There is a wonderful tool that can help us all make better choices. Thinking about how we eat certain fruits can help.

So, how do you eat a banana?

You peel it!

I think most people would acknowledge they have made mistakes in their lives, many of which were made from a reactionary mindset. We made a decision too quickly, under pressure, from a place of fear, lack, or doubt. None of those places can bring us optimal results.

The space from which we make choices and decisions and solve problems can be more important in determining the outcome than the choice itself.

• You can deny or delay a choice or decision, but how will that impact you and others today?

• You can choose A over B, C, and D because A is easier, more familiar, or gives quicker results, and not because it is the best option.

• You can yell and scream and get the results you want, but how does that affect your relationship, your team, your child, your health, or your sense of self-worth?

• You can manipulate, coerce, or give ultimatums to achieve your desired outcome, but will the lack of trust undermine your ability to work together in the future?

• You can use power to get your point across, but what point are you actually proving?

Normally, choices impact others as well, so it is important to take note, in other words, to be conscious of the space in which you are making the decision.

So, how do we make our best decisions? What space is best?

Peel the banana! And here’s the tool to help you do that.

It’s called Restriction.

When confronted with a choice, a decision, or a problem, take a moment to ‘peel the banana.’ Stop! Then, restrict that habitual pattern—impulsive, impatient, aggressive, or judgmental.

Whether you are responding to a great idea or a bad one—it doesn’t matter. Stop! Restrict the ‘go-to’ and peel the banana first before you eat it.

Peel back the layer that is the familiar path, the one that’s comfortable, the one you usually take, and the quick judgment you’re used to making. Biting into the banana with the peel, no matter how hungry you are, is not the ideal way to eat the banana. What might you also be bringing into your system, into your life, and into the lives of others?

Once you peel back that layer, it’s amazing what becomes visible that was hidden by the unpeeled layer. Restriction allows you to pause and ask yourself: Is this my go-to way of responding? What is feeling familiar as I move toward a decision?

Take note of that insight, that feeling, and the path you are on so that you can restrict it before making a choice. Too often, our choices have brought more chaos, confusion, less certainty, less clarity, and more stress because that was the space from which we made the choice.

With this understanding that the space you are coming from—perhaps a bias, fear, judgment, or self-doubt—is vitally important, you can see how that space has influenced past decisions and results. Restricting that behavior that has brought you to that old and familiar space, you can now choose another, resulting in significantly better choices and outcomes.

As you do this more and more, it becomes an art and kind of fun. It feels playful as you pause and elevate your consciousness to where it’s almost an out-of-body experience. You get to observe yourself from a different vantage point—a more objective one, to make a better choice. And the good news is it will become your go-to space over time, more and more. The body craves what you give it!

There are so many gifts that come your way when you clear out that clutter, that old behavioral pattern, before making a choice or response. Restriction gives you greater clarity, certainty, and confidence, and that’s an enormous gift you give to yourself and those you care about. It allows the space to listen to your own inner guidance and to others for theirs. These are all gifts that keep on giving!

“Fools Rush In” is one way to think about it. Don’t rush to eat the banana so much so you don’t peel it first. It ‘tastes’ so much better without the peel.