Do you struggle with making decisions? Trying to decide what to do when you have multiple choices can be a nightmare and be a cause stress and anxiety. Decisions come in all sizes, big and small. It’s the big ones that can throw us off and leave us wondering what to do.
Everyone struggles with making decisions at some point in their lives. We can be afraid to make a choice. What if we choose the wrong thing? The what if (?) is the game we play in our heads. What if’s can lead to procrastination. We’ll just put off making a decision until we have to.
Then, there are the impulse decisions that don’t consider any of the consequences. Retail stores are banking on impulse decisions. A lot of us buy things we don’t need. These can get us into trouble if we aren’t careful.
There are also those decisions that are made because they are popular. Everyone else is doing it. (Did you make a FB Avatar this week? Lol.)
We make decisions on a daily basis. Some are harder than others. Making decisions can become easy once you learn how to decide:
1. Before making a decision, get some advice. Ask trusted family and friends for their opinion. Don’t rush it. Learn as much as you can.
2. Weigh the good against the bad, pros and cons against the outcome. Take all things into consideration. Do some research. Write it down on paper. It’s good to have a visual.
3. Praying about it helps. My favorite question to ask is, “What would Jesus do or want me to do?” Do my choices line up with His teachings?
4. Don’t let self-doubt and double-talk discourage you or let you think you made a bad decision. That’s a time waster. Stay strong. Stay the course. Fight to make it work. Give it everything you’ve got.
Making decisions gets easier the more you make them. It takes practice. Don’t get caught up in the “I shoulda game.” The more you practice it , the quicker you’ll get at it too. Think about your goals. Does this help you to move toward them?
Once you’ve made a well, thought-out choice, be confident that it was the best choice. Believe in yourself and don’t look back. No second guesses here. Move forward in that decision each day. You can make adjustments along the way if needed, but keep going forward and you will be successful.
Sometimes our decisions lead to wins and sometimes, they lead to failure and that’s ok. It’s in the failures that we learn valuable lessons. Thomas Edison failed many times at the light bulb. But he learned from each try and he persevered until he found the solution. We too, can learn from mistakes made and determine to keep going forward.
New opportunities knock daily on our doors. Don’t let the fear of making decisions keep you from experiencing new things. Opportunities are our chance to give back and make a difference. They lead to new relationships, new jobs, new choices and decisions. They lead to living life to the fullest!
God bless.—Barb
