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Everyone has certainly heard the term “life is made of choices,” but the issue remains: how can I know whether I’m making the correct decision? This is the important question, especially when we have to make hard decisions that will affect the rest of our life. Saying yes in some situations, selecting a college, moving countries—all of these questions will lead us down a different route.
Many people end up wondering, “What if?” because, while we may alter our thoughts along the road, starting anew is a lengthy process. So, how can you know whether you’re making the correct decision? It is possible to do realistic assessments, plan, and develop techniques to make more confident and determined decisions, and to feel hopeful about having established a certain course even if the outcome is unknown.
Learn to make decisions
The truth is that we make choices daily. From what we are going to eat for breakfast, to the clothes we are going to wear. Some, of course, have minor implications and their consequences will not have such a big impact on life.
But even at work, you need to be able to make decisions on the fly. This characteristic, in fact, is desired by recruiters and managers. Although doubt is a normal feeling, professionals capable of quickly carrying out practical analyzes and taking action, even when aware of the possible repercussions, tend to be well regarded in the market, especially for leadership positions .
But the difficulty in making decisions involves psychological factors and can happen to anyone. Choosing something means leaving something else behind, and abandoning a possibility can be difficult. Furthermore, some traumas and insecurities can come from childhood, generating fear of making mistakes, which makes a person indecisive.
Although all of these factors are valid, some issues need to be understood:
- It is human to make mistakes: it is possible for you to make the wrong decision, even if you analyze it carefully. Try to learn something from it and start again.
- You can never know whether you made the correct decision unless you take chances: taking risks is part of life, and instead of focusing on what you left behind, consider what lies ahead of the decision you made.
With that in mind, here are some tools to help you through this process and make smarter decisions:
Analyze the pros and cons
Rule number one is to consider the negatives and positives. Depending on the choice, this alone will be enough, once you understand which way the scale weighs more. If necessary, put it on paper and detail each item that could be good or bad. This is always the first step in evaluating a decision.
However, be careful not to create too many assumptions. Some people get too caught up in what might happen in scenario A or B, taking small details and turning them into something exaggerated. Pay attention to what is real and you can control.
Don’t act without thinking
An assertive decision can even be made quickly, but never without thinking. Making decisions without analyzing the possibilities is simply being impulsive, and this personality trait tends to bring more problems than solutions in any aspect of life.
Therefore, when defining something, even if time is against you, take at least a few minutes to make assessments or, if you have more time, set a deadline to give a definitive answer.
Analyze the impact on your life
Our moral compass can be a good reference to point the way. But not only that, short and long-term plans, dreams and goals can also contribute to the decision. For example, five years ago, where did you imagine yourself being professionally? Are you aligned with the decision that presents itself in your career now? Or can taking a chance on something new get you to that five-year goal?
This requires self-knowledge and a dose of planning, but bringing these situations from the past and trying to remember where you imagined you would be can make the decision easier.
Consult other people
The opinion of friends, family and co-workers can help. Of course, depending on the decision, it is important to talk to people about who we can trust, but just sharing with them the pros and cons, the analyzes we have done in our heads or even on paper helps to verbalize what the desire or intention may be.
Furthermore, people who know us well can offer an outside perspective on who we are, how we behave, and even remind us of purposes and dreams that can help with the final choice.
Just be careful not to let yourself be influenced by people when making a decision, and make sure you are doing what is best for you and not for others.
Trust your instincts
Practical analysis is important, but there is a voice within us that should not be ignored. Our instinct warns us when we are in a dangerous situation and, in the same way, can show us the right decision.
