Decisions, decisions, decisions? Why is it that some of us just struggle so much with the simple act of making a decision, while others can make a quick decision and move on with life?
We all know that one person, heck some of us are that one person, that struggles at a restaurant just to make a choice on what to eat for their meal. Having spent many years in the food and beverage industry there's nothing like that one person who stares at the menu unable to decide between the steak or the chicken.
So what is it about making decisions that can cause so many people to become almost paralyzed, and what can they learn to do to increase their decision-making abilities?
There are several reasons that people waiver when making decisions but most of them stem from FEAR! People are afraid of missing out on something, they are afraid of making the wrong choice, they are afraid of the consequences of their choices, or they are afraid of being judged for their decision. So how do you become better at making decisions? Well like any other muscle in your body, you need to work it out!
Here are some keys to developing your ability to make decisions
Understand the power of decisions, and you'll make more of them. What this means is that through your ability to make decisions, you have the power to control how you view the things that have happened and that will happen in your life. You have the ability to change the things you don't like and decide on a better course of action. Or you can choose to do nothing and stay exactly where you are.
Once you understand how powerful the skill of making decisions can be in your life, you have to start making decisions more often. It's like going to the gym. If you only do one rep your muscles aren't going to experience any substantial growth. If you do multiple reps and sets, you will see noticeable growth. Just the act of making decisions more often can make decision-making a new habit!
Learn from your mistakes. If you take the pressure off of yourself of never making a mistake, and instead understand that mistakes are going to happen, and it is through the mistakes that you gain the value of experience, you will start looking at it as a learning opportunity, and you will not feel so much pressure. Most successful business people, the ones who started from the bottom and worked their way to the top know that they are going to be wrong, they are going to be wrong a lot. But, if they make no decision then they will never move forward towards their goals.
Do what's right. Use your best judgement, listen to your intuition, and if you discover it's not right change it, and if that's not right change it, and if that's not right change it. But be decisive.
Someone who I admire greatly is Tony Robbins, I hope one day to have the impact on lives like he has. Tony has a program that is called the "RPM" program. In this program, he teaches that if you can identify three areas, your decisions will become clearer and he emphasizes that "clarity is power".
The acronym RPM stands for Results, Purpose, Massive Action Plan. What he teaches is that if you:
a) know what the result is that you are looking to achieve by making your decision.
b) know what the purpose of making the decision is (what's the Why).
c) know what you need to do to implement your Massive Action Plan.
Knowing these three things will help you make decisions easier as well. And always remember, one of the most important aspects of making a decision is that you stay committed to your decision. You can change your tactics because flexibility is fundamental in the decision-making process, but you make the decision, then burn your boats and don't give yourself an out.
I challenge you to look at an area of your life where you have been struggling to make a decision. Up your RPM's and take your control back, as well as your life.
P.S. Think how happy your waitress will be the next time you come in for dinner đ
