The Decision Bell

When you are contemplating a major decision, does your heart take the lead… 

(c) Yuriy Nossenko

Or your brain… 

(c) Nicole Weiss

I received an e-mail yesterday from a reader who has been unemployed for a while.  She was offered a high-paying job, but it requires that she move to a place where she doesn’t want to live.  Her heart is telling her to turn down the job but her brain is telling her to accept the offer and go. 

Here’s what she wrote: 

My dad died really young, barely 58. The guy loved life and he loved to work. I think he was a workaholic.  He always talked about work and constantly put his work obligations above his family.  But as he was dying, he stopped talking about work altogether. In the end, all he wanted to talk about was us, his family.  I realized then that life is not about what you do for a living or how much money you make; it’s about what you feel in your heart and the people around you. 

I am reminded of this because this week I am forced to make what feels like a hefty decision. I’m in my mid-40’s, single, and unemployed.  My finances are strained and I need a job.  A good company just offered me a great job, but it comes with a sacrifice.  I’m not sure what to do.  On my decision plate is: 

Option A – listen to my brain.  Take the job I was offered that comes with a big salary, advance my career, and pull myself out of financial difficulty.  But, I would be forced to move across the country and live in a remote area for at least a year, leaving the place that I love. 

Option B – follow my heart and stay where I am, in a place that I love but unemployed.  I’ve moved around a lot in my life and my heart is telling me that I’ve finally found a place to call home.  This is the first place that’s felt like home in a very long time.    

Tomorrow morning, the decision bell rings.  

I fear not listening to my heart. I’ve made decisions before that went against my heart, like marrying the wrong person.  Listing to my brain quite frankly scares me more than Nick Nolte’s mugshot. Have you seen that? Scaaaarry. But, I need a job and this is a great offer.  

So, should I follow my heart or should my brain be the boss?  Have I learned my lessons? Should I spin a roulette wheel and see where it lands? 

What do you think she should do?  

Do you follow your own heart or your brain?  Does it depend on the situation?