Many people struggle to make the best decisions. This is a nearly universal challenge. Yet, you can try these simple ways to approach decision-making today.
Simple Tips to Make the Best Decisions
If you want to make the best decisions, you’re already in the right mindset. You prefer to act rather than accept decisions made for you by others. But what else can you do to ensure better decision-making and help you find your path? Consider these tips.
Do the Right Thing
Decisions rarely come down to either-or choices. Instead, there are often many potential courses of action. Yet, you can only choose one at a time. So, what should you do? Here’s a quote I like that captures my sentiment about decision-making.
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt.
How Do You Know the Right Thing?
When you agonize about making the right decision, consider your possible choices. One often feels right, and you know it in your gut, while others may have some potential but lack that instinctive rightness. Choose to do the right thing.
What Happens If Things Change?
Even though you choose the right thing to do, circumstances may change, causing you to wonder about your choice. However, variables affect every decision, from the most consequential to the least important. The future is unpredictable, yet you know your strengths to make the most of them. Once you commit, stick with it, but be ready to adjust when necessary.
“Stay committed to your decisions. But stay flexible in your approach.” – Tom Robbins.
When Will You Know How to Make the Best Decisions?
There’s no exact age or timetable for making the best decisions. Some say wise decisions come with adulthood, while others contend you can make smart choices at any age. I’m in the latter group. The caveat is to start small. When you succeed with small decisions, making more challenging ones is more manageable.
“Small, good decisions will lead you to the glorious path of success.” – Zain Hashmi.
Good Decisions May Require Courage
To make the best decisions may mean choosing the unpopular, complicated, time-consuming, or seemingly ineffective choice. Here’s where you must draw on courage. If you feel the choice is right and have a vision of how to achieve success, you must pursue it. Communicate your strategy and enlist resources so others can rally around the decision.
“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” – Peter F. Drucker.
To Make the Best Decisions, Have No Regrets
Suppose you make the decision, and then worry sets in. Did you choose correctly, or was this a mistake? According to experts, worry and regret have no place in effective decision-making. Instead of worrying, get to work.
- Avoid looking backward and focus on now. This will help you enjoy a better tomorrow.
- You may not have a crystal ball to see how everything will turn out, but even a good decision can fail without hard work.
“Once a decision is made, you should stop worrying and start working. It’s not always what we know that makes a good decision. It is what we do to implement and execute it that makes it a good decision.” – John C. Maxwell.
Gather the Facts First
Every good decision depends on having the facts first. You wouldn’t build a house without having plans or start a trip without knowing the route. Likewise, you aren’t likely to marry the first person you date or choose the same car as your parents. Although anything is possible, impromptu decisions about essential matters rarely succeed.
So, to make the best decisions, gather the facts first. Once you have them, decision-making is easier. Furthermore, having the facts helps you be a better leader so you can act decisively under pressure.
“When you face a problem, solve it then and there is you have the facts necessary to make a decision. Don’t keep putting off decisions.” – Dale Carnegie.
Consider Perspective When Deciding
When deciding what to do, consider a change in perspective. What else is going on that may affect your decision? Also, looking at the situation from another perspective helps you address inconsistencies or problems you may not readily see.
- If your employee is constantly late or calls in sick, do you know the underlying cause? There may be something you can do, such as adjusting schedules or asking if the employee needs help at work. Before deciding on disciplinary action or referral to human resources, try to see the situation from the employee’s perspective.
- Suppose a new product launch makes business sense, yet you’re unsure of consumer reaction. You may consider focus groups or a soft launch to gain customer perspective.
“Very often, when you change your perspective, you see things differently, make different decisions, and get different results.” – Brian Tracy.
Small Decisions Can Have a Significant Impact
It isn’t only the big decisions you want to get right. Sometimes, it’s the small decisions that can have a significant, lasting impact. Here are two scenarios that illustrate this effect.
Working Late or Spending Time with Children
Your work is demanding, and you can choose between working late or spending time with your young children. The choice may seem clear-cut, but is it?
- Children grow quickly, and the time you miss is gone forever. Now is your opportunity to help shape and encourage them.
- You can rearrange your schedule to alternate between home time and working later. Or go in earlier to get things done.
Dietary or Lifestyle Changes
What is your long-term plan for ensuring good health? Consider making small changes in diet or lifestyle rather than drastic, sweeping ones. You can build better eating and behavior habits by starting small, and it will pay incredible dividends.
Walk Away or Try Harder?
Making the best decisions sometimes involves knowing when to walk away or try harder. You may labor hard, see few results, and believe it’s time to give up. However, with a little more work, you may succeed. The difficulty is knowing which path to choose. To get it right, carefully analyze what direction you want to take.
“One of the hardest decisions you’ll ever face in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour.
Besides, when you take chances and make mistakes, you have the opportunity to grow. Learning from mistakes helps you decide whether this is worth pursuing or if it’s time to change.
Choose What Feeds Your Soul to Make the Best Decisions
With a wealth of choices, how do you know which helps you to make the best decisions? When in doubt, always choose the one that nourishes your spirit and boosts your value and self-worth. This will invariably be the wise course of action. If you feel good about it, and it helps you maximize your potential, it’s the best decision to make.
“When faced with a decision, choose the path that feeds your soul.” – Dorothy Mendoza Row.
