Making Good Choices – 10 Steps To Making Great Decisions
Interested in making good choices? Here are 10 genius steps to making great decisions over and over again in life.
Let’s talk about making good choices in life.
If you have to make a choice today (and I’m sure you will at some point during the next 24 hours) I have some great tips to share with you.
Did you know that your life is largely defined by the quality of your decisions?
I know that this sounds like a heavy statement but stick with me here.
Now obviously there’s a big difference between choosing a career and spouse that’s right for you and choosing poorly.
But those are only two decisions among the thousands you make each month.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
Think about all the decisions you make on a daily basis.
Will you choose to eat an apple or a bowl of ice cream?
Will you choose to work 2 hours on your business goals or two hours binge-watching another show on Netflix?
What time should you go to bed – later or earlier?
All of these are choices you must make a decision on each day.
Keep in mind that if you consistently choose one or the other, this may have a massive impact on how your life looks 20 years from now.
All in all, great decisions come from a great decision-making process.
If you are keen on making better decisions in your life, try this process to help you find the ones that are right for you:
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 1 – Know your objective.
First things first: What are you trying to accomplish with your decision?
Suppose you’re planning a family vacation.
What’s the objective?
Inexpensive?
Relaxing?
Adventurous?
Family bonding?
What if you are setting up a business.
What’s your business?
To earn an extra $1000 per month or $2000 or $5000 per month.
Each goal will require you to take different actions.
It’s so many easier to make a decision when you know what your objective is.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 2 – Know your values.
Some decisions that we make in life are dependent on our values.
These values influences our decisions such as choosing a career, a spouse, or deciding what charity to contribute to.
Can you rattle off your values without giving it some thought?
If not, you have some work to do.
Take the time to think about what they may be for you.
I know my values include: independence, freedom, honesty and peace.
Know your values and many decisions become clear.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 3 – List your options.
When it comes to making a decision, it’s super helpful to know what your options actually are.
Take the time to write a complete list.
You always have more options available to you than you realize (that is the good news from doing this task!).
Too many people accidentally discover that the best choice they had available to them was one they never considered before.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 4 – Consider the benefits of each option.
When you have all your options laid out before you the next step is to consider the benefits of each option.
What are the benefits and advantages of each option?
This is the first half of doing a pros and cons list, which is super simple to do.
Just trust your gut and write down the first things that come to mind.
I recommend spending no more than 30 minutes doing this task.
The reason I recommend constraining your time is because I don’t want this to become this big complicated task that you are actively trying to avoid.
Write down your options and the pros for each.
It’s that simple.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 5 – Consider the disadvantages and potential risks of each option.
Now, take a look at the other side of the coin.
What are the negatives?
What are the risks associated with that particular option?
Think carefully and list them all.
Once again I want you to trust your gut and do the task quickly, without making it a super big deal.
Your gut already knows what the disadvantages are and probably can’t wait to tell you what they are.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 6 – Sleep on it.
Once you have your pros and cons list complete, assuming you don’t have to make a decision immediately, take the time – like a full night – to sleep on it.
Your brain is working away on the issue, even if you don’t realize it.
That is the beauty of our brains – it wants to help us solve our problems.
So, take a night of sleep to think about how you want to move ahead and your brain will provide new insight and understanding.
Ask your brain: what is the right choice for me?
You might be surprised how your perspective changes in the morning when it has had time to ponder on this question.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 7 – Make a decision.
After you have done some exploring, it’s time to pull the trigger and make your decision.
Once again, it’s important to add some constraint to this decision.
Avoid taking too long to make up your mind.
If you’re stuck, it probably means that the options you’re considering are all acceptable.
Taking more time won’t help.
It will just waste time.
So what is it?
Feel free to jump in and choose ONE THING that your intuition is telling you feels most right.
- Compare the advantages and disadvantages. Consider your values. Now, choose. Avoid procrastinating. You can do it.
- Most people avoid decisions because it’s more comfortable to be in decision mode than working mode.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 8 – Consider the worst possible outcome and have a plan.
Now that you’ve made a decision, you need to prepare for the worst possible outcome.
The cool thing about considering the worst possible scenario is that you’ll be ready if it should happen, and you’ll also feel more confident about tackling any problems that arise.
If you can handle the worst, I promise you, you can handle anything else that comes your way.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 9 – Stick with it. A common cause of failure is changing your mind.
Once you make a decision, you really do need to stick with it.
That’s what the very definition of commitment means.
You stick it out, through thickness and thin.
Of course, if it becomes immediately obvious to you that you have made a mistake, it’s okay to change your mind if the alarm bells are ringing.
Otherwise, if the alarm bells are quiet, hang in there and persevere.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
TIP # 10 – Re-evaluate.
Once you have made a decision, it is important for you to learn from each decision you make.
Ask yourself questions like:
What was good about that decision I made?
How do I know it was the best choice for me?
Did I listen and trust my gut?
How can I enhance my decision-making process to make it easier for me to decide next time?
What can do you differently moving forward?
Remember each decision is simply a learning opportunity for you to dig deep into.
Keep an open mind and ensure that you’re learning and growing as much as possible.
You don’t want to become stagnant in life.
You were here on earth to GROW and BLOOM and LIVE TO YOUR POTENTIAL.
In the end, you need to know that your decisions are important because they will contribute to your growth.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
In fact, the quality of your decisions determines the quality of your life.
So what decisions do you need to make today to enhance the quality of your own life?
How do you currently make decisions?
Do you have a process or just shoot from the hip?
Do you think from the head or heart or both?
There’s no right or wrong way to make decisions in life – you get to decide what works best for you.
But do DECIDE.
Don’t just sit there staying stuck in the land of indecision and confusion.
Create and follow a process that will lead to making great decisions.
You’ll seriously be so happy with the impact that good decision-making skills has on your life.
Much love,
Frances Vidakovic xxx
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I’m Frances Vidakovic – a mindset & action coach for quietly ambitious women who want to stop overthinking and finally take aligned action. I help women achieve their goals and follow through on what matters, without sacrificing their sanity or soul.