try tossing a coin to make decisions

The earlier episodes, in this Things to Try series, have all been very simple, suitable for absolute beginners. Today's thing to try is a little more advanced. By more advanced I mean it has a subtlety to it. It may be more difficult to perceive the benefits. But nevertheless, anyone can try it.

So, try tossing a coin to make decisions. It's simple: carry a coin in your pocket. And whenever you feel there is a decision to be made, a small decision – what to order to eat in a restaurant – or a big decision – whether to apply for a new job, whether to move house – whatever the decision that you are facing, just toss the coin and go with the result. Heads I buy this house, tails I don't. Very simple.

Of course, the coin is representing randomness. Another way of saying randomness is that some mysterious force in existence, that we cannot predict, is at play. You can call it chance. Or you can call it god. It is up to you.

By using a random method to make decisions, we are surrendering the feeling of being in control. And we are also reducing the amount of conditioning at play in the decision making. For the decisions which we make with our rational mind, are conditioned by our past experiences, and by our genetic makeup. This tends to lead to a certain pattern in our decisions. So introducing extra randomness breaks up these patterns. This is beneficial on our spiritual journey, because patterns are what the ego loves to cling to.

The thinking mind discovers patterns: patterns in time and space. And any patterns that persist regularly or long enough, the ego can send its tentacles into. So by reducing the conditioning in our decisions, we disturb these patterns. We introduce a little chaos. And the ego is very unhappy in the presence of chaos, of the unpredictable. And yet, this is the very nature of life.

This little thing to try is also about surrender, just surrendering to life; not being the doer; not being in control. For ultimately on the spiritual journey, this is where we find ourself: totally surrendered to the flow of life. So again, this little method can help us get a taste for that surrender.

So try tossing a coin to make decisions.