Show notes
Navigating Indecision: A Simple Process to Move Forward Hey there, amazing friend! Ever caught yourself going round and round in circles, totally stuck on making a decision? That feeling where your brain just won't settle on which path to take? I've been there too, and in today's episode, I'm sharing exactly how to break free from that frustrating loop! I open up about my own battles with confusion and that knot-in-your-stomach anxiety that shows up when we're faced with choices. But don't worry - I've got something special for you today: a super practical process that will help you cut through the mental fog and finally move forward. Together, we'll explore how to tap into your imagination (yes, it's way more powerful than you think!) and discover the symbolic representations of what's really going on. It's amazing how our minds can show us the answers when we know how to look! What You'll Learn Today: Why indecision feels so uncomfortable (and why that's actually useful!) My step-by-step visualization process that unlocks hidden insights How to tune into what your unconscious mind is trying to tell you Simple techniques to transform your new awareness into confident action Whether you're deciding what to have for dinner or contemplating a major life change, this episode has something valuable for you. Now it's your turn! Give yourself 10 minutes to try it. Find a quiet space, close your eyes, and follow along with the episode. Please take time to try this process for yourself. Find a quiet space, close your eyes, and follow along. Then come share your experience in our community group or tag me on social media - I'd absolutely LOVE to hear what insights came up for you! Then come share your experience in our community group or tag me on social media - I'd absolutely LOVE to hear what insights came up for you! Here's the link to help you share the whole episode: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/443-clearing-confusion-and-finding-direction-on-our-dreams Remember, you're not meant to stay stuck. Let's break free together! Shine Brightly 🌟 Paul Hey there! I'd love to hear from you—questions, feedback, requests—all welcome. Drop me a line or leave a comment. If you've enjoyed this episode or any other, please share and subscribe! You can reach me at [email protected]. Subscribe to the Podcast Ready to subscribe? Click here to explore your options. Or, if you're on Apple Music or iTunes, you can go straight to subscribe or leave a review here. Special Programs for You For tools on developing Supreme Inner Confidence, finding Freedom from Anxiety, or specialized Hypnosis Tracks, visit PaulCloughOnline.com. Free Hypnosis Tracks Want access to my FREE hypnosis tracks? Head over to paulcloughonline.com/podcast. Connect with Me Follow me on Twitter: @pcloughie Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure. Find Us on Other Platforms Catch the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, iHeart Radio, YouTube, or on our Libsyn page. Stay tuned, and keep shining brightly. ✨ Music Credits Music by Wataboi, DreamHeaven, ccjmusic, and others from Pixabay. And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism Paul Clough discusses indecision on the Personal Development Unplugged podcast hey, have you ever had indecision, confusion, and it holds you back? You don't know, should I do this or should I do. Well, you know. Hey, it's Paul. Paul from the Personal Development Unplugged podcast. Do you know what that's like for me? I think, well, I want something, but, I do really want it, I think. But, There's a lot of bats, isn't there? You see there. There's a feeling. I get this feeling, and I suppose it's like, sometimes for me, it's in my tummy. Just a little bit in my tummy. It's not massive, by the way. It's not a massive anxiety thing, but it's an off of feeling, you know, when you have indecision and confusion. It feels like confusion, but in my tummy. A little bit anxious, maybe. and I'm not quite sure I want to do it, but, And I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I even think sometimes, well, if I did that, what would other people think? I get that belief, you know, that thing, you know, who am I. Who am I to want to do that, let alone do it? But that's sometimes in the background. That's not always there. it's not always there, but it can be, can't it? But I've got this thing. It's like I've got two sides. One is I want one of I don't. One of I don't. And I just don't know what to do. And, what happens. What happens when it happens like that? I mean, have you experienced that? What do you see in your mind? You see what you want, and then you see sometimes the pitfalls. Don't you get that little voice in your head and you think, m. I don't know. But the thing is, when nothing happens like that, it makes me feel down because I knew on some level I would have liked or have liked to have done that thing that I'm not doing. But I just can't make up my mind. And, because of that feeling a little bit down, I also feel like I've lost something. It's a feeling of being unfulfilled, and that then sore mixes with that feeling in my tummy. And to me, it's a little bit like I just don't know what's happening. I. When I can have all the logic, I can have all the facts, it's all there. Ah, but the thing is I just seemed to go back was a forwards, back was a forwards back was a forwards and there's a loop and it doesn't go away. And I know I like to think of options I'm an options person but even when I go through options in my lovely mind maps still ruminate and sometimes it just makes it worse because I still don't know what to do and I've still got this feeling that I want to do it and I still got this feeling that, oh, I'm not sure, unfulfilled, little bit down because I did want it. So what could we do? I suppose just wait, can't you? No, no, no, no, no, no. What we can do is it's a lovely little process and it's all about forgetting the facts, forgetting all your thoughts. But to listen, listen to the pictures in our mind, the pictures, from those feelings, pictures of. Call it the issue. And the pictures of what we like to do we call. I call that solution because I'd really like to do that and everything in between. That's weird, isn't it? It's weird. And I'm go going toa go through it with you because it's such a simple little process, it really is. So you could do this with me. If you can think of something now that you're just undecided on. That'd be cool, that'll be cool. Doesn't have to be big by the way. This is lovely process for big stuff and little stuff for the big stuff. Sometimes it just helps loosen the model of the world to give you more options, to give you an insight and then you can move forward, save all that rumination, the back and forward. It allows you to have a bit momentum. And on the small stuff sometimes I think, for me anyway, I just sort of get an intuitive I'm gon toa do this or I'm not or I do something a little bit different and I go wow, that's what I should have done all the time. So if you'd like to play along with me coming into my brain, I'll go into yours just for a bit. We can have a little bit of fun. But it's all about imagination, imagineering and what I want you to do now you'got to be again when I do this, I do open eyes. Eyes open. That's a better way of saying it. Cloughie and I actually move into different spaces. I have a space over there for my issue. The bit like gives you that funny feeling. I have aher space over there that I think is my solution, what I want. And, I can imagine everything in between and around it, and I move between them. But you can do this in your mind. So if you're not going to move around, just close your eyes. Because then you do it all in your mind. And if you're to move around, well, move around. And then we always come back to the same place where we are right now. Because where we are right now, we can see those spaces and the spaces in between, we're in ourselves. so whichever way you do it is absolutely perfect. and nothing is perfect. So whatever you do will be just right. So if it's okay, if you're going to close your eyes, make sure everything is safe. And, remember, this is not highly emotional, all that stuff. I don't want you doing anything highly emotional, because it's not for that. This is just a simple process of clearing indecision. Imagine your unconscious mind giving you a symbolic representation of the solution That's the why I use it anyway. So what are you going to do? You just close your eyes for me and take a breath, a nice cleansing breath, as it were. Just breathe in for the count of four. Just hold it for a second or two. And then breathe out gently for maybe the count of five, six or seven or eight, whichever. And then breathe normally. And now, ey with your eyes closed. O by the way, if I didn't say it d just make sure you're not doing anything that needs your attention because it is eyes closed, remember? So no driving, nothing like that. So let's just start again. Just take, you know, now that you're not going to be disturbed, you've got a safe place. You close your eyes, you take that deep breath for the counter for you hold it just for a second or two, and then just let it out gently and relax. Because this is a lovely, comfortable process. It's just listening to the pictures in our mind. And I want you to imagine that space over there could be to the right, to the left. You choose. Just imagine in your mind over there, there's a space. And in that space is where your issue is that place of indecision. The thing you would. It's just that where that feeling is maybe I guess I just put that feeling over there. Maybe some of your doubts, the thoughts that you have, just imagine just sending them over into that space. And as you send them over there, here's the thing. Your either walk if you're doing it, eyes open, but imagine now floating into that space. that problem space, that issue space. And as you stand in there in your imagination, who are in real life, but, but stand there in your imagination, you're in that space. Feel the emotion. And then, and only then, notice what picture comes to mind. And it doesn't matter what it is, because it's symbolic. It's your unconscious mind giving you a symbolic representation. So it could be anything. It could be a mountain, stream, it could be a wall. It could be, I don't know, the Sahara desert, a river, the sea, anything at all. So just in your own time, just tune in and, notice without editing what comes to mind. And it's a picture. I don't want words, I don't want feelings. Just the picture could be a movie. But just notice what you see. And as you notice what you see, you may get an understanding. I don't. I'd very rarely get an understanding like that straight away. It's just. Oh, oh, that's interesting. Well, I wonder. I even sometimes won. Oh, that's an interesting picture. I'm see now. Interesting little movie. Sometimes I see it in cartoon colors, but it's just what it is. And sometimes it's not even 2020 vision, by the way. I get glimpses of it. But just know your unconscious mind is doing the symbolic representation. So whether you get it completely consciously, it doesn't really matter. And just notice what you notice. And have your unconscious mind learn. Learn what it's trying to communicate with you. Because it's more about the unconscious mind learning. And your unconscious mind getting glimpse or your conscious mind getting glimpses. But you may get it. And as you've noticed this picture, this video or whatever it is, just notice it and then leave it there and come back to where you started. So imagine coming back into your body or come back to this space. If you're walking, if you're moving, and then over the other side. I want you to imagine the solution. Now, you may not know the solution because it might not be exactly what you wanted initially, what you consciously thought that you wanted, put it that way. But it is the solution. And, what I want you to do, as you notice that solution space is just a spatial awareness of the solution is over there. I want you either to walk into that space. Or just imagine floating from here into that space, standing in that space in your imagination. And as you do that, you may just feel an emotion of the solution. You may hear some words, but I want the words and the feelings to disappear and only just welcome. Give yourself permission to have this unconscious symbolic representation of the solution. And sometimes for me they can be so weird. I don't understand it as being a solution. It is just a movie to me. Say I might see mountains now. I might see the sun, the moon, I might see stars, I might see a boat, I might see a plane, I might see anything, whatever it is, I. Just open your mind to allow the picture to get a little clearer now. And just ask your unconscious mind what do I need to learn from this? Allow me to learn consciously of this solution. But we're not there yet because we haven't finished. You see, Just wait just for a m. Moment. Just relax, breathe into this solution, state this solution picture. Gently allow your unconscious mind to process inside you. And then when you're ready, decide And if you don't get anything, don't worry, your unconscious mind has it. I believe that. Just know that you are in the place of the solution, whatever that may be. Now here's the thing, and you're there. Now come back to yourself. This safe space, I call it a safe space only because it's a place which is not in the solution and not in the issue, okay? It's in that intermediate state into the intermediate place as you were you. And then notice there's a, space in between those two places and a space that goes all the way around and in between the whole of everything else. And as you do that, you may just notice from here you get an understanding, you get an understanding of what needs to be done from that issue space to get to that solution space. Sometimes you might get another symbol that just you understand. Sometimes you might get a little bit of intuition or sometimes you just need to ask your unconscious mind when this process is finished. Just allow me to intuitively know the direction to go to allow me to make those small steps that will allow me to find the solution, enjoy the solution, and learn along the way making sure everything is safe for me comfortable, to keep me safe to enjoy life. So just allow, just for a moment or two, the steps, the process of getting from over there the issue to over there the solution. And sometimes for me, sometimes I see things which suddenly make sense. And sometimes I hear something like my own voice telling me what to do. And it's always like ah, that option or ah, that makes so much sense now not to do that, but to do it in a different way or to actually have a different goal. Cause it's slightly different, not the same. And when I think of that, guess what? That old feeling Disappears that old funny feeling, the feeling that a unfulfilled disappears completely. Any anxiety disappears from here. And from here you can thank your unconscious mind and go, okay, what could I learn from this and this or something better. And then just open your eyes, open your eyes. Come back to the real world. Come back to me now. I don't know whether you've got the answer right now or whether it will ll take a little time to process. I think it's always great now to get a paper and pencil and start to just let your, unconscious mind come to your conscious m mind and start writing a few notes, just some ideas maybe because I don't want you to lose M. I want you to remember them. And, I want you to remember to take that first step. What is the first, most smallest, easiest, comfortable step. Or maybe allow me to see the real direction I'm going, the real solution, and notice how it makes you feel. And it could be just as much, this is not the thing to do. Let's find something better. Or this is the solution. Although we've made it richer, who knows? Cause that's the process. Allow it to process inside you. Gently allow this integration of learning, getting this wonderful connection with your unconscious mind. Because your unconscious mind really works so much better in symbols, you know, symbolic representations, because it doesn't need words. It just allows you to get an understanding. And when you're ready, just say, decide. What are you'going to do? Schedule it. And it may be just to schedule. Well, what, are I. I'm going to really go for this now or. No, I'm going to put it away, I'm going to park it. But at least you feel good about it. You feel. For me, I just feel solid in the decisions that I make. And I've made so many good decisions following this process, and they're not the ones I first, thought of. Not the thing that I really wanted or I thought in the past I really wanted. But the answer is more enticing, more motivating, more wantable. And it just seems right for me. It seems aligned to who I am and what I want and, where I'm going in the direction I'm headed and all that stuff. So if you get that feeling now, you know that's a good feeling. I hope you enjoyed that. That came from. Well, I think I've butchered it slightly or adapted it and evolved it a little bit from, a Robert Diltz, an NLP master trainer who, had this lovely. It's like a Parts integration, but symbolic. And I've just change it so we can use it in our mind. it's the way I use it, put it that way. And it's such a lovely gentle process, isn't it? Because when you're just seeing things, you're not getting emotional, you're not getting anything at all. And we're not really talking about emotional things anyway. We're just looking for directions. We're just looking for some help, some guidance from our unconscious mind so we can then work in unison together. Conscious and unconscious alignment. And that's where the good things happen. That's when we feel totally 100% congruent in what we say, what we think and how we move our body. We just get it. Isn't that wonderful? Yeah. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed it. It's simple, it's easy. Takes effort. You have to do it. Remember, you can't just. Oh, yeah, they're a really good pol now. You have to really do it. You have to do whatever it takes, have the will to do whatever it takes and give yourself permission to find the answers. And, because there are only little steps, you can keep manoeuvring, you can keep the motivation going and keep the winning. There you go. I always say I hope, but I do hope that I have explained this, communicated this in a way that is understandable, is doable, because I know I get you, get you the results you want. I'm sure about it. I believe that. And if you would. This might be something that maybe it'a bit kooky to share, but it is shareable. If only you say, you know, I know you. Do you ever get, Indecision, confusion? I heard this lovely little process and it's so easy. Ever listen to Poull or Cloughie over there? Personal development unplugged. great podcast. That was me saying I'd like. Paul Clough welcomes feedback on his Personal Development podcast You think it was a great podcast, but if you could just share it, that'd be awesome. You don't know what it means to me. And if you can give me some feedback, did I communicate it in a way that was okay? Was I linguistically legible? Understandable. And, did it make you feel comfortable? If there's any feedback that you can help me make it even more better, that would be awesome. Email me. [email protected]. if there's anything you'd like help with or maybe going through another process or a similar process like this that, Or find you a process or develop a process just for you. Just email me same email [email protected] and I will come back to you personally becausee I always do. I mean the only bugger here really. So I has to be personal. But you'll always get a reply and we'll work something out and I'll direct you to a'might even direct you to like a hypnosis track. One of my complimentary hypnosis tracks or somebody else's. I don't care who's as long as it's the right thing to do. So do that. If you want to know about hypnosis tracks, just go to paolcluonline.com podcast S60odd and you'll find something there. I know but I'd love to hear from you. Just to say hi. Even you sent me an email. Hi. Or you if you find me on social media because I'm on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X think. I'm everywhere. Well, not everywhere, but if you just said hi, that would be awesome. Again, awesome. Have fun and just enjoy. See you soon because it's time to fly. Warning. You are now leaving the unplugged mind of Paul Clough. It's time to fly on your own. Be brave, my friend. Personal development unplugged. Personal development [self improvement] [self development] [NLP] [Hypnosis]