Do you struggle to make decisions? You may feel so concerned about making the wrong choice that you don’t make any choice at all. But by doing this, you actually do make a decision: you decide not to choose any path or destination!
The typical way of coming to a decision involves attempting to compare the future consequences of each of the possible actions. The choice with the best-perceived results is considered the better option. But this method of making decisions has some drawbacks.
The first challenge lies in attempting to predict the future; it’s tough to have any real accuracy. The second challenge is that the more important and serious we believe the issue to be, the more likely we are to become paralyzed. Yet, these big issues are the ones that really require a decision and a direction.
Ultimately, making decisions this way can be difficult. Indecision can feel paralyzing. But over time, external factors in your life will nudge you down a particular road, and your decision will have been made for you.
There Is A Better Way
Though the following steps might sound like a similar process, the differences are dramatic. Instead of looking at a long-term point in the future, try considering just the impact on your life and your well-being now.
Two simple questions to ask are:
- If I selected this option, how would it impact my life right now?
- What changes would I experience immediately?
Here’s an example:
Suppose you had a job that you didn’t really care for, but the money was good and you didn’t have to work very hard to get it. But you really wanted to be a teacher.
The thought of teaching high school science always appealed to you, and you’d love having the summers available to do something other than work your usual job.
Let’s consider our questions:
If I selected this option, what impact would it have on my life right now? What changes would I experience immediately?
- Stay at old job: I would feel trapped. I would feel very little hope that in the future I could have an enjoyable career.
- Become a teacher: I would feel hopeful about the future and excited at the prospect of spending my days in a more enjoyable way.
Now the correct choice is clear. In fact, you probably already truly know the right choice for all of your tough decisions. We tend to get stuck on the imaginary challenges that we believe are hiding behind the right option for us.
Present Moment Impact
When you look only at the impact your choices have in the present moment, you get to the heart of the matter very quickly.
The very fact that you’re stuck to begin with and can’t make up your mind means that you’re having a difficult time choosing one over the other. So if there’s no obvious winner, choose the option that’s the most fulfilling to you.
By taking the future out of the equation and simply making a decision, you can move forward and spend your energy taking action to make your decision work out the very best it can. This is a much more effective and enjoyable way to live.
Try the method above on one decision to start with. Chances are good that you’ll be happy with the results. Start with the smaller stuff and if you like the outcome, then tackle the bigger items. Your life will never be the same!