Wanna flip a coin? The coin toss is a legendary decision-maker that most can’t argue with. There is really no point in arguing, it is fair. It can make things fair or help make a decision. Usually, the argument is how it lands or if the coin was loaded.
Loaded, meaning that the coin was rigged. One might ask how could that be done. If you set the side you want to land on face up and you flick the perfect point on the coin you can actually manipulate the coin to land on the face pretty much every time. I have done this since I was a kid. It is considered cheating so please don’t do it. Only for fun.
The coin toss is known to have started its roots way back during Roman times, the 7th century BC. Who knew?! The coin toss was originally called ‘Heads or Ships’ or ‘Navia Out Caput.’ Cool stuff, but this blog post really isn’t about its origin. It’s about decision-making.
For many years now I have been using the coin toss for some of my major decisions. Yes, I know that sounds like complete insanity. It is absolutely insane, but the end result is usually pretty freakin cool. Let me explain.
When we are conflicted on making a decision there are some solutions that can include a coin toss. Obviously, you would need to have only two items in which to decide. If there are more you could still use the coin toss as the deciding factor, but you would have to ultimately drop the worst of them to leave two.
Let’s say you found a beautiful new house that you would like to consider purchasing and it fits in your budget but you just aren’t sure you can grab a coin to help. This one is considered the “Yes” or “No” decision. Don’t grab any old coin, it must be a quarter. That’s the way I have always done it so I will just pass it on to you.
Okay, back to that absolutely lovely home you want! Put this in your mind, heads can be to purchase it and tails can be not to purchase it. Tell your brain that no matter what it lands on you absolutely must abide by it. Wow, that’s a lot of faith to put into a dirty old coin that who knows where it’s been. I mean really, those things are absolutely filthy! OCD people aren’t big fans, HA!
When it lands you have your final answer! So, what was it? It landed on heads and now you get to purchase the house, right?! Not necessarily. The point of the coin toss is really to give you an idea of how badly you want something. Once it lands the brain fires at a high rate and your adrenaline spikes.
It can really reveal how you truly feel about something. I said above that you must abide by it, but that’s just what your initial thought should be. It will generate the decision-making process and get you in a better frame of mind to make the decision.
After you understand this and it lands, you will have more clarity. Did you really want the house? If it landed on tails and that was predetermined that you wouldn’t buy the house, it can really tell you that you wanted the house. The fear that it landed on tales will tell you that you may be making the right decision by not listening to the coin toss and just going all out and buying it. It is a psychological game we can play.
Conclusion
Tossing the coin should really help you get clarity on a decision. It’s good stuff. Try it on a big decision and see how you feel.
Disclaimer: I will in no way be held liable for another one of your crazy decisions based on this post so please don’t send your lawyers to me! HA! They will be met with my lawyer who will say, “If people tell you to jump off a bridge, would ya?!” Happy decision-making making my good peeps!
