One of the best tools I have for decision-making clarity is emotional whiplash.
If you have ever felt like you’re stuck in a loop when trying to make a decision, where every option sounds vaguely right but none of them feel obvious, then you know exactly how valuable a reliable decision making tool can be.
Welcome to the inside of my brain. Over the years, I’ve developed a toolkit for breaking out of those loops and one of my favorite tools is pretty basic: a coin.
And more recently, ChatGPT…
Yes, really. Let me explain.
Back in high school, I was wrestling with a decision I can’t remember now (which tells you how high-stakes it really was), when my mom told me to flip a coin. I stared at her like she’d suggested I consult a magic 8-ball. I couldn’t believe that she wanted me to decide something so important with chance.
My mom was unphased by the classically teenaged way I am sure I phrased my skepticism. She ignored my outburst and simply clarified: “The coin isn’t deciding. You are. The coin just helps you figure out what you really want.”
The idea was simple: flip the coin, and then pay attention to how you feel about the result. When you are delighted, go with it. But if your stomach sinks the second you see heads instead of tails, well… congratulations! You now know what not to do.
It’s not about letting fate steer the ship. It’s about using that knee-jerk reaction to surface the instinct you already have.
Fast forward to college. I found myself getting weirdly annoyed at friends who were studying abroad. I am not proud of it, but I was petty and pouty and just generally cranky on the subject. It took me a minute to realize: I wasn’t mad at them, I was jealous.
That moment of jealousy was another diagnostic. It didn’t mean I needed to gossip or wallow. It meant I needed my own adventure. The fall of my senior year, I was off to Istanbul and that trip shaped me in ways I’m still unpacking.
Connections expert Shasta Nelson likes to say that “Your longing is leading you to your belonging.” (No surprise that she says this more eloquently than I ever could!)
Regardless of how you phrase it, the point is: your gut reactions, whether it’s coin-flip disappointment, petty jealousy, or even longing, are often telling you what your logic hasn’t caught up to yet.
A few weeks ago, I was in a workshop that touched on using AI in business, and the facilitator (Lesley Hayes) said something that stuck with me: “Let the LLM give you your first draft. Then you can instantly tell what you like, and what you don’t.”
Immediately, I thought: that’s a digital coin flip.
The next day, I tried to explain this metaphor to Andrea Goulet, someone I deeply respect for her work pushing the boundaries of AI-powered value creation. She looked at me like I had grown a second head. That’s when it hit me: this little trick that I take for granted isn’t as common as I thought.
For me, prompting ChatGPT is often less about getting a finished answer and more about provoking a reaction. Sometimes, it nails something I couldn’t put into words. Other times, I immediately recoil and say, “Oh goodness, no. Not that.” But either way, I’m unstuck.
When I’m trying to decide whether a talk ties back to my consulting work or figure out how to frame a sticky insight, I’ll ask ChatGPT to draft a take. Not because I’ll use it but because it forces me to respond and that response is where the clarity lives.
We glorify clarity and conviction, but forget that rejection is just as powerful. A strong “no” can break the dam. When the coin lands wrong, when ChatGPT gives you the “ugh” version of your idea, you’re not failing. You’re learning what doesn’t work and, often, that’s the fastest path to what does.
So here’s your permission slip: it’s not just okay to start with something you hate. It’s brilliant.
Next time you’re stuck:
Then pay attention to how your body reacts. That’s your data. That’s your decision-making edge.
Because whether it’s a coin or a chatbot, the real clarity doesn’t come from the tool. It comes from your gut finally having something to respond to.
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