How to decide what to vote in the EU referendum – an unbiased approach.

Okay, first things first. This article is not promoting one decision or the other.  Leave or remain, or even abstain. I am letting go of the outcome in favour of suggesting a way that anyone struggling to decide can arrive at their own right decision for you.

Secondly there is no political content.  You can get that from the hundreds of leaflets, articles, news headlines, bulletins and political broadcasts.

My only agenda is to ask you this:

What is most important to you?  What are your values?

This is a question to which it is always good to have an answer.

Don’t answer it in the context of the referendum, ask it in the context of your whole life.  There will be many answers, so get ready to make a list. Just write down on the list the words that come up when you ask yourself – what is important to me.

Maybe it is Freedom, Choice, Family, Love, Happiness or Purpose.  Maybe it is Career, Self-sufficiency, Caring for Others, Abundance.

Just write everything down and when you think you have run out of ideas, force yourself to think of three more.

If you happen to have done any kind of coaching or read any of a wide range of self-help books you may already have done this – maybe in a more sophisticated way.  If you have, dig out that list you made and look it over to see if it still rings true for you.

When you’ve got your list it may be good to put it in order too. Some values are more important than others.  What are your top ten?

When you’re done, look over your list. This is the list that represents you when you are your best self.  You want to make a decision based on your best self, don’t you.

What decision, if you look at the big picture, of whether to remain or leave, rings most true to your values according to that list?  Or what decision fulfills your highest values.

If you can do this, then whatever you decide, you have made the best choice for you.  You have done right by yourself, your loved ones, your neighbourhood and even by your country, Europe and the whole world.

So go for it on Thursday.