10 Steps to Better Decisions

How to make more positive choices

“You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.”
― Michelle Obama

We are making choices and decisions all of the time.

Some of the decisions we find ourselves needing to make may appear to be inconsequential; some can be life-changing.

The first thing you need to know about your decision-making process is that it is emotional.

No matter how much information you have acquired before making any decision, in the end, it comes down to what you are feeling. Carefully researching and pondering choices does have an effect of course, but at the end of the day, you will be making a decision based on your emotions.

It’s also true that most of our bad decisions are not a result of faulty processing but of faulty perception. We simply have not looked at the options we have from different perspectives.

When faced with a decision about work, for example, we often focus on one aspect of the choices we have. However, any choice related to work will have consequences in so many other areas of our lives.

We need to look at options through different lenses to fully evaluate the consequences of choosing one or the other.

Edward de Bono, with whom I have been fortunate enough to train, has written widely on thinking and decision-making. I urge you to look at some of his books, particularly his writings on Six Thinking Hats.

This article outlines a 10 Step guide to making better decisions.

1.Know thyself

How well do you know yourself in terms of your goals, ambitions and aspirations?

If you know where you want to be, it’s a little easier to look at the choices you can make to get you there.

Another important aspect of “knowing yourself” is in understanding any limiting self-beliefs you may have about your ability to reach your goals.

Do you self-sabotage?

Do resist making decisions that could move you forward because you don’t really want what you say you want?