Decision Making

From the classic mega best seller "Think and Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill, a study of the five hundred wealthiest men of the United States found that their ability to make decisions was key to their success. He found that successful people were quick to make decisions and slow if ever to change, where unsuccessful people were slow to make decisions but quick to change. Here is one of my favorite word picture stories to illustrate the need to make good decisions:

Life is like a river for many people, they just jump in the river of life without ever deciding where they want to end up, so they quickly get caught up in the current, current events, current challenges, current fears. And then they come to the forks in the rivers, they don't consciously decide which way to go, they just go with the flow of the river, the flow of the majority instead of being directed by their own values and goals. As a result the feel out of control but continue to drift downstream until one day the sound of the ragging water wakes them up and they realize they are 5 feet from the falls and they are in a boat with no oars. It's too late. They are going to take a fall. It may be a financial set-back or the break up of a relationship or maybe even a health problem. In almost all of the cases the fall could have been prevented by making better decisions up stream.

~ Anthony Robbins ~

The currents of life are carrying people directly to the falls because they are not making thoughtful decisions according to their values and goals. One of the biggest problems is too many try to figure out their decision in their head. It is nearly impossible to get a good objective view of the decision you need to make in your head. We are too easily caught up in emotions and feelings that change day by day. One of the most effective ways to solve problems is to write it down, have a good look at the issue, ponder it for a couple of days and apply the exercise below to make the decision. Below is an awesome simple exercise to apply to any decision that you may need to make. Indecision when a decision needs to be made can lead to much unwanted stress and anxiety. Total the results from the exercise and I assure you that you see the answer staring right in front of you and you will not get stressed and have anxiety that only clouds the situation.

1 - Print off the following page and apply these six steps.
2 - Write your question or dilemma in the blank line at the top.
3 - Apply each question to your situation.
4 - Total the results at the bottom.
5 - Finish with My Decision.

My question: _______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

1 - Does this decision bring you closer or further away from your goal? Answer: Yes or no
2 - What is your gut feeling, listen to that inner voice? Answer: Yes or no
3 - Weight the pro's and con's, create a 2 column chart and list as many positives and negatives you can.

4 - Hindsight is always 20/20. Reflect back and think about how have similar situations worked out in the past. Answer: Positive or Negative
5 - Look at the circumstances surrounding this decision.

A) Are doors open or closed? Answer: Yes or no
B) Do I have the emotions to deal with this? Answer: Yes or no

6 - Probably the most important is to seek counsel. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. Humble yourself and get some advice. Seek out those who have experience and success regarding your decision and get some feedback. An ancient proverb says "Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise.

Feedback A: ________________________________________________________________________
Feedback B: ________________________________________________________________________
Feedback C: ________________________________________________________________________

My Decision: ___________________________________.

I have heard a wise man once say that "God's will for you is what you would do if you had all the facts". I don’t want you to analyze until you are paralyzed, but for any major decision it is wise to take some time and be considerate and thoughtful regarding your decision and I think you will find this little 6 step process very valuable.

An unwillingness to think.
An unwillingness to think ahead.
An unwillingness to take advice.
An unwillingness to suspect ones self. Sometimes we don't want to be realistic with one self.
An unwillingness to discount personal magnetism, personal biases.
An unwillingness to wait.

Webster's dictionary defines decision as the quality of being positive and firm, a decisive result! Decision comes from the Latin root "ci-dere" which literally means to cut from. It means when we decide to do something then we need to cut away all other possibilities. When you say that you are going to quit smoking then that's it, you're finished. You have made a positive and firm decision.

Remember the story of Hernan Cortes who sailed from Cuba to Mexico in 1519 with plans to conquer the Aztec empire. He succeeded in conquering the Aztecs but found many other great challenges and difficulties. Many of his crew wanted to sail back to Cuba when Cortes made the decision to burn the ships. This left them no other opportunity but to succeed in this new land which they did forming the little town now called Veracruz. Maybe you have some decisions where you need to burn the ships. Make a wise decision and cut away all possibilities from turning back and you will succeed.