You’ve been toying with quitting your job for months and setting up your own business, but it feels daunting. You want to buy an investment property, but you worry about risk. How can you be sure the decision you’re about to make is the right one? Will you be able to stick to it? You struggle to commit to anything, bombarded by your negative thoughts. Does any of this sound familiar?
Finally, you commit to facing your fears and pluck up your courage to take the plunge. In the chaos that follows, you struggle with your new direction. You feel tugged back to your old ways. You worry you made your decision too quickly and now you regret it.
· Can you resist the tug, and do you want to?
· How can you overcome the debate in your head and accept the change?
· Are you constantly battling with your limiting beliefs?
· Is there any way to make the process easier and more certain?
The decision-making process begins with thousands of small thoughts that lead you to a decision point. Your old identity and new identity clash with each other. You must either commit to your new direction, accepting your new reality, or give in to the feeling of challenge and uncertainty and go back to your old way of thinking and being. If you can see your journey clearly and map out your expectations, you will find it easier to commit to change.
Five key questions you need to answer to make a positive decision:
1. Why is this decision important?
Do you want more money, more time with your family, better health? List your reasons.
2. What does the decision look like in practice – how does it transform your reality?
Picture your life after you make this decision. What does the future look like for you?
3. Who needs to be involved?
Are you the right person to do this? Will you need help from someone else with a different skill set to you (a personal trainer, business coach, partner)? Think about applying your skills and focus on what you’re best at. Prioritise your highest value tasks.
4. When do you need to start?
What is the timeframe for this decision? Can you commit to it within the time given?
5. How will you make this decision a reality?
Identify the steps you will take. Do you need to create new routines to ensure success? Are these weekly, daily, or hourly changes? To be consistently courageous, you will need to back up your decision with regular action. When the change becomes a habit, you will no longer need to think about it.
The key to successful decision-making:
To succeed you must be consistent and courageous in the face of fear. Help yourself out by being disciplined and building new habits until you fully accept your new reality.
Don’t focus on how: think why, what, who, when, then how. Prepare yourself for the challenge and chaos. The more you visualise yourself living that new reality and committing to that decision, the easier it will be to make it. Let go of your anxiety and focus on action.
Suggested further reading:
Millionaire Masterplan - Roger Hamilton (Balance, 2014)
Feel good productivity - Ali Abdaal (Penguin, 2023)
Do you find it hard to commit to a decision and follow it through?
Did you find this post useful in helping you to understand and navigate the decision-making process?
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