There is an adage that says the decision we make today will determine what the future will look like for us. Every day of our lives, we go through deciding on lots of things. A decision is hard to go through because many of us are afraid of making decisions that might fail later. Life is unpredictable and it is why we do our best not to let the breeze blow us into a different path because of our decisions.
Some decisions do not take much time before taking action whereas, we have the big and major decisions that require thorough thought and giving it a lot of time with some plans ready to actualize them. With this, one is not sure which is good or not, life is all about trying.
I used to make decisions as quickly as possible in the past and when I realised how bad it affected me later, I started taking my time to decide while following some steps to make sure I don't make mistakes. This doesn't mean I do not fail but this experience always teaches me a lesson so that when I need to take on the same step or something similar, I will know what to do next.
What are the steps I take in my decision?
Thorough thinking:
This is the first step I take as I have learnt from past experiences how jumping on a decision without much thought has caused me some regret which I wouldn't want to embark on. I take my time to think deeply while finding some possible alternatives to it. Will this benefit me in the long run? Do I need this now? What if? These are some questions that would arise in my mind when taking my time to think about something. When I wanted to get my current phone as the previous one was giving me lots of issues with blogging and other things, I thought of getting a new one even when I did not have enough money on me then. I took my time thinking.
Calculating the cost:
I wouldn't want to embark on a journey without involving money. Many decisions revolve around money to actualize them. By the time I had given it a thought on getting a new phone, the next step was to analyse its cost. Is it something I can afford? Even if I don't have enough, how do I go about it? Money makes things easier and that is something I try to put into check when deciding on something including the major ones like building one's career, going for a professional skill etc.
Ask around:
Life does not always work for you being on the boat alone but to involve other people. Some people went through the same decision as yours and it's important to seek around for people's advice on the same thing. I don't fail to ask someone or some people for their opinions, reviews and advice on decisions so I wouldn't want to make mistakes trying it, thinking I can do it. Still on the phone, I asked a few friends about the right one to go for and I was glad to get something nice which I am still using today. Other than that, I make sure to seek my family's opinion too as it means I am carrying them along in my decisions.
Make research:
It doesn't end there alone, I also make research to know what I am going for. Relying on your knowledge about a particular decision on something isn't enough, but gather lots of information on it to guide you on the right path. This is another step I do not scrap out of the list because I want to know for myself what it is I am going for. How is it for other people? What approach did they take? These are what I would find out when I research.
Go for it:
This will be the last after checking all the above steps. Once I am convinced of the steps to take on a decision, I go for it. In this way, I have taken lots of time thinking, calculating the cost, asking for advice and researching to gather information.
But in a situation where things don't go as planned, what do I do? It results in disappointment when you have taken a decision but the result isn't what you expected. In this way, I try to console myself. I don't believe in giving up when something goes wrong. When the result is a failed one, I try other ways while taking into account the lessons I got from the failed result. It is not the end until I stop trying.
Giving myself encouraging words and looking at the positive sides also helps me to channel my blame game or regret to something else which would keep me going. Another thing is to believe in myself as I acknowledge that things will be right when I do not stop giving my best.
Both images are designed on Canva
Thanks for your time reading. Looking forward to your interaction.
