“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” This was said by the pioneering psychologist Carl Jung and it points to a profound question that each of us would benefit from asking: what is the difference between judgement and preference?

A preference is something you like, something that pleases you.  Some people like cereal for breakfast, but you prefer two scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee. Having a preference for eggs over cereal doesn’t imply anything beyond what is obvious: it just means you like eggs and other people like cereal.

Judgement is a little trickier, partly because it comes with a lot of negative baggage. But remember: life involves making difficult decisions. If you’re in business, for example, you have to judge what is going to move your company forward. In this case, judgement isn’t bad—it’s simply a way of weighing the evidence in front of you and comparing the pros and cons and making a decision.

The problems comes when people confuse the two: when you decide that your preference automatically makes something more valuable.  For instance, allowing preference to hold sway over research is probably bad judgement. On the other hand, questioning your own preferences and looking at objective facts shows good judgement—because, truthfully, the only thing our own preferences indicate is facts about ourselves!

For more information on how you can become a powerful business communicator, download a complimentary copy of our groundbreaking new ebook, “The Leader’s Guide to Clear and Effective Communication” at EvolutionTraining.co.uk/LeadershipBook.

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Emily Terry

Mangaging director at Evolution Training
Emily Terry is Managing Director of Evolution Training and an international NLP Trainer, consultant and freedom coach. She specialises in helping people grow beyond their current limitations. Using a unique mix of NLP and her own interpretation of ancient healing arts Emily guides her clients through their transformational journey. Working especially around women’s development she aims to set her clients free from the bonds that hold them back in life. Over the last 3 years Emily has devoted herself to designing a ground-breaking weight loss and control programme (New Silhouette) that does away with yo yo dieting and resets the body’s food to energy conversion system so that once the weight is lost it doesn’t come back.

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