How do I make a Decision?

When you’re trying to make a difficult decision, bear the following points in mind:

1. Ask yourself if you will look back and feel proud of yourself in a month, a year, or 10 years from now. That should influence the choice you make.

2. Think about the strategies you used when making decisions in the past. What worked and what didn’t? Apply that information to your current decision.

3. Try and quieten the voices around you and listen to your heart.

4. Take your time. Rushed decisions are rarely good decisions. Don’t act in haste.

5. Think about the impact it will have on others, especially those who are closest to you.

6. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Few decisions are irrevocable – and living without risk is a life half-lived. If nothing else, we can always learn from our mistakes.

7. Talk it over with people who know you well, and are willing to be honest, and to speak the truth. (Also, who won’t only say what you want to hear.)

8. Ask yourself: What’s the worst thing that could happen? What are the chances it will happen? And can I survive if it all falls apart?

9. Get as much information as possible. Try to see the problem from every angle, and think about every possible outcome and effect.

10. Take time out and walk away from the decision. Opting for some space usually brings a new, and more objective, perspective.

11. Be brutally honest with yourself. Don’t sugar coat the truth, or try to kid yourself.

12. If you have to talk yourself into making a decision, then the chances are that it’s not a good decision.

6 Questions to ask when you’re making a tough decision

1. What option would I choose if I knew I would definitely succeed?

2. What would I do if I didn’t feel scared?

3. Who can I talk to who’s been in my shoes?

4. What are the likely outcomes of each choice and decision?

5. What is the worst thing that could happen; what is the best thing that could happen?

6. Am I making this decision for myself, or am I choosing to please other people?

10 Things to Consider when Making a Decision

1. What strategies have you used before – and which were the most helpful for making the right choice?

2. What is your gut instinct? What does your intuition say?

3. Which of the options appeals to you the most?

4. Will you feel proud if you decide to take this step?

5. How will it affect the other people in your life?

6. If it was a friend who was making the decision, what questions would you ask them? What advice would you offer them?

7. What’s the worst thing that could happen to you here – and what are the chances that this will be the outcome? How would you cope if that actually happened?

8. Do you have to talk yourself into making the decision? If you do, then it is possible you’re making a mistake?

9. How does it line up with your purposes and goals? Does it help to move you closer to your dreams?

10. How will you feel when you look back at your life, ten years from now? Which of the options will you wish you had taken, and why?