We all have decisions to make every day:
- should I have a bar of chocolate today or not?
- should I go out tonight or not?
- which piece of work should I start first?
- should I go out on a date with that guy/girl?
- what should I wear to my interview?
And so on…
Some decisions won’t affect you too much in the short or even the long term, but other decisions will have huge consequences on your life such as: “Shall I take that job?” or “Shall I leave my husband/wife?”
So, if we’re struggling to make decisions, how can we do it effectively, how do we know that we are making the right one, or can we ever know?
There are some circumstances where we do know, for example; where morals are involved; “Do I go on a date with my friend’s husband/wife?”
….or danger is involved; “Do I put my hand into that fire?”
Obviously in both these examples, the answer is no!
In the first example we know this because our morals will be screaming at us that it’s the wrong thing to do, however it’s surprising how many people with still justify that having an affair with their friend’s husband/wife is probably going to be OK and that they “deserve some fun” and will go ahead anyway.
With regard to the decision not to put your hand in a fire, you will have had this not only drummed into you from birth but will probably have burned yourself enough times in your life to know that extreme heat hurts and that pain lesson teaches you not to voluntarily repeat the experience.
However there are many decisions in life where outcomes are not so clear-cut and trying to make what, in our minds, is the correct decision, can be a struggle.
One thing you can guarantee is that if you consistently fail to make decisions, you’ll soon begin to pay the price with frustration, anger and misery as this failure starts to ruin your life!
Our life’s path is totally dependent on our decisions but knowing that can lead to much agonising in an effort to make the “right” decision, this in turn can lead to a total paralysis in decision making.
Here are 7 pointers to consider when faced with difficult decisions:
7 Effective Decision Making Techniques:
1. Listen to your heart and your head as there is evidence to suggest that both approaches are valid. There are schools of thought that say that analysing the problem and making a rational decision rather than emotional one nearly always produces the best decisions, but there are studies to suggest that instinct or gut feeling is just as effective.
2. Don’t allow yourself to suffer from paralysis by analysis! Know that there ARE NO GUARANTEES. You HAVE to have an acceptance of this fact. Nothing in life is certain so postponing your decision until you feel certain is going to mean that you’ll never be able to make the decision at all. This will cause greater and greater stress as you lose any control that you had over the situation.
3. Acknowledge that there is sometimes no right or wrong decision. You can find that out of the choices you have, neither or both may work.
4. Take comfort in the fact that making an initial “wrong” decision may lead to other opportunities which could pay off in the long run anyway.
5. Do your research; find out the facts and also ask other people who have experience in the subject that you are trying to make a decision on. Beware of asking for other’s opinions though, if you ask people who have no EXPERIENCE, then all they are giving you are opinions and these may not be backed up by anything valid at all.
6. Weigh up all the pro’s and cons and make your decision!
7. Don’t beat yourself up if you eventually feel you’ve made the “wrong” decision. You can’t change what you’ve done already, you can only change what you do now.
