Decision making doesn’t always come easily to most of us.
As you read this, I will be visiting yet another school with my daughter as she goes through her COLLEGE PILGRIMAGE to find the right school for her.
This process has got me thinking, how do we make decisions?
What happens when we have to choose a path, say yes to a job opportunity, decide which school we want to go to or where we invest our time and energy?
Making decisions can be scary, intimidating and all-out paralyzing, but we know very well that ultimately if YOU don’t make the decision someone will do it for you, and it probably will not be what you want. So, here are three STEPS that can guide you in making the best decision for you:
- TRUST YOURSELF: Ask yourself, how many decisions have you made in your life? How did they turn out? Make a list of all the decisions you’ve made and write next to each one what the outcome was. Chances are that those decisions that YOU were able to make with full awareness of consequences, turned out alright. Ultimately, you did well with them even if the outcome was not perfect
- ANALYZE: Ok, this is not a new process and I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. Making a PROS & CONS list is a standard operating procedure (SOP) when making decisions. Now, pay attention to the list of pros and cons and ask yourself, are these real? Am I being realistic or is either list heavily impacted by either extreme fear, negative thinking OR the opposite, an unrealistic way too positive view of the outcome (In my view, you can never be too positive but I won’t get into that)
- IS THIS THE RIGHT PATH FOR YOU?: Sometimes, a decision might feel right or look good on paper but then ask yourself… if I take this path, would I be happy with this decision 5 years from now? 10 years from now?
Decision making can be difficult, BUT having a process to deconstruct the decision into elements that you can work with makes it much easier.
Trust me, I’m testing this process with my daughter these days as the deadline to make a decision comes around and she commits to a school.
If you are saying to yourself… easier said than done, then go ahead, schedule a CLARITY CALL and let us help you make that NEXT big decision in your business.
Dolores Hirschmann is an internationally recognized strategist, Clarity coach, TEDxOrganizer, Speaker & Author. She has over 20 years experience helping entrepreneurs, companies & organizations realize their potential—by guiding them to CLARITY—to define their CORE IDEA, message and market strategy needed to reach their next level of growth. As a Speaker Coach Dolores guides speakers to go from successful professionals to thought leaders in their field. If you would like to learn more visit: www.mastersinclarity.com or download her free resource “STAND OUT THE TED WAY”