Making a decision isn't easy. Sometimes, it's simple to figure out the right choice between two options, and other times, you just can't see a solution. The real problem lies in the weak moments of indecision.
I live in the woods and have a very long driveway to my house. I love the solitude, and often, as I drive home, I'll see various animals, such as deer, rabbits, and turkeys standing nearby. But the troublemakers for me are the squirrels.
You see, the deer and the turkeys have no problem getting out of my way most of the time. They hear the car coming and move off the driveway quickly to avoid trouble. But the squirrels...they just don't make it easy.
Often, they'll run halfway across the drive, then turn back and head back the way they came, then stop and run back the original way, then get almost completely across the driveway only to turn back and try to return to where they came from. And they repeat this indefinitely. I usually have to stop completely while they make up their frenzied little minds and scurry off into a nearby tree.
Indecision is a dangerous thing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with thoroughly investigating all sides of a decision before making it, but there eventually comes a time when we'll have to decide, or we might miss a golden opportunity.
A few years ago, a local landowner wanted to develop a piece of land but couldn't decide what to do with it. Several businesses expressed interest in building on the property, but the landowner just couldn't decide which to go with. As he tried to decide, the businesses moved to other properties in the area. Eventually, he lost out on a few good opportunities because he couldn't decide on any.
Here are five things to keep in mind when making decisions:
1) Give yourself a deadline if possible. It's really easy to keep pushing things off indefinitely if there is no need to make a decision. I have a friend who has been planning to build a house for almost 20 years. He's never done anything but live in "someday", yet he still talks like he's serious about doing it. Twenty years is far too long to be serious about something you could do in a few months. While it might take you twenty years to become a billionaire, it doesn't take twenty years to decide on the type of curtains you want in your living room. Give yourself a deadline and force yourself to decide on that date--even if the decision is to do nothing. If we work with a deadline in mind, it helps us focus on our options.
2) Consider the major outcomes of the decision and weigh them. Don't just consider tomorrow's aftermath; consider what your life will look like in a year, five years, or more after you make this decision. Sometimes, that alone is enough to make a choice obvious.
3) Don't overthink every decision. Some things are life-changing and need to be carefully considered. Some things are not. Unfortunately, if we get hung up on never making any big decisions, it will trickle down to other everyday decisions as well. We'll begin to see ourselves as never making the right decisions, so we won't want to make any. Soon, it's no longer the deep considerations of a job to take that hold us back but what to have for dinner that derails us.
4) Learn from past mistakes. What past decision led to the most grief for you? What decisions in the past made you doubt yourself so much? Now, what did you do wrong then that you can avoid doing this time out?
5) Don't be afraid to ask for advice--and then don't be afraid to ignore it. There may be people in your life who have faced a situation similar to yours. Find out what they did, and what the ultimate outcome was. If you feel comfortable trying their way, then do it. If you don't, see if you can still find any gems in what they said and move forward in your own direction.
Sometimes, it helps to think about the outcome you would most like to see happen and then work backward from that in your mind. What would be the step before that outcome? And what would be the step before that one? Keep backtracking those in your mind until you find a good, logical first step in the right direction.
And always remember the words of Mike Tyson: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." Be ready to roll with whatever punches come and move with them. Don't freeze up.
Make small choices now to build that confidence, and don't be afraid to move on to bigger ones. You can make good choices if you believe in yourself and learn from past mistakes.
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