Advice on Making Decisions

Of course the Divine has a plan. But it doesn't have to tell you what it is.

One of the hardest things about the spirit-centered life is learning to connect with the Divine without expecting any results. You hear catchphrases applied to various tasks like "it's the journey, not the destination", or "the joy is in the process, not the product"; our meditation and mindfulness needs to be done with that kind of attitude. To experience the Spirit and be aware of its presence at all times is not so much a goal as a path; not the endpoint, but the guiding light.

OTOH, while on this planet in this body we have to make plans. We have to decide on careers, partners, hobbies -- some of us multiple times for each. On a daily basis we have to decide how to dress, what to eat. If the Divine doesn't hit you with some gold tablets or vandalize your bedroom wall with graffiti that points the way forward, you still have decisions to make. Here are some ideas: look at the choices in front of you, write them down if that helps. Then ask a couple of questions:

1. Which option is the best use of my talents and abilities?
2. Which option will be of most benefit to my community (or spiritual eco-system in SpiritMode speak)? 

If the answer to number 1 is clear right away, do that. If not, go on to question 2.

DO NOT, under any circumstances, try to "follow your passion". This is one of the big fallacies of late 20th century. I actually had a therapist tell me " don't think about what you 'should' do, concentrate on what you want to do". It took me a couple of confused and rudderless years to realize that being guided by your own desires is a trap.

Just think of Buddha's most famous directive, the 4 Noble Truths:
Life is full of suffering.
Suffering is caused by DESIRE.(emphasis is mine of course, Buddha didn't use italics)
We can end suffering by eliminating desire.
We can eliminate desire by following the 8-fold path.

Or chapter one of the Tao Te Ching:
"Without desire, we see life's true essence.
With desire, we see only it's physical manifestations."

Who are you going to trust, the founders major religions, with 3000 years of history and billions of followers,  or the writer of some self-help book? (You might also ask yourself which "self" that writer was trying to help).

One more thing to remember: If a decision is really, really hard, then it doesn't matter. A lot of people have a hard time accepting this. But if you come down to 2 or 3 options, and the benefits and pitfalls of your options are so close that you can't make up your mind, clearly they all have equal chances of success or failure. So draw straws, throw darts, toss a coin. Then get to work. The time and energy you waste agonizing over a decision is costing you, too.