Jul
07
5 quick steps to making decisions
Bob Proctor says making decisions can be the most important thing you can do to succeed. I agree with that statement, and yet I know from personal experience actually making some decisions can feel like the weight of the world is upon you.
As an expert at avoiding decisions, I have had to learn how to make decisions the hard way. So how do you improve your ability to make decisions?
Here are some easy tips to help you grow your capacity for deciding, today.
- Always, always, always remember that not deciding is still deciding.
- Put more energy into looking inside for your answer than testing the waters outside yourself. Other people will be like changing winds — each tossing you a different direction. Listen to counsel then go inside to hear your own wisdom.
- Realize you truly can make anything work; once you decide and start moving. If I am really struggling between two opposing decisions I like to write down what my plan will be with each path. Sometimes just starting to plan my actions will make it clear which choice I am more excited about. Other times planning for each option gives me data that helps me rule an idea out; and often making a plan for each shows me that one of my alternatives was really not an alternative at all, but just fear cloaked as reason.
- Ask yourself what is the worst thing that can happen? Then ask yourself how likely is it? Often we are paralized by fears about things we truly don’t even believe will happen.
- Take the risk and make the decision. Usually the anticipation is much worse than the actual decision. Then once decided, stand by your decision and move forward to make it the best decision you can. If you are plagued with doubts, post decision, just tell your inner critic you are going to give it a specified amount of time. Then don’t entertain those types of thoughts for that period of time. Once your time is up most likely the results will be moving in your direction and those voices will have vanished.