How to Make Good Decisions.
The decisions we make shape the events of our lives and play a very vital role in determining our future, That is how great the power of choice is. So, in order to live an efficient, highly productive and successful life, it is vital to know how to make good decisions
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How to Make Good Decisions.
Life is all about making choices, every day we make decisions that shape our lives and our destinies. From mundane things like choosing what color of toothbrush you like, or what color shirt best matches your jeans to complex, life-changing decisions like choosing which career path to follow and who to marry, we do all by choice.
Choice comes as a result of free will, or as I always say, choice is the price of free will. Because having free will does not only mean being able to choose for yourself but also being responsible for your choices. That responsibility has a name, it is called a consequence. That is how great the power of choice is, the consequence of one bad decision can cause you years of suffering. So, in order to live an efficient, highly productive, and successful life, it is vital to know how to make good decisions.
How to Make Good Decisions
Clearly Define Your Goal.
The very first thing you have to do when it comes to decision making is to clearly identify and define your goal. Always remind yourself of the purpose of your decision and what you hope to achieve. Defining your goals like this erases any confusion and builds in you, passion, hope, and motivation towards achieving the goal.
Be Well-informed On The Subject.
Before you can even start to make a decision, you need to have a complete understanding of the subject and situation. Otherwise, you will be making an informed choice which is the same as shooting in the dark. Always make sure to gather all the necessary information available on the subject, doing this will help you see the full picture and range of options available to you and this further allows you to do the best possible assessment of those options, with regards to your abilities, resources, values, and goals.
Also keep in mind that not all decisions require much information, in fact, too much information can be a bad thing because you may end up overwhelming yourself and being unable to decide or just spend too much unnecessary time trying to. Limit yourself to the relevant information you need to make the most informed decision and nothing more.
Consider The Pros And Cons.
Every decision carries consequences; these consequences can be positive and/or negative. Therefore, before making any decision, you have to evaluate and consider the possible advantages and disadvantages of making that decision. Writing down and comparing this data allows you to make a more informed decision.
This is where you also consider how your decision will affect those around you; ideally, a good decision has more advantages than disadvantages.
Seek Counsel From The Right People.
It is an added advantage to seek counsel, but not just from anybody. Not everybody is qualified to counsel you, you have to seek counsel from the right people. For example, if you want to build a house, don’t go looking for feedback from someone who has never built a house before; rather, go to someone who has successfully built and from whose experiences and wisdom you can learn from.
Also, before you seek counsel from anyone make sure you are aligned with them in purpose, values, and interests.
Seek Council From GOD.
GOD knows everything about your life, who better to seek council from than Him? “Roll your works upon the Lord, commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and so shall your plans be established and succeed”. - Proverbs 16:3. Whenever you want to make a decision in your life always seek to inquire of the Lord that He may direct your decisions to be in alignment with His purpose for you.
Make Your Decision.
This is the part after exploring all available options where you actually decide to go with one of the options. This is when you start drawing up plans and writing deadlines, it implies creating an approach to implement the decision you’ve made. This allows you to have a better grasp of how thoroughly you have examined the choice.
Examine Your Choice.
This is the part where you make double sure that you have made the right decision. Try criticizing your decision and your approach, ask yourself questions; Is this God’s will for your life? Is there anything you haven’t thought about? Does your choice best serve your purpose, values, and interests? How is your choice going to play out in the long run? Only continue after you confidently answer all the questions. Evaluating your choices like this will also allow you to grow and make better decisions in the future.
Take Action Immediately.
After thoroughly test proofing your decision, the only thing that is left to do is to take action immediately. Choice is only validated with action.
Other things to consider
- Always pen down your decision-making process.
This may look like a mundane and boring practice but believe me, it is effective. Any plan which is not written down is still only a dream. And don’t say you have it memorized, you cannot rely on your brain, one day you may forget so why even take the chance? Also, written plans act as visual reinforcement, just looking at them renews your drive.
- There are always unforeseen circumstances.
No matter how hard you try you can never plan for everything, there are always unforeseen circumstances, factors you didn’t plan for. That is why you always have to be willing and ready to improvise so that when “life happens” you don’t get stuck to the ground but you find other ways to keep going.
- Do not second guess yourself.
After you have made your decision and have taken action towards it, no matter what happens do not second guess yourself. You’re going to have to accept the fact that not everyone will be okay with your decision but that doesn’t make you wrong. Do away with all doubt, trust your heart (intuition) and see your decision through.
- Learn from but do not depend on past experiences.
Over the course of our lives, we have made a countless number of choices some ended in joy and others in pain and there is always this tendency to approach new choices in our lives with the knowledge and wisdom we’ve amassed from our past experiences. But because something failed or succeeded in the past doesn’t mean it will turn out the same way now. It is good to learn from our past experiences but relying entirely on them would be wrong because, in life, no two situations are the same. Therefore, treat every new experience as unique and separate from any other; this causes you to always keep an open mind.
Final Remarks
The decisions we make shape the events of our lives and play a very vital role in determining our future, you have just learned how to make good decisions but what you do with this information is what truly matters. So, if you want a good present and an even better future, choose to start making better decisions today.
