During MBSR programs, I often lead an exercise asking, “What do you do when you don’t know what to do?” This same question is asked repeatedly for five minutes. I ask them to give me a different answer each time it’s asked.
The answers have always been interesting, and sometimes surprising and insightful. At first, people’s answers are what you might expect, “I look at what others have done in similar situations,” or “I read books or search the internet for answers,” or “I ask for help from a friend, parent or spouse.” All of these answers are the kind of things we do when we look outward for a solution to a problem or situation.
As the question continues to be repeated, the person being asked may begin to give answers that reflect a more inward search for solutions like, “I stop to think,” “I take a quiet walk to commune with nature,” or “I meditate.”
After a few minutes go by, the answers seem to come less from the logical mind and appear to bubble up from a deeper level of being. These are the moments one might hear oneself give a surprising or insightful answer.
What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
