Every day, we’re faced with many choices. What time do we get up? What time do we go to bed? What do we wear? Which route do we take to go to the shops? When do we eat? And on, and on… We start learning to make choices at a very young age. We gain more independence as we learn to make better and more important decisions.
Making choices with confidence is empowering. Our choices, no matter how small, leave lasting impacts on our lives. Since we know it will affect us for life, it can be daunting. What if we make the wrong decision? How do we make the right choices? Are there things we can do to be more confident when making a tough choice?
Avoid Analysis Paralysis
When faced with a choice, there’s always the possibility of overthinking, especially if the decision will change the direction of your life. By overthinking, analysis paralysis can set in. When this happens, nothing gets done. It’s important to go ahead and make the decision. The smaller details can be worked out later.
Hopefully, by the time we’re adults, we’re very adept at making wise choices that will affect us for life. Here are some tips for when you have to make a tough choice.
Use Dreadful Deadlines
When a tough choice needs to be made, some people like to ‘sleep on it.’ For some, this can lead to sleepless nights. However, if a reasonable deadline is set, then the decision can be made during daylight hours. Deadlines may seem dreadful, but it helps establish and refocus your mindset. When you know when you need to make a decision, you can plan, take notes, and put your thoughts down on paper. You can go to bed knowing that the sun will come up and you can think about things in the morning. Sleep well.
Good Over Great
When making a big decision, consider making a good choice now rather than waiting to make a great choice later. This is especially helpful when the choice that is made can be changed without too much difficulty or can be built upon. This keeps everything moving forward and can lead to success.
The ‘10-10-10’ Method
When making a choice, the 10-10-10 method comes in handy. Ask “how will I feel about this in 10 days? In 10 months? In 10 years?” By looking at the short, medium, and long-term effects of the decision, you have considered most angles. The length of time, 10 minutes, 10 hours, 10 days, 10 weeks, and so on, is dependent on the gravity of the decision being made.
Write it Down
When you’re struggling to make a choice, writing can alleviate some of the troubles you have on your mind. List the pros and cons to help declutter your mind. Sketch out a plan. Take a look at it in writing. Read it aloud. It gets it out of your head and gets it out in front of you, helping you flush out the small details which can help you form sound decisions.
Call a Friend
Remember ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ One lifeline option was to ‘Call a Friend.’ The contestant would often ask their friend for advice and then choose an answer that their friend didn’t give them. Other times they would go with what their friend said. Why? Because they trusted their friend to be a sounding board for them and they would go with what their gut said later. And so…
Trust Your Gut
Take a deep breath. You have made it this far. Your decisions and choices have led you on many adventures. Use your intuition. Your knowledge base. You will make wise choices!
Now that you’ve learned 7 simple tips you can adopt when making tough decisions, hopefully, you can be more confident in the choices you make in your life.
~ Gail Straker, BAEd
Community Manager, Director of Coaching
Lipedema Simplified