questioning them over and over, or looking back over your shoulder at them, perhaps regretting or wishing they were different?)

Finally, back to the “NO / YES / IF”.
Are there conditions that might help you make your decisions?
(‘If this happens, then I’ll do that’).

It can be helpful to notice all of this stuff. To really bring it out into the light and get to know it. To see the processes you often go through, and to become clearer on which ones you feel might support you most.

So that you know what’s working for you (and when it tends to work best).
And so you can perhaps apply all of this more consciously, more mindfully, the next time you’re facing another important fork in your road.


(c) Gabrielle Gawne-Kelnar 2010

PS These photos are part of Point and Shoot