How to make better decisions

Gulf Today Report

Decision-making isn’t always easy. Decisions tend to shape our lives for better or worse. This guide will help you learn how to make good decisions in order to live an efficient and productive life.

Our lives are the result of all the decisions we have ever made. A well-thought-out decision is a powerful thing. It can change the course of your life faster than the speed of light.

When you’re young, it is tough to make productive decisions. So whatever path you may decide to follow at a young age, it will impact your life and bring with it its own specific sets of challenges and rewards.

As you gain maturity, you may start to question the power of each and every decision.

These tips can lead to making better decisions:

1. Use your imagination to see things differently. Take time to picture in your mind what will happen if you commit to something. Then, imagine what will happen if you fail to make that decision.

Photo used for illustrative purpose.

2. Write down all the steps you will need to take, and then ask yourself if you’re willing to take those steps.

3. Be honest about your own discipline. If you can take most of the steps without input or cheerleading from others, that’s good. If you know you are weak, figure out why you don’t trust yourself.

For example, you might be discouraged by your family to start a small business, something you’re passionate about, simply because they would be afraid to see you fail. But if you have the passion and the energy to do well, you might end up earning way more than you previously did.

4. Keep in mind that decisions will require sacrifice. This means costing you time, money, aggravation, and the freedom to do other things. If there are times when you feel like you want to quit, ask yourself how badly you want it, and you will be able to push yourself to the finish line.

5. It is also important to associate the stress you’ll undoubtedly feel if you fail to make a decision. Ask: What will result in my life, if I get lazy and don’t act? It’s much better to try and fail, and push forward while sacrificing, than to live with loss.

In order to become adept at making decisions, it pays to practise a lot. For example, make decisions to take vitamins, exercise more regularly, read a good book, or sign up for a class.

Once you trust yourself to make small decisions, it becomes easier to make bigger ones.