In a previous post I wrote about adapting to change and surviving it. This morning I stumbled upon an article in Inc. that talked about the questions you should ask yourself prior to making a difficult decision. Give the article a read here.
Everyday we are faced with decisions, big or small and the course of action we take has repercussions, good or bad. It can be as difficult as deciding whether to fire someone or it can be as easy as choosing what to have for lunch.
Inc. lists the following questions to ask yourself prior to making a major decision:
- What advice would I give someone else in this situation? How often do we tell friends or colleagues to go for it and take that risk…but then balk when we are in a similar situation? If you are going to give that advice, then you sure as hell better be able to do that yourself. Life is all about taking risks and sometimes that requires us to move out of our comfort zone.
- How do you feel? My gut is my best decision maker probably 7 times out of 10. Sometimes you just know a situation isn’t right or something feels off. Don’t ignore that feeling. Pause and evaluate, you will usually find a very logical reason that supports your gut.
- What if you have no choice? I usually imagine the worst possible scenario and then build a plan based on that. What route has the best outcome? Play them both out in your head and then make your decision based on the anticipated results.
No matter how you approach a decision, it isn’t easy but avoiding making one is even worse.
