You Can Learn To Make Better Decisions

Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make

So what’s the best choice to make?

Sometimes we can be stifled because we don’t know which way to go or what path to take and we stay stuck, making no choice and moving forward nor moving backward- that may seem like a safe decision but if we continue to do that, we never get feedback and feedback is what helps us make better choices. Never making a choice out of fear is detrimental to improving. Indecision is the great killer of life.

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them” ~ Denis Waitley

So what can you do… Here are a few things to remember.

There are no guarantees.

This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life.

We want guarantees. If we do A, that will lead to be. Life sometimes takes courage. No risk, no reward. The truth is, we have no idea what leads to happiness. I think that is an impossible task anyway. Every decision has a thousand different outcomes, so do once you accept that, the weight is lifted and you can live with intention. That’s the best any of us can hope for.

Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not… but that’s the problem. We compare before and after… and that’s not quite fair (to us). We all have those 20/20 moments but if we continue to play the woulda-coulda-shoulda game, we stay stuck in pessimist thinking and that’s not helpful or useful. Learn the lessons and apply them next time. That’s the goal. That’s how you live a good life.

Take the risk: then decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and then decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. If we continue thinking with our pessimist thinking, we will stay in limbo, regretting all the missed opportunities and chances we never took. Instead, think of life as an unfolding adventure, that we learn from as we go. That is the only way to live life. There is no manual. Life coaches or therapist or even parents can’t tell you what to do with 100% certainty- so… why not embark on building a life of your dreams.

Identify and create options.

What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. That is the first step of brainstorming. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.

Trust yourself and make that decision.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. This will give you insight, possible consequences, and various options. But the time will come when you need to trust yourself. Keep in mind that- there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight.  So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.

“We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.” ~ Ken Levine

Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander, allowing life to happen to you. You get to choose what you do and how you react to the consequences.

Remember: Most things aren’t fatal so the laws of averages are in your favor. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome, especially if you live with intention. Not everything will work out 100% but that is what makes life so interesting. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.