Making the right decisions is one of the must-have skills especially in our adulthood. We decide on a lot of things, either consciously or subconsciously.
From the moment we are awakened from our sleep, we start deciding: should we get up already or should we linger in bed for more minutes or for more hours? In grander scales we also decide how we spend our money, what program to take in our studies, whom to marry, how many children to have, among many others.
It would be safe to say that countless number of options are available to us, and these options sometimes lead to completely different outcomes. It is as though every option that we choose holds our hands dearly and leads us either to a fulfilling reward or to inescapable consequences. Then ultimately, every decision eventually leads us to another decision.
When torn between and among many options, how do we actually choose the best decision for ourselves? The following tips and reminders may help you.
1. Write down the pros and cons of every available option
This may not necessarily cover every possible favorable and unfavorable factor but will definitely help you see the option in the context of a bigger picture. Also, it will help you compare side by side and weigh the pros and cons of every option.
2. Know your priorities
Sometimes, we choose something because we thought it is what we want but eventually we’d realize that it only brought us away from the things and people we truly care for. Missed moments can never be brought back. Though we cannot always make a perfect decision based on our real priorities, it would be helpful to remind ourselves of what we truly value at the given time.
3. Know the value of small things
Small things that have accumulated eventually become big things. A small thing done repeatedly eventually becomes a habit. Starting small but being consistent on building on it eventually gives us big rewards in life. Our decisions over small things therefore matter.
4. Choose what you are willing to struggle for
Mark Manson, in his bestseller book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, said that instead of asking ourselves what we want or what makes us happy, the more interesting question is, “What pain do you want in your life? What are you willing to struggle for?” We choose our decisions from the available options and what makes us hold on to that decision is our readiness to struggle along the way, knowing that avoidance of suffering and struggle will not give us the best life that we could have.
5. Jump in
This one has been said plenty of times already in several books and articles, and so it must be right: when it seems scariest to jump in, that must be the perfect time to do so. Life is too short to be lived in fear. Most of the time we can feel that the next decision we are to make will get us out of our comfort zone. As a famous quote attributed to Albert Einstein says, “A ship is always safe at shore but that is not what it’s built for.” So go, sail into the vast oceans of possibilities and potentials, as all great people had.
It would be safe to say that countless number of options are available to us, and these options sometimes lead to completely different outcomes. It is as though every option that we choose holds our hands dearly and leads us either to a fulfilling reward or to inescapable consequences. Then ultimately, every decision eventually leads us to another decision.
