If you are someone who habitually doubts your own judgment, it's time to press the Delete button on that habit. You can - with the right help - build stronger decision making skills and make wise, informed choices.
All of these helpers have made my decision making process more comfortable and confident. I should also mention that I have achieved some amazing personal breakthroughs in my thinking by playing around with them to see which ones work best.
In the quest to improve the quality of our decisions, it's useful to recognize the two decision making traps we routinely fall into.
- The Myth Of Having It All
There are certain beliefs and assumptions we allow into our lives, often without asking if they make sense or if they really do us any good.
I call these beliefs "myths". They sound impressive and seem worth aspiring to, but when you actually get there, you often find that the end result wasn't what you wanted, or that it did more harm than good.
Examples of myths:
We want "the best". We want to be safe. We want to belong. We want to be like our neighbour, our co-worker, that family at school that seems to have their act together. We want it "all".
The older I get, the more I am convinced that "best" and "all" are futile desires, a chasing after the wind.
"For every yes there must be a no."
A wise person recognizes that every decision has a cost and every choice a consequence. You have to define for yourself what it is you really want, and ask whether it is worth the cost of pursuing. If it is, ignore all the noise and naysayers and just do it.
What you need is clarity. When you recognize which things matter most, it actually makes the decision making process simpler. You know what you want and what you don't want. In a simplistic sense, all the other steps in the decision making process can be evaluated by whether they help you to get closer to your goal or not.
- The Myth Of The Status Quo
In life, anything that is not growing is dying. This is a universal law that applies to Nature, to the human body, to our minds, and to our abilities.
Use it or lose it.
This law applies to your career situation too.
If you think that doing nothing is the best choice and the status quo is a less risky option than trying something different, think again.
The status quo can be a vicious cycle that keeps you in one place so that you never have a chance of experiencing life beyond what you now know.
If you are contented with what you have and where you are, good for you.
But what if you're choking with dissatisfaction and a feeling of not having achieved all that you could?
What if you want more out of your career?
Should you still stick with your current career situation because you are too afraid to try something new?
I believe you already know the answer.
I also believe that the longer you stay disengaged and disenchanted with your work, the harder it is to motivate yourself to do what you can and to be all that you can. Eventually, you believe that change is too hard, and you give up trying.
You become another office automaton, working out of pure economic necessity, feeling that you have "no choice" in the matter.
That resignation and surrender is, in a sense, a sort of spiritual death. Something precious inside you dies when hope is lost.
If your career path seems stuck in neutral, our Four-Step Rut Busting Action Challenge can help.
For every yes there must be a no,
and every positive choice means you have to
relinquish others.
Many of us shrink from fully apprehending the limits,
diminishment, and loss that are riveted to existence.
Irvin D. Yalom, Staring At The Sun
Ethics In Decision Making
Does ethics in decision making matter to you?
How far would you go to be successful?
How much weight do you give matters of conscience in your decision making process?
Can a rational decision making model also make room for how others feel and how they might be affected by our choices?
Types Of Decision Making Styles
Everyone has a default style when engaging in the decision making process. It's the way you are most comfortable with, the one you switch on instinctively before you've had time to think more deeply about it.
Some people evaluate options based on rational and objective criteria. Some use their intuition, gut feel or inner voice. Some do both.
Is it possible to
combine styles to achieve the best possible outcome?
What is your default style and how has it served you?
If it has not been helpful, what do you plan to do about it?
The Split Second Decision Making Strategy
When you need to make a split second decision, you want the assurance of something familiar and proven that has worked for yourself or others in similar situations.
Be sure to find out about the three
decision making rules
for everyday situations.
Help, I Still Can't Decide!
Have you ever felt overwhelmed because you had too many choices?
Me too.
When I thought of building a website, I couldn't even decide on the theme! I couldn't bring myself to choose Theme A because that would mean having to let go of B, C and D.
That's why I think you'll be very excited to know all about
the automated decision making software
that simplifies your decision making process and eliminates overload.
Try it out and start turning your what-ifs into real actionable solutions!
Recommended Decision Making Books
Want more help with the decision making process?
Go to our Career Builders page for additional resources you can download or purchase.
Deciding to not decide IS a decision.
Failing to decide IS a failure.
Author Unknown
Return from The Decision Making Process Made Simple to Career Change Confidence
