The Alchemy of Decision-Making

Aviv Shahar with Kyriaki Nikandrou and Peter Barry

August 23, 2022

To watch the full episode, please log in to your account - or consider becoming a Portal One level member.

At Portals we seek to offer great content to inquiring minds, and we also want to nourish and grow a thriving community by creating an ecology of practice for engagement and exchange. Your membership supports that potential.

Throughout history, the great questions have been asked, and great research has been undertaken, always expanding the territory of the known by shining a light into the unknown. Where is that cutting edge today? And can a community of people from all over the world, each carrying their own unique journey of discovery, come together to inquire at the edge of purposeful evolution, through dialogue and interaction? We think it is possible, and we hope that you will choose to be a part of this exploration.

Each one of us is constantly making decisions; small, routine decisions about everyday life and activity, and bigger, critical decisions that may have lasting consequences. And each one of us has what could be called our own ‘alchemy’ of decision making.

How do we make decisions, especially when a situation may call for an urgent or quick response? What in us is actually deciding? Fear? Habitual patterns of thought or reaction?

In this conversation we explore different ways of being and making decisions, recognizing that reacting from anger, fear or frustration will only cut us off from our own higher intelligence and awareness. By taking full responsibility for our own behavior and thought process, we can choose to disarm and neutralize old patterns of reactivity.

searing moments

A different decision making process begins with refusing to respond under pressure, and taking time to explore available options. Internally, we go through the motions of seeing each option through to its conclusion and discovering how we think and feel about each one. We’re creating and shaping the inner space where other parts of us, not just the habitual reactivity, can join the process.

The surprising and elevating landing place of this process is that most decisions which previously would have generated anxiety and uncertainty actually end up making themselves.

By allowing the inner space to reach a point of natural resolution, we instead engender wellbeing, encourage the intuition, and open a different permission to live an integrated, enlightened life.

I think by doing this practice you will come to realize that, in any decision you make, there are consequences and you need to be equal to the consequences of your decision; accept them, and proceed. This whole process allows a different approach on the development journey.

Kyriaki Nikandrou

Peter Barry

Peter Barry

I don't think I can remember a time when I wasn't asking, Why am I here? Or wondering, What is the purpose of life? Seeking not so much to simply solve the mystery, but rather to find the settlement that comes from knowing one's place, and finding one's home, in this great unfolding.

Perhaps, then, one can become part of the living process, which sets one free to go out into the world and discover what is new, what is needed, and ask the question: How can I help?

Kyriaki Nikandrou

Kyriaki Nikandrou

When I was a child, staring at the starry night skies, I was filled with awe and wonder, about the mysteries of the Universe, Life, Time, the Human and its place in the Cosmos, trying to connect the dots that link everything with everything…

Some years down the line, I still do. I am seeking to be in conversation with others in search for keys, for tools of understanding and application and for the real questions, the ones that become portals to contemplative journeys, leading to uncharted territories that feel like home.

I believe we are on a trajectory of multiple and unpredictable changes; it is up to each one of us to rise to the challenge of our times. Now, more than ever before, is the time to be true to ourselves and fulfill our potential.

Aviv Shahar

Aviv Shahar

Aviv is the Founder of Aviv Consulting, helping leaders unleash strategic innovation, and is the author of Create New Futures: How Leaders Produce Breakthroughs and Transform the World Through Conversation.