Do not ever underestimate the value of learning how to make better decisions in your life. If you think back to decisions you made decades ago, you should consider for a moment what would have happened if you had chosen differently. Chances are your life would be miles away from where it is today. That is the power of decisions. It behooves us to devote some time to make better decisions in our lives – because it is very important.
Making the Right Choices in Life
If you are a leader in any capacity, then making good decisions unpressured is very important. You must earn the trust and respect of those who report to you and look up to you. One of the most consistent ways to do this is by making decisions that are sound and lead to good results.
The same can be said about your personal life as well. Exercising sound judgment is just as important at home as it is anywhere else. When you practice making sound decisions in all areas of your life, then you will become proficient at this task.
Fortunately, there are mechanical approaches you can take to enhance the quality of your decisions. In fact, dedicating yourself to a method for decision making is the best way to make good decisions. You will find that your personal process will become repeatable and more efficient each time you employ the process.
A Method for Making Tough Decisions
Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are faced with a tough decision:
Which choice will look better to you 10 years from today?
If you stop and distort your timeframe for a moment, you can look at your decision from a different perspective. Not only that, it will allow you to consider what’s really important when you make this decision. The amazing thing is sometimes – but not always – this one little question will make the right choice to stand out in a huge way.
Does this choice reflect your personal values?
Answering this question requires that you know yourself pretty well. Sometimes when we are managers in corporations, we focus so much on what the company wants that their values become our values. It is important that your values are reflective of your final decision. Otherwise, you will suffer emotionally.
Did you consider what would happen if your choice was a failure?
Ah yes, failure. The very thing that makes us afraid of making tough decisions in the first place. Unfortunately, before we can make decisions, we have to be prepared for fallout if the decision gets thrown back in our face. We have to be prepared to own the decision and face the consequences. And we have to understand that most likely everyone around us will probably step away from the decision – not wanting any association with it.
Does your decision have transparency and are you sincere about your decision?
We human beings are always plagued with bias. In fact, experts tell us that every single thought we have has even a little bit of slant or bias. This is why we need to make sure we are being honest with ourselves regarding the facts and circumstances surrounding our decisions. If it’s a business decision, then we usually have someone we can bounce ideas off of, if it’s a personal decision, then we are usually on our own.
Conclusion
If you are the leader of others, there is one last important thing about making tough decisions. In most cases, you earn more respect for making quick decisions. The worst thing you can do is not make a decision as this makes you learn indecisive and weak.
It is our hope that you have benefited from this discussion on how to make better decisions in your life.
