Life would be incredibly easy if every decision were clear cut.

But that's not reality.

We live in a world of uncertainty, risk, and missing pieces of information.

When faced with making an important decision it is tempting to fall into the deep trap of “black and white” thinking.

All-or-Nothing judgement of people, situations, or beliefs can lead to less than optimal outcomes.

Are there scenarios that require absolute discernment? Of course.

Complex problems often demand elegantly simple solutions. However, simple doesn't necessarily mean easy, nor grasping at polar opposites.

The gray zone is where win-win solutions live.

Where are you coloring your choices as All Bad or All Good?

At Work

• My team is unproductive, so I will eliminate them
• I can't stand my boss, so I will quit my job
• Your services are amazing, so I blindly reinvest

At Home

• I can't lose weight, so I will eat more pizza
• He/she doesn't want me, so I will reject him/her first
• I'm broke, so I will be miserly to myself and others

If your decision or thought pattern feels extreme, it probably is. Then you know it's time to step into the gray zone to get out of deadlock.

Here's the exercise:

Ask yourself – what is the middle way?  What if you get to mash up the good with the bad and emerge victorious with something unexpectedly awesome?

Further this challenge by writing down 50 ways to find the solution. Do not judge the ideas no matter how “silly” they might seem in the moment.

50 ways sounds like a lot doesn't it?  That's the point – we need to move beyond the obvious choices and stretch our minds to become innovative.

Put your decision to the test today.

Let me know how it goes!