Are You Ready To Make Your Next Decision?

Decisions, decisions, decisions. We all have to make them or at least force someone else to make them for us. One way or the other, it’s a horror we all have to face. Since, it is a necessary evil, which it doesn’t have to be, what becomes important is how well we are at making decisions. Decision making could be one of two ways:

• Intuitive – Going with your gut instinct
• Reasoned – Using facts and figures
• Both – A reasonable combination of each

Each method of decision making has its own use. You can’t make a decision in the stock market for example solely on how you felt that Monday morning. Unless you’re some prediction guru. You’d have to read all the weird graphs we skip through on the news. Same applies to food. You won’t stop eating fast food just because a percentage of people die from it. If you love, you eat it.

One key is to know when to apply each method of decision making.

To make a good decision, you must first know what you’re deciding about. This should be obvious but sometimes we don’t realize the consequences of our decisions which often leads to regret and lots of wishes. The next step is to gather as much information as possible. You don’t want to buy a new phone and discover two days later that the camera is bad and it’s been all over the internet. Go out and get yourself enlightened. Always seek alternatives. Explore your options. Weigh the pros and cons. Then choose and make a reasonable decision.

The best decision is the optimum decision taken after putting every factor into consideration at the time the decision was made.

There are certain pitfalls that arise whenever someone has to make a decision. A few of them are:

• “Halo Effect” – This is when something is deemed good just because it possesses one or two characteristics you admire. For example, because a person attended your college, it means they’ll make good employees.
• “Horns Effect” – Just like the halo effect, here, one negative characteristic, makes everything else look bad.
• Emotional attachments which can cause a lot of bias.

Hasty decisions are as bad as those that take too much time to make. Be moderate and choose wisely.

Decision making is a skill that takes a lot of time to perfect and even then the circumstances may not allow you undergo the right process you may need. The goal is to always make a better decision than the previous time you had to. That way, you can ensure growth and self- development.

Just a few things to remember:

1. Life is unpredictable, there are no guarantees.
2. Doing nothing should never be an option.
3. Never let fear stop you.
4. When you choose, never second guess yourself.