I bet more than once you have found it hard to make a decision. I know I have found this once or twice! Sometimes there are so many decisions you just don´t know which one to select. Maybe there were only two decisions that you have to make but each one had it´s pro and cons and you just could not decide which one was the right one.
This can be really annoying and to be honest it can hurt your self esteem as you begin to think you can´t make proper decisions. Be prepared for change!
To succeed in life you must be decisive – now´s your chance to find out how.
Below I have outlined a number of reasons why being decisive is going to help you succeed life
Being decisive allows you to move forward rather than standing still or even worse moving backwards. Being indecisive means you are standing still, stuck if you will. When you´re not moving things are still changing. Even if you don´t make a decision changes are going to happen. The longer you wait the harder change will become.
You continue with your plan and remain focused. Making decisions helps you reach your goals. It helps you achieve your plan and move forward. If you can´t make a decision you will waste time, lose focus and not move forward. .
You learn from your decisions. Many people don´t like to make decisions in case they make a mistake. However don´t think of “mistakes” as something negative. Think of them as opportunities to learn and grow. Each decision you make helps you learn something new. I love to use the NLP “expression” – there is no such thing as failure only feedback.
You become more confident. From my dealings with people many people don´t make decisions because they are afraid of making the wrong decision. Living in fear paralyses you. The more decisions you make the better you get at making them. The more you make the more confident you get. It´s a positive “vicious circle” . Believe me I sometimes think I may mess up, but I do what I have to do anyway. If I don´t I can´t grow and move on.
- Each time you make a decision you grow and learn. The more decisions you make the happier you will be and the more confident you will be in making more decisions. If you may fewer decisions you will belive you are not good at making decisions and this will stop you from progressing.
Here are some of my strategies that I use and teach to my coaching clients:
Realize that it´s ok to make mistakes. Always remember that you will learn something not matter what the outcome. Obviously we want a positive outcome but each decision made is a new lesson learnt. Don´t be afraid to learn! You will also realize that you can survive the mistakes that you make. This improves your survival skills to! Obviously you want to do the best you can in each and every decision you make.
Before making a decision quickly assess your options. Obviously I don´t want you to think that before you make a decision you have to do out a huge pro and con plan. But quickly assess what options you have. If you don´t make a decision what will happen..
Eliminate options. Many times we will have options, sometimes l like to call them excuses, for not doing something. learn to eliminate these options, for example, it won´t work out, someone else will do it, I can´t do it etc. the less options you have sometimes the better!
- As you eliminate options your real choices become clearer.
If you can use facts to help you make the decision. Proper facts allow you to make better options.
- One way of finding out more facts about your options is that you can consult the internet! This can help you make a decision and briefly see if there are any negatives to do something. For example you may say I want to visit X country. Looking on the internet you may find that the particular country is dangerous to visit at the present time.
No facts? Go with your gut. I am a strong believer in going with the gut. Sometimes you just get a feeling that something is the right decision. Use this inbuilt compass that we all have. Again learn from everything that and every decision that you make.
Always try to have a plan B. Having a plan B helps build your confidence. If you really are having issues making a decision, create a back up plan. If the original decision does not work out you can always revert back (in most cases!) to plan B.
When you start to become more decisive you will find that you life becomes better you can experience more new things and make changes. You will reach your goals, move forward and enrich your life knowing that you always have an option to change.
The life you desire is waiting for you – you just have to make the decision to accept it!